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I can hear the urgency in Curt's voice as he shouts my name. He sounds so far away… so faded.
Strong arms catch me just before I hit the ground. I'm instantly engulfed in a familiar warmth, one that overshadows my fear. Only one person can make me feel so safe… so protected.
“Curt…” I whisper weakly.
I hear his sharp intake of breath and feel the drop of his tears on my face. I hear the pain in his voice as he calls my name over and over again, begging me to respond.
I want to speak, to ask him not to cry… To tell him that I love him… That I've loved him all my life, and that I'll love him even in death.
But when I open my mouth, only a raspy breath comes out. I sigh, closing my eyes as darkness overwhelms me.
Just a second more,I think desperately.Please!
Chapter Eight
Curt
Soft rays of sunlight filter through the open window of the hospital room, highlighting the delicate curve of London’s face. She looks so pale, even though she no longer has all those machines attached to her body. The doctor assured me earlier, for the millionth time after she was transferred from the ICU to a regular hospital room, that she'll wake up soon. They say she's stable and healing well, and I wish I could believe them. I wish I could rid myself of this fear, guilt, and bitterness at myself for failing to protect her.
I clasp my hands around hers, willing her to open her eyes… even for a few seconds.
"Please, London. Come on, baby," I mutter, raising our clasped hands to my cheek.
I close my eyes, letting the emotions that I've bottled in the past few days wash over me: anger, sadness, guilt. Most especially guilt.
“Curt?”
I snap my eyes open to see London looking at me with a puzzled expression. Relief washes over me so suddenly that I almost buckle from the weight of it.
I lean forward in my chair, reaching out to caress her face. “Hey, honey,” I say softly, smiling into her eyes.
“You're crying,” she says, searching my face, her brow furrowing deeper with concern. “I'm not dying, am I?”
I chuckle, slowly shaking my head. Only London would make a joke in a situation like this.
“No, love. I'm just glad you're awake,” I reply, raising the back of her hand to my mouth for a lingering kiss. “How do you feel?”
She tries to sit up and I quickly stand to help her, propping pillows around her until she indicates she's comfortable. Then I lower myself to the bed beside her.
“How do you feel?” I ask again, searching her face for any sign of discomfort.
“Like I've narrowly escaped death,” she replies with a wry smile, reaching up with her free hand to wipe my tears away. I lean into her touch and close my eyes. I remain that way for a while, mentally reassuring myself that this moment is real.
“What happened to Tom?” she asks after a while.
“The cops came just after you passed out and took him away,” I reply, struggling to keep myself detached from the horrors of the memory that her question evoked -- the desperation and helplessness that I felt at that moment. “I'd called to give them the address before I came.”
“How did you know where to find me?”
"Amelia put a call through to me after you rushed out of her cafe," I reply. "She guessed it was your mom who called and thought she might be in trouble. But I'd found some quite serious dirt on Tom Miller, and I knew how dangerous a man he was. I thought you might be in trouble, so it didn't make sense to wait around for the cops."
“What'll happen now?” she asks quietly.
My heart clenches at the shadow of fear that I can still see in her eyes. It's going to take a while before she overcomes the trauma of the monster who raised her, but I'm determined to stay right by her side, to love and protect her through it.
"What about my mom?" She drops her gaze, but not before I catch the fluttering sadness in her eyes.
I squeeze her hands gently, reassuring her of my presence, my support. "Tom Miller will be indicted next week, mainly for drug trafficking and use. However, he'll be charged with crimes like domestic violence, shoplifting, and a hit-and-run case. He'll be gone for a long time. Your mom went through a psychological evaluation on the court's order and was sent to a rehab facility, where she'll be until she's deemed well enough to return to society."
