I wrap a towel around of my frame after I finish my brief shower. It was a good thing that Denny's hospital room had a small shower. It kept me close with him at all times. When I step out to find my duffle bag nowhere in sight in the bathroom, I quietly walk out.

Then I see him standing with my bag in his hands and a smile lining his lips.

"Forgetting something?" He asks.

My hair was damp and droplets of water trail down my back. I walk over to him, nodding. I gently take the bag from his hands, leaning up on my toes to peck his lips.

"Indeed I am. I need to change."

"You can always change in front of me, you know," Denny teases.

I laugh quietly, looking into his eyes. "Someone may come in and I don't want your heart racing faster than it already is. It's already bad enough that we can't kiss long."

"So, you're saying if we were in the comfort of your house or mine and my heart was well, you'd change in front of me?"

"Well, you are going to see me naked sooner or later," I reply, winking in his direction.

"You're teasing me. You can't do that to someone with a weak heart," Denny says.

"And I can't get naked for you because you have a weak heart." Slowly, I take a step forward. I stand in his personal space, kissing his cheek before I let my lips rest against his ear.

I whisper quietly, "Even though I really want to drop this towel right now."

Denny growls, pulling back to look at me. The way he was looking at me instantly makes me blush.

"Give me a peek?" He asks, a smile lining his lips.

I bite my lower lip, undoing the towel to flash my bare front for the briefest of moments before turning around to walk to the bathroom.

"That's all you're getting!"

I look over my shoulder to see Denny stuck in some sort of trance. I laugh quietly, shaking my head. "You're drooling a bit there, Denny. Better wipe that up."

"Tease!" He responds, moving to lie back onto his bed.

Once I finish dressing in shorts and one of his shirts, I dry my hair with my towel before setting it on the hanger to dry. Turning the light off in the bathroom, I walk to Denny's hospital bed to see him resting his eyes.

I knew he could never get any sleep, and even if he did, it never lasted long enough.

"You're beautiful, by the way." Denny says, cracking open an eye to look at me.

I smile, climbing into the small bed with him as I rest my cheek against him almost immediately. Denny's compliments always gave me the butterflies. He made me feel so beautiful whether it be by his compliments or the way he would look at me.

"Thank you. I told you I would give you a glimpse. Are you okay, though?" I ask.

Denny chuckles, leaning down to kiss my forehead. "I'll always be okay with you by my side."

It had been a month since Denny was placed on the LVAD and still, there wasn't a heart available for him. I could tell his patience was wearing thin. Staying in the hospital was taking a toll on him. He was smiling less and less. Our conversations weren't as exciting and interesting as they were before.

Tonight was no different.

"What's going on with you, Denny?"

He looks at me. The LVAD had given him more time, but Denny was a man who didn't like to be restricted. Being surrounded by these four walls and hooked up to various machines was limiting him.

"Nothing, Jess. I'm just tired."

Usually, I would brush it off and accept his answer, but not tonight. He could lose hope, but I wasn't going to.

"Denny, talk to me."

Suddenly, he raises his voice which causes me to pull back. His eyes were glistening with fresh tears. I hadn't realized what this hospital was doing to him, mentally and emotionally.

"I want to go home," Denny responds.

"You can't. You know you can't," I reply quietly.

Denny had removed his arms from around me and I took that as a sign to stand from his bed, opting to sit at the chair instead. If he wanted his space, I was going to give it to him.

"I don't want to stay here anymore. I want to go home," he repeats.

"Denny… You need to understand –"

"No! Jess, do not tell me to understand my situation. Do you think I don't know what's going on? For five years, I have been in and out of the hospital. This past year and a half, I have been in the hospital for false alarms on a new heart. Do not tell me to think about what I'm saying. I want to go home. I don't want to stay here any longer," Denny says.

I feel tears cloud my eyes. I had never seen him get angry and to be at the receiving end of it was much worse. Denny was losing hope right before my eyes and I couldn't do anything but abide by his wishes.

I was simply a girlfriend.

"I'm not saying that you should understand your situation, Denny… I'm just saying that you need to grasp how serious this really is. You're getting weaker. Do you think I don't notice that? I am here for you every goddamn day, every goddamn second! You're losing hope and it's the biggest slap to my face, Denny!"

"I didn't ask for you to stay here. I didn't ask for you to spend every second of your time making sure I was okay, Jess. I didn't want this! I don't want this! I just want to go home."

I wipe any fallen tears and nod, biting the inside of my cheek. It was no use arguing with someone who already had their mind set. I look at him, taking note that he wasn't looking at me.

"I'm just going to give you some time alone. You can lose hope all you want, Denny, but I refuse to. You're going to get a new heart. I feel it."

Without another word, I pull on a jacket and leave his room. Once I make it to an empty hallway, I slide down the wall and sit across the floor. I bring my legs to my chest, crying against my legs.

I didn't know what to do. If Denny didn't get a heart, I wouldn't know what I would do. I had grown accustomed to being by his side that I forgot what it was like to live my own life. I spent every second catering to him, making sure that he was comfortable, making sure that his LVAD was fully charged before he decided to take a walk. I made sure every night that he wasn't experiencing any pain.

While Denny couldn't sleep because of his dislike for hospitals, I couldn't either because I was afraid of waking up to find him gone. I knew I couldn't understand what Denny was feeling, but all I could do was give him hope when he didn't have any.

After about thirty minutes of crying, I walk back to his hospital room. He was staring up at the ceiling, obviously still upset.

"Your battery is fully charged. Come on." I tell him, helping him sit up as I hand him his jacket.

"What are we doing? Where are we going?" He asks. Denny pulls on his jacket, standing from the bed.

"Just follow me."

I take his hand, watching as he instantly laces our fingers together. His room wasn't far from the entrance of the hospital, so it wouldn't take a toll on his heart. We both avoided stairs after the last mishap when Denny thought he could overexert himself.

Once outside, droplets of rain hit the top of our heads. He sends me a questioning look before I shake his head.

"Listen to me, okay?" I tell him.

He nods.

"If you go home… You're accepting your fate. Staying in that hospital room for two months is a pain in the ass. I know because I could see it in your eyes every time you looked around. If you go home, there isn't a guarantee that you'll live, Denny. I don't want to risk that.

"This – between us – There's something here. I'm taking a chance on you. If you go home… I can't guarantee that I'll be there. I refuse to watch you die. I know you want to go home. I know you're tired, Denny, but look around. Look up at the sky. What do you see?"

Denny listens to me intently. Tears were pooling at both of our eyes and it wasn't helping that it was beginning to sprinkle. Though, he does look up, staring at the starry sky for a few moments before his gaze returns to me.

"I see the moon. I see the stars. I feel the rain…" Denny says.

"Exactly… You can't go home, Denny. I want to experience things with you. I want to lie with you under the stars. I want to kiss you in the rain. I want to be able to cook you dinner. I want to be able to fall asleep in your arms and not have to worry about what may happen. If you go home… That's it. I won't be able to do those things with you…

"And if you go home, Denny, I can't – I can't watch you die."

I wipe my tears away, though, it was no use. It was falling freely now. Denny steps forward, cupping my cheek and pressing his lips to mine.

I immediately melt into him, resting my hand against his chest.

"We're kissing in the rain," he mumbles against my lips.

I pull away, looking up at him. "Please… Just hang on a bit longer…"

Denny nods slowly, resting his forehead against mine.

"Okay, Jess… Okay."