Chapter 27 - Hospital
Vaughn opened his eyes groggily. The room was dark, the only light entering through the slim gaps in the wooden slats of the blinds. The sheets were a dark blue and the familiar scent told Vaughn that he was lying in his own bed.
He looked over to the other side of the bed and there she lay. The sheets were rolled around her waist, her pale yellow singlet hung on her slim figure. Vaughn reached out and pushed a piece of hair away from her face.
His gentle touch aroused her and slowly she opened her eyes. A grin crept onto her face as she spotted him.
"Morning" she murmured, the grin not leaving her face.
Vaughn felt his heart ache. How long had he waited for this? "Hey" was all her could muster as a reply.
Sydney didn't seem to notice, her smile simply growing even more. "What do you want to do today?"
"Stay here with you"
She laughed and shuffled so she could stretch across his chest. "Vaughn, we can't do that"
"Why not?"
She paused. "I don't know"
"I love you" he muttered into her hair.
Sydney rose her head and gently kissed him. "And I love you. Come home soon"
And the scene slipped away into the darkness.
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Vaughn began to wake up, not wanting to leave that beautiful place. But in the back of his mind, he knew it was a dream and it was time to leave it to return to reality.
His mind became overwhelmed with the sounds that only hospitals could produce. The repetitive beeping of machines. The squealing of trolleys as they are being pushed down the corridor. The sound of feet on linoleum. The dull tone of doctor voices. No matter how hard they tried, there was never a truly quiet room in a hospital.
He forced his eyes open and found Logan sitting next to him, his arms crossed and a smirk on his face.
"About bloody time you woke up" he teased. "How you feeling?"
"A little groggy. What happened?"
"You were shot in the thigh. You were loosing a heap of blood and passed out at the scene"
"I've been in more pain than that" Vaughn replied, slightly confused
"You more likely lost consciousness because of blood loss and exhaustion" Logan explained. "Are you in any pain?"
"A little, but nothing too extreme. How long have I been out for?"
"Five days. I thought I would hang around, so you would have a familiar face when you woke up"
"Thanks Logan, but don't you want to go home and see your family?"
"I can wait a few more days. Plus you would have done the same for me"
"Where are we?"
"A little town in the South of France. They stitched you up, transfused you. The doc said all they had to wait for now was for you to wake up"
There was a light tap on the door and a small man with a balding head, tiny eyes and white coat entered the room.
"Hello Mr. Vaughn. I hope you are feeling better" the doctor enquired, barely understandable through his thick accent.
"Je me suis senti mieux, docteur (I have felt better, doctor)" Vaughn replied, letting the familiar language spill off his tongue.
The doctor looks relieved. "Vous parlez Français? Puits qui le facilite beaucoup! Je ne vois aucune raison pour laquelle vous ne pourriez pas retourner votre maison demain. Avez-vous des questions?" (You speak French? Well that makes it much easier! I see no reason why you could not return home tomorrow. Do you have any questions?)
"Non, mais merci infiniment pour tout votre soin" (No, but thank you very much for all your care) Vaughn replied, a true grin spreading across his features.
"Mon plaisir. Je viendrai vous voir ce soir et demain avant que vous partiez" (My pleasure. I will come and see you tonight and tomorrow before you leave) the doctor replied before leaving the room as silently as he entered it
"Told you everything was alright" Logan commented, smiling at his younger friend.
"Yeah, I just have to find a way of passing the time"
Logan grinned. "Actually, I've been playing solitaire the old fashioned way for the past few days and was hoping you would be up for a bit of poker?"
"Logan, I have nothing to bet!"
"As a matter of fact, a very lovely nurse gave me a box of band aids to use when you work up. You up for it?"
Vaughn shuffled his position so he was sitting up. "Bring it on"
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The past few chapters have been a bit of a struggle to get through, mainly because I am so close to the end, I was tempted to skip everything and just bring him home. But never fear, dear readers, the reunion is coming.
Apologies if my French grammar was off, I had to use an online translator, Systranbox, and try and remember the basic French I was taught at school.
