The next morning came too quickly for Chloe. She woke up around 6 a.m. When she finally opened her eyes she looked to the left of her, to see who was lying next to her. When she turned she saw Nick was still asleep and in fact lying next to her. Seeing him sleeping made Chloe remember last night. Having Nick comfort her when she was told her surgery would be the following day and then the doctor and her mom stepping out in the hallway to talk, then everything went blank. Chloe assumed she just fell asleep because nothing new seemed to be wrong.
Chloe looked up and around the room, searching for her mom, but she couldn't find her. Chloe laid her head back down thinking that her mom had just went to go get some coffee or breakfast from the cafeteria. Soon the room got a little colder than it had been before about five minutes ago. Chloe looked to see if the door opened but it didn’t, Chloe then heard a buzzing sound and she soon realized that it was just the air conditioner turning on.
Chloe laid back down and snuggled into the warmth of Nick's body and the sheet of the hospital bed. Chloe's eyes started fluttering shut when she felt an arm wrap around her waist. She blinked her eyes a few times and lifted her head slightly to see Nick's shining green eyes looking at her.
Nick smiled, looking down at Chloe, her eye were fluttering shut very often as if she was about to fall asleep but was fighting to stay awake. "Go back to sleep for a few hours Chlo." Nick said. "You still have a few more hours before your surgery." Nick immediately felt Chloe tense at the word surgery. He knew she was afraid about what would happen. Nick tightened his grip around Chloe's waist and pulled her closer against him, since she had felt the still very present goose bumps on her arms.
Chloe laid her head back down on the center of Nick's chest, breathing in his scent. He smelled so nice and clean, kind of like cinnamon with a hint of aftershave. Chloe took in slow deep breaths, trying to memorize the smell of Nick. She loved when Nick and her had moments like this, just the two of them. Chloe's eyes began to blink, slower and slower Nick noticed when he looked down at her. He kept stroking her hair and rubbing her back and in the next five minutes Nick felt her breathing slow, and saw her eyes go shut.
At first Nick panicked not knowing if something wrong was happening, or if she was just sleeping. For the next couple minutes Nick didn't move a muscle, he sat there with Chloe lying on his chest, listening for her light breathing. It felt like the longest minutes of is life but soon her heard, her slow breathing and he let out a sigh of relief.
Christi walked back in about thirty minutes after Chloe had fallen asleep. For all the time she had been gone, she told Nick that she was just down in the cafeteria, talking to Marc on her cell phone and explaining to him all that would happen today as well. Christi was also very worried for her daughter, but she was trying her best not to show it because she knew it would only make Chloe more nervous than she already was.
A nurse came in about an hour later and woke Chloe up; she explained that Chloe would have to be awake for two hours before the surgery so her brain would not be foggy going into the surgery. The next two hours Christi and Nick told Chloe she would be fine and that they both loved her. Right before the two hours were up Nick asked Christi if he could talk to Chloe alone for a few minutes, Christi nodded and walked out the door after giving Chloe a kiss on the forehead.
As soon as the door shut, Nick walked over and sat next to Chloe.
"Hi." Nick said. Causing Chloe to giggle at his awkwardness.
"Hi Nick." She responded, with a smile on her face, still gigglign slightly.
"Chloe, I just want you to know that you mean so much to me." Nick said with a slight shakiness in his voice, and his eyes starting to get a little watery.
Chloe studied Nick's face, while he said this.
"You mean so much to me, and I love you so much." He repeated, leaning over and pulling Chloe into him. Chloe rested her head on his shoulder, while Nick took in Chloe's scent with deep shaky breaths.
"I love you too." Chloe said, feeling her own bright brown eyes start to water. Nick kissed the back of Chloe's neck gently, as if she would break under his touch.
"I'm scared Nick." Chloe whispered after a few minutes, of just silence and her being held in Nick's arms.
Nick pulled away from Chloe and had her sit in front of him. His arms still wrapped around her.
"We have been through this before Chlo. You will be fine and I will be right here when you wake up." Nick said pulling her back into his arms. Chloe and Nick both knew that her surgery was approaching fast, and all Nick wanted to do was just hold Chloe in his arms all day, and never let her go or let anything hurt her, but sadly, he couldn't.
Chloe and Nick spent the next few minutes wrapped up in each other’s arms. Until Christi walked back in with a nurse ready to take Chloe down to start her surgery. Christi and Nick each gave Chloe one last hug and kiss before it was time for her to be taken down to have her surgery.
The nurse pushed Chloe's bed out of the room, Chloe still in it and pushed the bed toward the elevator. Chloe asked if Nick could walk down beside her until they got to the point where he couldn't be by her side any longer. Nick held Chloe's hand the whole way till they got to the double doors that would lead into Chloe's surgery. The nurse left Nick and Chloe alone outside the door because she had to go sign Chloe in for her surgery. Nick bent down and gave Chloe a kiss on the nose.
"I love you Chloe." Nick said to her.
"I love you too, Nick." Chloe sad smiling, then the nurse came back over, and started pushing the bed forward again and through the double doors Nick held Chloe's hand until the door separated them.
"I love you Chloe, and you will be fine...I promise." He whispered to himself going over to the stairs and walking up them to go wait for the news that Chloe was out of surgery, in the waiting room with Christi.
