Chapter Seventeen

~Cammie Morgan~

I hesitantly open my eyes, getting ready for his voice. He would tell me to get up, wait for him to carry me into the back of the van and smell the fumes of his cigarettes and pot. Sometimes I would feel the injections of whatever drugs he forced into me to make me numb and even drowsier.

But that wasn't what my eyes met. They met those wonderful emerald green eyes that I've dreamed about every day since I was taken away that day in Minnesota.

And his scent.

Pine needles, peppermint, and something that was just Zach; husky and masculine.

And I needed him. All of him.

I needed to hear his voice or else I would go crazy, not knowing if this was a bittersweet dream or blissfully real.

"Zach…" I whimper and ache to feel him.

"Baby," I hear his voice and feel the tears on my cheeks. Those goddamn tears.

And then his hand is in mine and everything feels better. My body doesn't feel numb with pain and Luther no longer exists.

His free hand is smooth down my hair, lightly touching my cheeks and tracing down my noes and sweeping under my eyes.

"How you feeling baby?" he asks, running his fingers through my messy hair…that smells like coconut?

Since he can still read my mind like he could since we were seven, he says, "Your mom washed your hair after your surgeries…MC wanted you to use her favorite coconut shampoo."

I smile so big for the first time in years that it actually hurts.

"My baby…where is she?" I ask and grimace at the sound of my voice. So hoarse and weak.

"Shh…" he calms me, the feeling of his hands in my hair so soothing, "She's here, baby, she stayed up as long as possible but after three nights of hardly any sleep she knocked out on my bed," he chuckles softly and smooths over my furrowed eyebrows.

"I missed you both so much," I sob, "I'm so sorry-"

"You have absolutely nothing to be sorry for, Cammie. We'll get through this, you and me, okay? But we'll take it slow. We don't have to talk about it today, okay? Let's just get you better first," he says and I nod in agreement.

"I love you," I say and feel his fingertips brush along my bottom lip.

"I love you too," he says pressing his lips lightly to my cheeks, then my forehead, then my eyelids, my nose.

And then his lips were on mine and it was like our first kiss again, except it wasn't as sloppy as it was back then. It was soft and sweet because we were taking it slow. Yet, it was passionate as our tongues brushed together, our breathing coming in rapid heaps. I never wanted it to end, if we could stay in this moment and forget how broken we both were.

But it was enough for now.

I don't remember who pulled away first, just that soon he was next to me and I was in his arms and him in mine, both holding on as close as possible. The room was filled with 'I love you's and promises of getting through this along with tears from both of us.

And of course, promises of becoming a family again.

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~

Zach had wheeled himself over to the bed beside mine, where I could make out my child I last saw when she was 21 inches, now bundled under the sheets, barely making out blond hair popping out at the top.

"MC? Wake up baby…your momma's awake," Zach whispers in her ear, gently shaking her tiny frame.

I hear a tiny yawn and I yearn for my baby girl to be in my arms. I've missed so much of her life, first birthday, Christmases, first words, first haircuts, first everything…I can't bare it to miss anymore of her life.

In the end, my baby saved my life.

"What Daddy?" she says and I giggle at her exasperated tone. She reminds me of myself at that age.

"Momma is awake now. She wants to see you," he says with a crooked grin playing on his lips.

"Momma is awake?" she pops right out of the bed and runs over to me with her crazy bed hair flopping all over the place.

I laugh through my joyous tears and reach out with both arms.

"Momma!" she cries out with the biggest smile and jumps into my arms and right by .

my side on the hospital bed. I crush my baby girl to me and can't help the tears that overwhelm me.

"I love you Macey," I kiss my little girl all over her face and I can see some of her own tears too.

"I love you momma," she wraps her arms around my neck and curls her tiny legs around my torso and I don't care that it kind of hurts. She's finally in my arms. I don't know how I could have ever left her seven years ago.

"You're such a big girl now, MC. So beautiful," I say and stroke her long beautiful hair.

"Daddy says tha' too! He say I'm beautiful like you," she says and kisses my cheek, a nice sloppy one that warms my heart.

"Even more beautiful than me, Princess," I wipe my eyes and peek over at my husband who's crying too, but I see that huge smile that mirrors my own.

"You here to stay, Momma? Can you stay forevers?" MC asks with both of her tiny hands on my cheeks.

"Yeah, baby, I'm here forever," I say and she smiles again.

Zach wheels himself over and grabs my hand, kissing my palm and holding it to his cheek and I know right at that moment, that nothing could take me away from the two loves of my life ever again.

We would some how get through this together and those seven years wouldn't compare to the many more years to come.

~X~X~X~X~X~X~

Merry Christmas! It's a short chapter but since I'm updating all of my stories, I think that makes up for it? I hope you guys have a nice Holiday! PM me if you have questions and leave a review (kind of like your present to me :] ).

Epilogue next!

~Akira