AN: Thank you again for still reading, I hope you're liking it! I'd love to hear your thoughts on it!
My eyes open and I hear the ticking of a clock as I'm confused and I lift my arm to find it heavy and the annoying beeping of a machine meets my ears. I flex my hands and find a plastic bracelet on my wrist that has indistinct writing on it that is hard for my aching eyes to make out. I glance to my right to find a standing machine with a line that keeps going up and down and it has two numbers next to a picture of a heart. I move my feet to feel the piercing pain spread in my leg and I wince at it as I feel a heavy weight on my chest and out of nowhere a voice. I let my head rest back on the stiff pillow as the sounds of doors closing, people chattering away, more machines making noises fill my ears. Am I in the hospital?
"Courtney, wake up! Please, darling, wake up for me. I need you to wake up. I'm sorry for what happened, it wasn't supposed to. I promise you that. Now open your eyes for me." the familiar voice speaks and I feel my brows fall at the sad voice that I've been missing and then a few more voices speak, but I can't hear what exactly they're saying.
"Look at her ankle, doesn't it look odd? It's all red and swelling." a thick accented voice notes and I shake my head to rid it of these voices that can't be real and I feel a searing feeling in my lower leg again.
I open my eyes with a gasp and I feel that same pain and I look around to see a high ceiling and I look up to see that baby face I know all too well that is most obviously stricken with worry, "Court! She's awake, finally. Hurry up with that ice pack, George, and Richie, take that blanket out of the dryer already, will ya?" Paul calls to them and I look to my left to see the fireplace that has never been used since I've been here blazing with flames of orange and red that radiate heat. I notice that we're only a few feet away from it, on the couch that usually isn't so close to it.
"I almost thought you wouldn't wake up. You gave me a real fright, you know." he speaks and his face leaves my eyes and I feel his arms pulling me into him and I inhale his smell overridden with cigarettes. I groan when he squeezes me too hard and also because of remembering the scene with Jane and he pulls away with a concerned look dawning on his tired features.
"What hurts, darling?" he asks and I look to my right ribs and he nervously moves a hand to them where he pushes on that part of my body and I whimper softly at the pain.
"You must of hit them when you fell. I'll get you something for the pain, darling, just wait." he concludes and I look to see a forest green blanket wrapped tightly around me as the warmth of the fire fills my chilled bones.
"Fell? What happened to me?"
"You don't remember it?" Paul inquires and I shake my head and feel my wet hair pressed to my neck and I glance to see him sitting on the edge of the couch as he looks in the direction of the kitchen where George exits from to hand Paul a wet cloth, a creme mug, a white bag of peas and something in his hand.
Paul gives him a silent thank you and then turns his disheveled figure back in my direction after setting the cloth and bag on the sitting table, "Here, take these. It'll help with your ribs and ankle." he advises and I take the two tablets from him that I stick in my mouth and he hands me the mug that I can tell has something hot in it and he watches me sip at the hot milk for a second.
"There ya go." he comments as I swallow and he takes the glass from me to place somewhere else and I set my head back on the supportive pillow and he returns to me to wipe my forehead with the cloth that feels almost refreshing.
"I'm surprised that you don't remember, but you only did just wake up. George went after you when you two had spoken-he told me all this-and he found you passed out on the sidewalk with your clothes drenched from
the cold rain. He couldn't get you to wake up and so he carried you back to here and I got you out of those soaking wet clothes and into some of mine while George the Lumberjack made a fire. I wrapped you up in a blanket and have been sitting here for over an hour trying to get you to wake up. I was terrified that you wouldn't wake up on me." he explains and I see the true meaning in his eyes as he speaks while he looks into my pair and brushes the cloth over my cold skin.
"D-did he-." I begin with a stutter from the cold and he cuts in.
"Yeah, he told me about you coming here earlier and how you left 'cause Jane answered the door. She's not here anymore, by the way. I thought you had left town 'cause of last night, which I don't know how it'd be possible, but I tried to see if there was anything still between her and I," he stops to see me cringe at his words and his soft hand comes to cradle my cheek as the cloth is in his other hand. "But there isn't, and she only was here for maybe ten minutes while we had tea and spoke, like friends. She left before George brought you in and I doubt that I'll ever see her again."
He looks away after finishing those words and I see the feelings take over his face as the flickering of the hot flames reflect in his eyes and I shift my ankle to feel a horrible pain that makes me shut my eyes it hurts so badly. I open them a minute later and he looks to me and sighs, "I take the blame for all of this. I want you to know that. If I hadn't rang her up to come over then I would've been the one answering the door and you wouldn't be in this...condition. You still feel cold to my touch and your knees are already starting to bruise and they're bleeding too, and then ah your ribs and I'm positive that your ankle is sprained. I'm so sorry, Court. I mean it." he apologizes for something that was all me. I ran away crying and basically kicking and screaming at George and I was the one who slipped.
"Why would you think it's your fault? I was the one who started the fight last night, and I made you leave. I ran away from George and Jane, and my feet went out from under me." I tell him as his worried eyes look into mine and his comforting touch leaves my cheek to grab the plastic bag and he looks away. I soon feel his gentle fingers on my ankle that aches and then I feel the cold on it.
He looks back to me and I lift my hand out from the cocoon of blanket as Ringo walks over with a creme one in his hand and Paul takes it from him with a polite nod before he leaves for the kitchen where I strain to hear soft talking. Paul covers me with the warm blanket that is almost too much, but he leaves my arms free and I raise my shaking hand to his cheek where I feel invisible stubble of his that tickles at my hand with its prickliness. I brush my thumb over his skin and he smiles weakly at me.
"You look like crap, you know." I tell him without any rudeness in my intentions, referring to the dark bags beneath his eyes and his unkept hair.
"You're the one who looks like hell."
"Thanks. I'm feeling a bit better than that, thank God." I respond jokingly and a smile splits on his sad lips as our eyes bore into the other's.
"Somehow you're still making jokes when you're wrapped up in blankets laying on this couch with your icy skin, ribs being possibly bruised and your ankle looking twice as big as it should be. Also you still look absolutely lovely." he comments and I feel the heat in my cheeks. For once a part of my body doesn't feel so cold.
"Yeah, I'm not so sure how I do it myself." I respond and he grins briefly; that grin that can bring my heart to life any time, any day.
My hand falls from his cheek and he presses the back of his wrist to my forehead and he tsk tsks, "Even in front of a strong fire, wearing long clothes of mine and with two blankets bundled around you you feel like an icicle to me." he remarks with an apprehensive look peaking out from his guarded looks.
"Wait, you changed me out of my clothes into yours? You know, that thing or you seeing me almost naked isn't supposed to happen on the first date, sir."
He shakes his head with an amused grin making an encore on his pointed lips and he glances away for a second, only to look back at me. I missed joking with him like this.
"Well good thing this isn't our first date then, don't you think, m'am?" he responds and I nod my head and then yawn.
"You must be exhausted. I could go for a nap meself."
I nod my head and turn it to stare at the moving flames that dance before my drooping eyes and he lifts my feet very carefully to set them on his lap. I look to him with a curious look as he lifts his feet to rest on the sitting table and he stretches out to have his head lay on the couch's top. He notices me staring at him as his heated hands sit on my feet and he sends me a tired smile. I wonder what time it must be: two in the afternoon, maybe.
"I'm gonna stay with you, if you don't mind. I'm kind of worried about you still, so I'm just going to take my nap right next to you. Wake me if you need me, Court." he comments before his eyes slowly shut and I wiggle out of the blanket's grip some because of the sweat forming on my skin and I let my eyes flutter shut as I think about that bizarre dream I had about being in the hospital.
"Paul?"
"Mm?" he replies as his hands send heat into my ice cold feet that I notice are in thick socks that are too lose on me.
"I want to apologize for last night. I didn't mean to eavesdrop and I hope that you can forgive me of it."
"I had a lot of time to think about last night, and I forgive you, but you know-."
"It won't happen again, and I know that you need me to show you that you can trust me, and you can. I do want to be with you too, I want you to know that." I interrupt his words that are heavy with the signs of sleep.
"You do? I mean you're sure, are you?" his voice jumps to an excited level and I open my eyes to see his open as well and I smile at him.
"I'm positive."
"Good, 'cause there's no way you're getting out of this after all that we've been through together..., sweetheart." he comments with an affectionate, honest look grazing his features as I process what is going on. How is that things always go from bad to good and then good to bad and to good? Odd.
"Yeah, yeah. Don't be pushing it now, tough guy." I remark before returning my head to the pillow and I see his grin that looked elated before I had looked away and I marvel at the fire for a little while before my eyes droop shut.