I think I'm going to close it off here. It's been a while. I may very well
change my mind in a week, but I think this chapter should close off nicely.
Trust me, if it doesn't I'll put in an epilogue and that will close this
up. I will have to decide once I'm done writing this part.
By the way, this chapter has a slight rewind at the beginning. This is so people can know how Serena felt when she saw him wake up.
Of course, I have to make a statement of a disclaimer. I do not own characters of S.M, I am however borrowing them for this beautiful story, which is all mine.
Glad to have shared this story with you. I'll try to get back to writing soon, but I'm losing the Internet over the summer so I cannot be locked inside and enjoy the wondrous beauty that is summer. Watch for my return in the fall. Thanks for all the reviews. They assured me of how I was able to capture all your hearts in this heart-wrenching story.
Serena awoke with a start. She blinked as she took in her surroundings. It all came back to her then. She was in Darien's hospital room and Rini was curled up beside her, while playing with Luna along with her aunt Rei.
"Welcome back," Rei said, catching sight of her now.
Serena stretched. "I didn't even know when I fell asleep."
Rei shrugged. "I came back with the coffees and you were out. Rini kept herself busy by telling him all about Luna's recent misadventure."
Serena looked to her daughter, who gave her a bright beaming smile. "Hey kitten paws, I didn't mean to fall asleep on you."
"That's okay, aunt Rei said that you were really tired and were trying to find daddy in your dreams so you could tell him to wake up."
Serena blinked. She looked at Rei then at her daughter. She could believe that Rei would tell her daughter something like that. But out the mouths of babes, as the saying went. She sighed. "Oh Rini, you're a real gem."
Rini smiled. "Like one of the ones you use to make the pretty princess stuff?"
Serena nodded. "No, you're like the diamond that is so big, and so sparkly everyone wants to take it."
Rini frowned. "Well, I don't want anyone to take me."
Serena laughed. "Oh, Rini no one will take you anywhere."
A nurse came in for the regular hourly check up on Darien. She went about checking his vitals when she suddenly frowned. She immediately called in another nurse.
Rei looked at Serena with a stricken look. Mina, who had just entered the room, saw the panic in the two women's faces and called Rini to her.
"I'm going to take you out for lunch," she said, taking Rini's hand, and scooping up Luna in her other arm.
"McDonalds?" Rini asked.
Mina nodded, "Sure, now come on."
Serena looked at Darien once she saw her daughter safely out the door.
"What's going on?" Rei asked the nurses.
"His vitals are indicating that he's regressing back to the early stage of the infection. He has a fever..."
"What's going on?" Amy asked, rushing into the room.
"I think you should check him over Doctor," the second nurse stated.
"His heartbeat's dropping," the first nurse said with great alarm.
Amy swore under her breath. "How could this have happened?" she exclaimed as she grabbed his wrist and checked his pulse.
One of the nurses ran out of the room to get some equipment.
Amy turned to Serena and Rei, looking concerned. "Maybe you two should go," she stated.
Serena shook her head.
"Doctor," the other nurse said.
Amy whirled around.
Serena stared at Darien's face. His eyelids were twitching, and then he groaned. Then suddenly his eyes fluttered open.
"Well, hello," Amy said, "Good to have you back."
Serena just stared. He was awake. She couldn't believe. She felt her body melt under the relief, excitement, and other emotions that flooded her.
"Oh Darien," she said, grabbing his hand, and burying her face in his neck, as a tear trickled down her cheek.
Very slowly, he lifted his other hand and touched the back of her head. "I'm here," he said in a choked, dry voice.
"You should have some water," Amy suggested.
Darien looked over Serena's head at Amy and nodded. Then he saw Rei, and he gave her a faint smile.
"You gave us a scare, you jerk," she said with a grateful smile.
Darien shrugged. "It wasn't my fault," he said after a sip of water.
Finally, Serena released Darien's neck, and stood up to stare at him. He gave her a smile. "You know, heaven isn't anything without you."
Serena gave a slight frown. "What do you mean—how would you know?" she asked, confusion clearly marked on her face.
"I was there. That's where I've been the whole time I was asleep. I saw my mother and this little angel that looked just like Rini..."
"You dreamed that," a nurse stated.
Darien shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not."
Serena squeezed his hand. "I'm just glad that you're okay now."
"Well, we still have a few things that we're going to have to check over," Amy informed them. "But he's looking pretty good, especially now that he's awake."
Serena gave a bright smile. "I think that's the best news I've heard."
Amy gave her a shrewd look, and then looked back to Darien. "We're going to have to run a few tests, you know, so we can be sure that you're getting better."
Darien nodded. A few minutes later, a pair of orderlies came in and wheeled his bed down to the other wing of the hospital.
Serena shakily sat down beside Rei.
"I was so worried when the nurses wanted to have him checked out by Amy. I thought that he was finally making a move, but to the worse."
Serena nodded faintly. With Darien waking up, she felt as though the heavy burden of stress and worry was lifted. She felt a bit lightheaded. Obviously, she hadn't eaten enough in all the week that Darien was in a coma. She stood up. "I think I need to eat I don't feel too good."
Rei gave her a curious look.
Serena grabbed onto the chair to steady herself. "I must have stood up too quickly," she said. But she knew she was lying. She felt herself falling into oblivion.
"Serena!" Rei screeched.
A nurse ran in. "Oh dear," she said, seeing Serena on the ground. "Has she been eating and sleeping enough?" the nurse asked Rei.
Rei shrugged. "Not really. I've seen her pick at her food, and she's only slept a few hours here and there."
The nurse pushed a button and had another nurse come in. they had a stretcher called in, and were laying her upon it when Amy entered the room.
"What's wrong?" Amy asked, immediately checking Serena over.
Rei shrugged. "It was so weird. I was talking to her, and then all of a sudden she said she didn't feel well and then when she stood up she struggled for her balance, and then she fainted."
Amy considered quickly. "Well, I'll have a quick blood test to just make sure that everything is all right, but I really think that she's run herself out too thin."
Serena was then wheeled from the room. And Rei was left alone. Chad joined her shortly after, having rushed across town to see for his own eyes that his soon to be brother in law was awake from a deep coma.
It wasn't long before Serena was being wheeled back into the room. She was rubbing her head. "You know, I think hospitals are bad places."
Rei laughed as she came to her friend's bed. "You really scared me," she told her.
Serena gave a small smile. "I obviously haven't been taking care of myself very well."
"And I'm very disappointed in you Serena, considering the circumstances," Amy said as she entered the room reading over a chart. She looked up at Serena, "I'm glad that you're sitting down."
"What?" both Rei and Serena said together.
"Well, it appears you should have been taking care of yourself, if not for yourself but for your baby," Amy stated.
Serena just stared. "I beg your pardon."
Amy gave her a stern look. "I can assure you that I'm not lying, and you know you're going to have to take great care so that we don't have a repeat of the past."
Serena's mouth dropped open.
"Oh Serena, that's excellent," Rei squealed, throwing her arms around Serena's neck. "Congratulations."
Amy waved a hand in front of Serena's face. "You okay?" she asked.
Serena snapped out of her daze. "I'm pregnant?" she repeated.
Amy and Rei nodded.
"Alright then," she said, blinking.
"I'm going to make sure that you have an excellent obstetrician, as I can't deliver your baby, since, well..." she said, indicating her own stomach.
Serena nodded. "Oh man, hasn't this been quite a day," she said. Then desperately wanting to be out of the bed for when Darien came back, she looked pleadingly at Amy. "Can I get out of this bed now?"
Amy considered carefully. "I'm not sure that's a good idea," she stated.
"What's not a good idea?" another voice asked.
They all looked to see Darien being wheeled back into the room. He looked at Serena in the bed, and concern immediately marked his face.
Serena blushed. Concern coming from the man who had just woken up from a coma was the last thing she needed to straddle herself with.
"Ah, I think I'm going to check over your results," Amy said then.
Rei and Chad nodded. "Yeah, we'll come to. I think it would be good to get some fresh air," Rei stated.
Serena got out of the bed slowly while the orderlies placed Darien's bed back in place. She made her way to beside him.
"How are you?" she asked him, grabbing his hands, and refusing to let them go.
He gave her a smile. "I'm as great as can be expected. And I'm so glad that I have you here."
Serena lifted her head to kiss him hungrily. "Please don't ever do something like that ever again," she said holding him tightly as though she never wanted to let him go. "Oh Darien, I was so scared that I was going to lose you."
Darien gave her a squeeze in return. "Oh I was scared that I wasn't going to return, and that I would lose you and Rini."
"That wouldn't happen," she said with finality. "Because I wouldn't let it."
Darien pulled her close to him, and held her tightly. "Everything is going to be alright now," he said, kissing her atop of her head.
Serena nodded. "Yes, and I thought I should let you know that I'm pregnant."
Darien froze. Pregnant, he thought, she was pregnant. Finally feeling her words sink in, he lifted her gently by the shoulders. "Are you really?" he asked her.
She nodded. "That's why I was lying down in the bed when you came back up. After you left, I fainted and they did some blood work, and Amy just told me that I was pregnant with our child."
Darien clutched her tightly. "Oh Serena, this is so perfect. Marry me," he blurted out.
She stood up and stared at him. "Did you just ask me to marry you?" she asked him.
He nodded. "It's not quite the way I wanted to ask you, but I want to marry you. I want us to be together, have a future and just be happy together. So marry me, I'll make sure that we're all happy, and that there's always reason to smile."
Serena beamed at him. "Yes," she said, throwing herself into his arms. "Yes, I'll marry you."
Darien held her tightly. Then they heard an excited squeal pitch. "Daddy, you're awake!" a little voice said, as Rini threw herself onto the bed, right beside Darien.
Then together in a tight embrace, the family was joined together at last, with a very promising future ahead of them, just sparkling with opportunities.
By the way, this chapter has a slight rewind at the beginning. This is so people can know how Serena felt when she saw him wake up.
Of course, I have to make a statement of a disclaimer. I do not own characters of S.M, I am however borrowing them for this beautiful story, which is all mine.
Glad to have shared this story with you. I'll try to get back to writing soon, but I'm losing the Internet over the summer so I cannot be locked inside and enjoy the wondrous beauty that is summer. Watch for my return in the fall. Thanks for all the reviews. They assured me of how I was able to capture all your hearts in this heart-wrenching story.
Serena awoke with a start. She blinked as she took in her surroundings. It all came back to her then. She was in Darien's hospital room and Rini was curled up beside her, while playing with Luna along with her aunt Rei.
"Welcome back," Rei said, catching sight of her now.
Serena stretched. "I didn't even know when I fell asleep."
Rei shrugged. "I came back with the coffees and you were out. Rini kept herself busy by telling him all about Luna's recent misadventure."
Serena looked to her daughter, who gave her a bright beaming smile. "Hey kitten paws, I didn't mean to fall asleep on you."
"That's okay, aunt Rei said that you were really tired and were trying to find daddy in your dreams so you could tell him to wake up."
Serena blinked. She looked at Rei then at her daughter. She could believe that Rei would tell her daughter something like that. But out the mouths of babes, as the saying went. She sighed. "Oh Rini, you're a real gem."
Rini smiled. "Like one of the ones you use to make the pretty princess stuff?"
Serena nodded. "No, you're like the diamond that is so big, and so sparkly everyone wants to take it."
Rini frowned. "Well, I don't want anyone to take me."
Serena laughed. "Oh, Rini no one will take you anywhere."
A nurse came in for the regular hourly check up on Darien. She went about checking his vitals when she suddenly frowned. She immediately called in another nurse.
Rei looked at Serena with a stricken look. Mina, who had just entered the room, saw the panic in the two women's faces and called Rini to her.
"I'm going to take you out for lunch," she said, taking Rini's hand, and scooping up Luna in her other arm.
"McDonalds?" Rini asked.
Mina nodded, "Sure, now come on."
Serena looked at Darien once she saw her daughter safely out the door.
"What's going on?" Rei asked the nurses.
"His vitals are indicating that he's regressing back to the early stage of the infection. He has a fever..."
"What's going on?" Amy asked, rushing into the room.
"I think you should check him over Doctor," the second nurse stated.
"His heartbeat's dropping," the first nurse said with great alarm.
Amy swore under her breath. "How could this have happened?" she exclaimed as she grabbed his wrist and checked his pulse.
One of the nurses ran out of the room to get some equipment.
Amy turned to Serena and Rei, looking concerned. "Maybe you two should go," she stated.
Serena shook her head.
"Doctor," the other nurse said.
Amy whirled around.
Serena stared at Darien's face. His eyelids were twitching, and then he groaned. Then suddenly his eyes fluttered open.
"Well, hello," Amy said, "Good to have you back."
Serena just stared. He was awake. She couldn't believe. She felt her body melt under the relief, excitement, and other emotions that flooded her.
"Oh Darien," she said, grabbing his hand, and burying her face in his neck, as a tear trickled down her cheek.
Very slowly, he lifted his other hand and touched the back of her head. "I'm here," he said in a choked, dry voice.
"You should have some water," Amy suggested.
Darien looked over Serena's head at Amy and nodded. Then he saw Rei, and he gave her a faint smile.
"You gave us a scare, you jerk," she said with a grateful smile.
Darien shrugged. "It wasn't my fault," he said after a sip of water.
Finally, Serena released Darien's neck, and stood up to stare at him. He gave her a smile. "You know, heaven isn't anything without you."
Serena gave a slight frown. "What do you mean—how would you know?" she asked, confusion clearly marked on her face.
"I was there. That's where I've been the whole time I was asleep. I saw my mother and this little angel that looked just like Rini..."
"You dreamed that," a nurse stated.
Darien shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not."
Serena squeezed his hand. "I'm just glad that you're okay now."
"Well, we still have a few things that we're going to have to check over," Amy informed them. "But he's looking pretty good, especially now that he's awake."
Serena gave a bright smile. "I think that's the best news I've heard."
Amy gave her a shrewd look, and then looked back to Darien. "We're going to have to run a few tests, you know, so we can be sure that you're getting better."
Darien nodded. A few minutes later, a pair of orderlies came in and wheeled his bed down to the other wing of the hospital.
Serena shakily sat down beside Rei.
"I was so worried when the nurses wanted to have him checked out by Amy. I thought that he was finally making a move, but to the worse."
Serena nodded faintly. With Darien waking up, she felt as though the heavy burden of stress and worry was lifted. She felt a bit lightheaded. Obviously, she hadn't eaten enough in all the week that Darien was in a coma. She stood up. "I think I need to eat I don't feel too good."
Rei gave her a curious look.
Serena grabbed onto the chair to steady herself. "I must have stood up too quickly," she said. But she knew she was lying. She felt herself falling into oblivion.
"Serena!" Rei screeched.
A nurse ran in. "Oh dear," she said, seeing Serena on the ground. "Has she been eating and sleeping enough?" the nurse asked Rei.
Rei shrugged. "Not really. I've seen her pick at her food, and she's only slept a few hours here and there."
The nurse pushed a button and had another nurse come in. they had a stretcher called in, and were laying her upon it when Amy entered the room.
"What's wrong?" Amy asked, immediately checking Serena over.
Rei shrugged. "It was so weird. I was talking to her, and then all of a sudden she said she didn't feel well and then when she stood up she struggled for her balance, and then she fainted."
Amy considered quickly. "Well, I'll have a quick blood test to just make sure that everything is all right, but I really think that she's run herself out too thin."
Serena was then wheeled from the room. And Rei was left alone. Chad joined her shortly after, having rushed across town to see for his own eyes that his soon to be brother in law was awake from a deep coma.
It wasn't long before Serena was being wheeled back into the room. She was rubbing her head. "You know, I think hospitals are bad places."
Rei laughed as she came to her friend's bed. "You really scared me," she told her.
Serena gave a small smile. "I obviously haven't been taking care of myself very well."
"And I'm very disappointed in you Serena, considering the circumstances," Amy said as she entered the room reading over a chart. She looked up at Serena, "I'm glad that you're sitting down."
"What?" both Rei and Serena said together.
"Well, it appears you should have been taking care of yourself, if not for yourself but for your baby," Amy stated.
Serena just stared. "I beg your pardon."
Amy gave her a stern look. "I can assure you that I'm not lying, and you know you're going to have to take great care so that we don't have a repeat of the past."
Serena's mouth dropped open.
"Oh Serena, that's excellent," Rei squealed, throwing her arms around Serena's neck. "Congratulations."
Amy waved a hand in front of Serena's face. "You okay?" she asked.
Serena snapped out of her daze. "I'm pregnant?" she repeated.
Amy and Rei nodded.
"Alright then," she said, blinking.
"I'm going to make sure that you have an excellent obstetrician, as I can't deliver your baby, since, well..." she said, indicating her own stomach.
Serena nodded. "Oh man, hasn't this been quite a day," she said. Then desperately wanting to be out of the bed for when Darien came back, she looked pleadingly at Amy. "Can I get out of this bed now?"
Amy considered carefully. "I'm not sure that's a good idea," she stated.
"What's not a good idea?" another voice asked.
They all looked to see Darien being wheeled back into the room. He looked at Serena in the bed, and concern immediately marked his face.
Serena blushed. Concern coming from the man who had just woken up from a coma was the last thing she needed to straddle herself with.
"Ah, I think I'm going to check over your results," Amy said then.
Rei and Chad nodded. "Yeah, we'll come to. I think it would be good to get some fresh air," Rei stated.
Serena got out of the bed slowly while the orderlies placed Darien's bed back in place. She made her way to beside him.
"How are you?" she asked him, grabbing his hands, and refusing to let them go.
He gave her a smile. "I'm as great as can be expected. And I'm so glad that I have you here."
Serena lifted her head to kiss him hungrily. "Please don't ever do something like that ever again," she said holding him tightly as though she never wanted to let him go. "Oh Darien, I was so scared that I was going to lose you."
Darien gave her a squeeze in return. "Oh I was scared that I wasn't going to return, and that I would lose you and Rini."
"That wouldn't happen," she said with finality. "Because I wouldn't let it."
Darien pulled her close to him, and held her tightly. "Everything is going to be alright now," he said, kissing her atop of her head.
Serena nodded. "Yes, and I thought I should let you know that I'm pregnant."
Darien froze. Pregnant, he thought, she was pregnant. Finally feeling her words sink in, he lifted her gently by the shoulders. "Are you really?" he asked her.
She nodded. "That's why I was lying down in the bed when you came back up. After you left, I fainted and they did some blood work, and Amy just told me that I was pregnant with our child."
Darien clutched her tightly. "Oh Serena, this is so perfect. Marry me," he blurted out.
She stood up and stared at him. "Did you just ask me to marry you?" she asked him.
He nodded. "It's not quite the way I wanted to ask you, but I want to marry you. I want us to be together, have a future and just be happy together. So marry me, I'll make sure that we're all happy, and that there's always reason to smile."
Serena beamed at him. "Yes," she said, throwing herself into his arms. "Yes, I'll marry you."
Darien held her tightly. Then they heard an excited squeal pitch. "Daddy, you're awake!" a little voice said, as Rini threw herself onto the bed, right beside Darien.
Then together in a tight embrace, the family was joined together at last, with a very promising future ahead of them, just sparkling with opportunities.