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“You’re my priority. You. Do you hear me? I’ll fight you if I must.”
I swallow the medicine, and a short while later my heart returns to a more regular beat.
***
Quinn falls asleep again, and all four of us leave the hospital agreeing to come back in a few hours. I am tired, but I toss and turn in the bed, not finding sleep. My mind doesn’t allow me the luxury of a break.
Damien strokes my back lightly, trying his best to comfort me.
“You have to sleep, baby.”
“I can’t.”
He lets out a defeated groan, but I know what would help. I need something to shake me alive again, something to stitch me back together.
“Damien?” I turn to face him, and his eyes shine with pure love.
“Yes, baby?”
“I need you,” I whisper, the night enveloping us whole as he gathers me in his arms and rocks me.
“I’m right here. What do you need?”
“You,” I say, and trace the valley of his chest.
“You have me. I’ll never leave you.”
“Love me, that is what I need.”
Damien’s forehead creases, not quite understanding if I mean what I say.
“Make me forget for a while, take me somewhere else.”
My pleas fuel him as he kisses me gently, allowing me the time to change my mind if I need to, but it’s unnecessary. His lips bring my body to life. He enters me, and everything feels right again.
It is only Damien and me, in our bubble, creating sparks with our touches and fire with our bodies. Afterward, I succumb to a much needed sleep.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
BRIA
We settle into a routine. Every day we watch Quinn become weaker and weaker, and the pain in my chest expands wider and wider. Every night Damien makes love to me and I forget about the world outside for a little while.
It’s how I survive the pain and how, ultimately, I will survive the loss. I prepare myself for the inevitable with Damien at my side, sewing myself together as the uselessness tears at my insides.
I hate how death hangs in the air. After five days teetering on the edge, its shadow looms ominously. That evening Alex and I don’t leave the hospital. Damien and Sophia let us have one more night, just the three of us.
Alex steps out of the room in search of coffee after laughing long and hard, reminiscing about our time together. The end may be close, but we fight it back with laughter.
“Bria, promise me something, will you?” Quinn asks.
I nod, fighting back the tears and losing.
“Take care of yourself and live a long and happy life. Don’t cry over things you can’t change. I’ll be with you every step of the way. I’m proud of you, so very proud.”
“I promise.” I wipe the tears away and force my lips into a smile.
“Dry your tears and give me that bright smile I have always loved on you,” he says, and with a trembling and weak hand, he touches my heart. “You can find me right in there.”
