The Stroud Family and I

Chapter: 18

Chapter 18: A Possible New Begining?

*Paul Walker as Charles Stroud^*

My eyes fluttered open suddenly when I felt a very delicate hand squeeze mine. I lifted my head up from the position it was on from the hospital bed, and my eyes met a pair of blue ones gazing at me. My heart jumped, and suddenly sped up like it was in a race. He's awake! Colton's awake! I mean, it's not like he was in a coma or anything, but I felt like I hadn't of seen him in so long.

"Damn, you look like shit." Colton whispered. His lips tugged up into a small smile.

Such lovely words, yet, they were the first words he spoke to me, and my heart melted from the fact that he was actually awake, and very much alive, considering he just told me I looked like poop. I squeezed his hand back, frowning.

"Gee, thanks. I mean, that was so nice of you to say." I pouted.

Colton chuckled, and my heart clenched at hearing his laugh.

"I'm kidding, shorty. You look stunning."

Even though I know it wasn't true, I still felt my heart flutter at his words.

"How are you feeling?"

"Well, first of all, laying on my stomach for hours is not comfortable at all. Secondly, my back hurts like a bitc-"

I gave him a sharp look for his language, and he gave me a cheesy grin back.

"Like a bitch." He continued his sentence.

I rolled my eyes. It amazes me that he can even smile right now, even after everything he has just gone through. He must be in so much pain.

"Why are you smiling right now?"

Instead of giving me a grin or one of his smirks, he gave me a real smile, one that wasn't cocky or silly.

"Because you're here, and I woke up to you."

"Of course I would be here, Colton. I caught the first plane I could from Florida to California the moment Eli called me."

Colton's smile faltered and his eyes flicked away from me.

"I just thought that after everything...after everything I did to you before storming out of the house the day before you left, you would hate me." Colton frowned and shifted his eyes away from me.

"I was horrible to you...nasty."

"Colton, you almost died. I-I thought you were going to die, I truly did. I don't hate you, I've never hated you. I don't know what I would've done if you died." A tear accidentally slipped out of my eye and landed on the white mattress he was laying on.

Colton immediately brushed his thumb across my cheek, and placed his hand on it. I leaned into his touch, I craved his touch.

"Shh, don't cry Cleo. It's okay. I'm okay. I'm here, that's all that matters."

"You have no idea how I felt, just waiting and waiting to see if you were going to make it." My bottom lip quivered.

"I know how you felt, Cleo. I went through that when Chris took you the day of graduation. I know how it feels to feel like your world is gone because you think you've lost someone. I'm not dead, I'm perfectly alive." Colton whispered softly.

I smiled down at him, then carelessly brought his knuckles up to my lips and I kissed them delicately. He looked some what surprised. I leaned forward and placed another kiss on the side of his sharp jaw, then I stood up and said