Don't Let Go

Chapter 11

The next two days passed slowly for the anxious young father and husband. Lucas had spent most of his time shuttling back and forth between Peyton and Emily. He spent the early mornings with his daughter and when the nurses would come in to take her vitals Lucas would head upstairs with Peyton. He would sit quietly with her, usually holding tightly to her hand. After a few hours passed he would lumber into the waiting room to pick absently at the lunch Haley or Karen would bring from the café. Then it was back to Emily's ward until visiting hours ended.

He usually spent the nights in Peyton's room. The nurses changing shifts late at night would usually find the young man sleeping with his head resting on his wife's bed. They had begun to look the other way when it came to Lucas spending all night with Peyton long after visiting hours had passed. It was the only time Lucas would close his eyes, and even then he never got more than a few restless hours of sleep.

His mom, Haley and Nathan had started to worry about him after he spent the first day at the hospital running back and forth between his wife and daughters room without any sleep or anything to eat. When dark circles formed under his eyes and his clothes took on a rumpled appearance, Nathan decided to play the 'brother knows best' card and gently push Lucas into leaving the hospital for the first time in nearly 20 hours for a shower and a change of clothes.

He was gone for less than hour and sitting back in his usual spot, in the chair next to Peyton's bed when her doctor walked into the room bearing the news that Lucas had been waiting to hear. The doctor told him that Peyton had recovered enough to bring her out of the coma. Lucas was relieved to say the least, the doctor could see the relief in his face and actually gave the young man a small hug. Medication would be given to reverse the effects of the coma and bring her slowly back to consciousness. The doctor warned it would take time, hours, for Peyton to come around but Lucas was prepared to wait.

He had spent a few hours with Emily before going up to be with Peyton, promising himself he would sit with her until she opened her eyes. He settled into his usual chair and tried to read his worn copy of The Old Man and the Sea, but after rereading the first page nearly six times he gave up on that way of occupying his time. He tried to watch a college basketball game on the small television in her room but it didn't hold his interest for long. His attempts at waiting patiently were failing miserably.

Lucas spent the next hour pacing the room. It was a nervous habit he'd had as a kid, but it always worked to calm his nerves. He remembered the night of his first real date with Peyton, she was taking awhile to get ready so he paced her living room nervously as he waited. Larry had made a remark about the nervous boy wearing a rut into the hardwood floors and Lucas had taken it seriously and sat down on the sofa. Larry had just laughed and patted the boy on the back. Only two years later Peyton would lose her last bit of family when cancer took her father. Lucas looked over at his wife and wondered how she could stay so strong after so much sadness in her life.

He finally gave up pacing the room and settled back into his chair with his book and tried to read some more.

Less than two pages were turned when he heard what he had been waiting 48 hours for, his wife's voice. It was gravelly and she could barely speak above a whisper but it was the most beautiful sound Lucas could ever remember hearing.

She had mumbled his name with her eyes barely open and he had immediately leaned closer to her and grabbed her hand.

"Peyton I'm right here."

"Where am I?" she whispered while grabbing at the i.v. stuck into her hand. He gently pulled her hand away to keep her from pulling it out.

"You're in the hospital. You had an operation and then you had to rest for awhile, but you're ok now." He brushed his fingers over her cheek. The elation he felt when she opened her eyes for the first time in days nearly overwhelmed him.

"Where's the baby?" she asked, slightly panicked as she felt her now flat stomach.

"The baby is ok. She was very premature but she's being taken very good care of downstairs. As soon as you feel a little better I'll take you down to see her." Lucas couldn't help but smile as he talked about Emily.

"We have a girl." Peyton smiled, her eyes still not all the way opened.

"We have a beautiful baby girl named Emily."

"You named her already?"

"Well I couldn't keep visiting her and not call her by a name and I knew you had talked about liking the name Emily and you should see her Peyton, she looks like an Emily. So I just made it official."

"How long was I asleep for?"

"Almost two days. Do you remember Haley bringing you here because you were having early contractions?"

"Yeah and I remember being taken into surgery. What happened after that?"

"You started bleeding during the operation, it took them a while to get it under control. They had to give you a transfusion to replace all the blood you had lost, and to help you recuperate the doctor put you into a drug-induced coma. That's what you're waking up form now. How do you feel?"

"I feel tired still and little sore." She reached out slowly to grab his hand and pull it close to her chest. She could see that he hadn't slept in a few days and he looked run down and not his usual self. "I'm sorry that you were so worried."

"Don't be sorry for anything, you didn't do this Peyton. I was scared and worried for a few days but that's all okay now because you're awake and you're back with me. Everything's better now that I know you're okay."

"When can I see Emily?" she asked quietly.

"As soon as the doctor say's it alright, and speaking of the doctor I should let him know you're awake." He reached for the button on Peyton's bed that would alert the nurses to come to her room, but she stopped him from pressing it.

"Don't let him know right now, I'm not ready to be poked and prodded just yet. I just want to stay like this for awhile." She said trying to stifle a yawn. He silently agreed to her request and continued to hold her hand as she drifted slowly back into sleep.