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Legend
“Fuck yes!” I cheer, and the doctor and nurse both laugh. I should feel bad, cussing in front of my mother-in-law, but I can’t seem to find the will to care. I rush to the side of the bed and take her hand in mine. “You did it, baby. You passed.”
“We’ll remove the tube and monitor her closely. As long as she stays stable, we’ll move her to a step-down unit.”
“And when will she wake up?”
“We’ll stop the meds. It will take several hours, even days. Every patient is different, but as well as she’s done over the past forty-eight hours, I’m hopeful that in the next ten or so hours, she’ll start to be more alert.”
“Thank you, Doctor,” Eric tells him. I can hear the emotion in his voice. It’s been a tough couple of days.
He and Heather move to the opposite side of the bed. “Our girl is a fighter,” Heather says.
“She is. You’re doing so well, baby. Just keep fighting. You’ve got this, and I’m right here.” I pick her hand up and bring it to my lips. “I love you so much, Monroe.” Tears prick my eyes, but I will them not to fall. She’s getting better. She passed the test, and she’s breathing on her own. She’s fighting to come back to me. I know she is.
“Your mom and I cleaned the house and washed the sheets, and this afternoon, we’re making meals to stock the freezer. We’ll be back to check on her and you in a few hours.”
“Thank you for everything.” I smile at them.
They both give me a hug before they leave, and I sit down in the chair as close to the bed as I can get without actually lying in it with her. “You’re doing so well, baby. Breathing on your own again. Keep it up, gorgeous. We’re going to get you out of here and home and in our bed. I love you. I can’t wait to see those baby blues.”
I rest my head on the bed, still holding her hand, and drift off to sleep.
My eyes pop open when I feel her hand flex in mine. I sit up and see the most beautiful sight in the entire world. “Hey, baby.” My voice cracks. “Good to see those pretty blue eyes.”
“W-What?”
“Hold on. Let me get you a drink.” I pour her a glass of water from the pitcher on the table and hold the straw to her lips. “Slow,” I tell her as she drinks greedily.
“What happened?” She winces. Her voice is raspy, and it’s obvious her throat is sore.
“I’ll tell you everything, but let me call the nurse so they can come and check you over.” I lean over and kiss her lips before pressing the call button for the nurse. I can feel the heavy weight of worry lift from my shoulders.
She’s going to be okay.
Not a minute later, the nurse bustles into the room and smiles when she sees Monroe awake. “Your husband was right. You do have pretty blue eyes. How are you feeling?”
“Okay. Better than I remember. What happened?” she asks as she reaches for her throat in obvious discomfort. I wish I could take that pain for her.
The nurse continues to take her vitals while all I can do is hold on to her hand and stare at her beautiful blue eyes. The worry of whether I’d ever see them again is gone, and relief has taken its place. However, it’s also stolen my ability to speak. I can’t seem to find the words to tell her how it felt to find her, to see her lying in this bed, uncertain of when or if she would come back to me. I know the doctors had her in a medically induced coma, but she was out the entire time since I found her. It was always in the back of my mind: what if they were wrong?
Taking a deep breath, I calm myself and begin to fill her in on the last couple of days. “You gave us quite the scare.”
“I’m sorry you had to find me like that.”
“I’m not. They said if I would have been just five minutes later, you might not have made it.”
“I’ll send the doctor in,” the nurse says.
“I missed you,” I tell her, pulling her hand to my lips for a kiss.
“I heard you.”
“You did?” My pulse races at her confession. “I wasn’t sure, but if there was a chance, I needed you to know that I was here.”
She nods. “I tried to reach out to you, but I couldn’t.”
Fuck. I’m so glad I stayed. I’m glad she knew I was here even if she couldn’t tell me. “It’s okay, baby. You’re here, and you’re going to be okay. I love you so much, Monroe.”
