**This chapter is super short so I figured I would go ahead and post it since I probably won't be able to update until Saturday/Sunday.

Chapter 11 - Couples Fight, it's What They Do

An hour later Noa quietly escorted Leanne down the hall to Ethan's room. She held the door open for her as she hesitantly entered, and while she wanted to linger, she knew the older woman just needed her time. Squeezing her shoulder gently she nodded her goodbye and then made her way out the door, leaving Leanne alone in the dark room.

Leanne didn't know how long she sat there alone, just staring at Ethan's resting body. She didn't even know what time of day it was at this point, nor did she really care. All she cared about was the man laying on the bed in front of her. The blanket pulled up over his chest, his injured arm resting gently on his toned stomach. He looked like he was just sleeping. A look Leanne knew well. And he looked so peaceful. But the stats on the monitor next to his bed said otherwise. His temperature was at a whopping 103.4 and his heart rate was still elevated slightly.

She knew that the infection in his arm was to blame for his poor physical health. But she couldn't help but think that she was responsible for his mental and emotional decline. She knew that she had been harsh to him yesterday. And she had let him grate on her nerves when she should've just let him be. He also hadn't deserved to be yelled at like he was. He had just gotten home from the hospital and all. And yet, she couldn't help herself. She had screamed at him about the stupidest stuff. Stuff that was so petty and immature. And she felt horrible about the whole thing.

She loved the man. More than anything in this world. And if she were being completely honest with herself (which everyone knew she wasn't), she may have even loved him more than her husband. The thought that she had let someone she had only known for a year and a half replace that of someone she knew for almost 20 years, was terrifying. Her husband had been her whole world and she knew that moving on would be hard. In fact, she figured that it would never happen. And yet, Ethan had come along, and that had all changed.

One look into those dreamy blue-gray eyes and she was lost. His smile had done things to her that she never thought possible. And those hands, man those hands were a piece of work too. She hadn't expected to fall for him so hard, so quick, but once she started, there was no turning back. She knew he was the one she was supposed to be with. She knew they were meant to be together. And yet, she was still terrified.

She didn't know if she deserved him. Not after everything that she had been through. Not after everything that she had done. She didn't deserve his kisses and his soft words and his sensitive hands. She wanted them. In fact, she very well may have needed them. But she certainly didn't deserve them.

"He asked for you you know?" Will's voice was soft and Leanne hadn't even heard him behind her. The only sound in the dimly lit room coming from the beeping of Ethan's monitors.

"Yeah?" That was all she could muster. She didn't have the mental, emotional, or physical strength to say anything else.

"Before the surgery." He moved himself inside the room, closing the door behind him quietly as he moved to sit next to the brunette. "He wanted you there."

Leanne shook her head back and forth. "That can't be."

"True story." He whispered, reaching out to squeeze her shoulder softly.

The pair sat in silence for a few minutes, the sound of Ethan's gentle breathing almost enough to lull them both to sleep.

"We had a fight." Leanne's confession caused Will's ears to perk up, and he sat up a little straighter in his chair.

"Couples fight Leanne." He squeezed her shoulder again, hoping to offer her some reassurance. "It's what they do."

Leanne turned to look at Will with sad, dark eyes, and whispered. "This was a bad one Will."

And Will understood. He didn't need to ask questions. He didn't need to know the details. It wasn't any of his business. But he understood.

"He loves you Leanne." Standing, Will left his hand on her shoulder as he spoke. "No amount of fighting is going to change that." He leaned down and pressed a kiss to the crown of her head. "Don't forget that okay?"

Leanne simply nodded her head, reaching up to squeeze the director's hand with hers. She turned and watched as he exited the room just as quietly as he came, shutting the door again behind him. Leaving her alone with Ethan once more.

Sighing to herself, Leanne leaned forward and rested her head against the mattress, right next to Ethan's hand, and she cried. She let out a sob that wracked her whole body, her hand going out to grip his tightly. She couldn't believe this. She couldn't believe she was here, again. Sitting next to a broken man's body, praying that God didn't take him from her.

The flashbacks to her accident had been intense before Ethan's crash, but now, they were a hundred times worse. She couldn't even imagine how she'd survive this.

*Don't forget to comment guys!