Jamie slowly opened her eyes, feeling as if a tone of bricks where on top of her body. The bright lights caused her head to hurt, she closed her eyes again. Where am I? She wondered. She tried to remember what happened, Landon left then? It hit her, Mike was at the house, he tried to hurt fear, fear swept her body causing her eyes to open and forget about the light.

A soft beeping noise filled the room, she looked around, she was in the hospital with a deadly sharp pain in her back. Everything after seeing Mike was blank, she had no idea what happened next but she was sure the reason she was lying in a hospital bed was his fault.

Landon, she thought. She expressly wanted to see him. She remembered their kiss, a smile crept her face. Something changed between them and she was glad it did. She loved Landon more then a friend and had for some time now.

" Can I see her now?" Landon asked the kind doctor that explained Jamie's condition to him.

" She should be awake now but she needs her rest. We checked for any internal injuries and found none, she has a nasty gash but she should be fine and home in a couple of days." The doctor first explained before he showed Landon to Jamie's room. The doctor left him standing in front of her room door, Landon was nervous for some reason but glad she was ok.

After their kiss, the small time he spent at work, all he thought of was her so he decided to head home since he really wasn't needed. When he walked inside the living room, he found her bleeding to death on the floor.

He walked into the room and saw Jamie's big brown eyes looking back at him. He couldn't help but smile, she was ok now. When Landon wasn't sure if she would make it, if he got to her in time, a small part of him died because he couldn't live with out her. The crisis's in the last couple of days made Landon realize how much he needed her and was madly in love with her. Something so horrible made him realize something so wonderful.

" Hey." Landon said as he pulled the chair closer to her bed and sat down.

" Hi." Jamie said as she felt Landon grabbed her hand, she was glad he did.

" How are you feeling?" Landon asked. Her face was pale but she still took his breath away.

" Lost." Jamie admitted. " I can't remember much of what happened."

Landon looked down, he knew he should tell her what happened but he didn't want to talk about the fact he almost lost her.

" What?" Jamie asked. " If you know something, tell me." She said.

Landon took a deep breath. " Mike stabbed you and left you for dead. I decided to come home and found you. He was gone when I got there but the cops knew it was him because he went back to the bar with blood on him, Jen knew something wasn't right. She asked questions, he flipped and told her, she got scared for her life she told the cops. He came at her so she shot him with the gun kept behind the counter." Landon explained, he was glad Mike was dead for all the pain he caused Jamie but he also didn't want him to have the easy way out, death.

" Wow, a lot has happened." Jamie said as she thought about everything he told her. " Every time I get fucked over, you rescue me." She pointed out with a smile on her face.

" Yeah well that's my job." Landon said as he re-turned the smile and caressed her hand.

They locked eyes. Neither wanted the moment between them to end. The cold realization hit Jamie, in a couple of days, Landon was still leaving. She hated thinking about that but it was the truth and some way she had to find away to deal with it.

" You're not in any pain are you?" Landon asked when he saw the pained look across her face. The look wasn't physical pain it was emotional.

" I'm fine, really. The drugs really work." Jamie said with a light laugh. She felt the drowsiness but fought it, she didn't want to leave Landon's beautiful eyes.

" Jamie about before I left this morning--

" The kiss?" Jamie supplied.

" Yeah, the kiss about that. I've been wanting to do that for awhile now but lately everything's just been so crazy between us. I never thought in a million years you would be hurt the way that you did. I'm glad that son of a bitch is dead for what he did to you. But everything that's happened help me realize that--" Landon explained but he needed a breath before he admitted the truth to her, with their eyes still locking and both their hearts racing. "--I'm in love with you."

As Jamie smiled she felt happy tears well up in her eyes. " I love you too, always have." She finally said. It was a weight off her shoulders.

Landon leaned forward and caught her mouth in a kiss. Even thought she had a system full of drugs she was very aware of what was happening, a dream come true after the nightmare. She felt alive as their mouths explored each other. Even after everything she's been through Jamie was happy. She didn't dwell on everything that's happened but in ways it still haunted her.

They pulled away from each other, Jamie brought her hand to his cheek and stared deep into his eyes. She just wanted to freeze this moment and never have it end but she had to ask the nagging question that was tearing her heart.

" Landon, you're still leaving in a couple of days. How is this going to work?" Jamie asked.

" Easy." Landon said with a smile that won Jamie all over again. " I'm not going anywhere."




Isabelle