A Dream, A Destiny 2

Another Expectation

Ash POV

"I'm sorry."

Those were the first words Sere uttered when she stepped tentatively into the ward I was laid up in. Dr. Brock told that I would be under close observation in the hospital for a couple more days before I could be moved to a private room on the neurogical floor. Personally, I was looking forward to that, but I still felt weak as hell and even though my vision was incredibly blurry I couldn't remember a lot of things, I really just wanted to lie down in a bed that didn't have curtains around it.

My heart started thumping loudly as I propped myself up in bed, gazing at Sere for the first time since I had woken up. She hovered by the door, wringing her hands and staring in a close distance at me with those big sapphire eyes of hers like she was scared to come any closer. Well, I know I had lost some weight and I probably looked like I warmed over, but I wasn't too sure why Sere was still standing by the door.

Grunting at the sudden pain shooting through my head as I opened my mouth to talk. "Don't, Sere. Please don't apologize for anything. Just- come closer. Please."

Her lips quivering, Sere moved closer to me, infusing the air around us with the clean scent of her strawberry fragrance as she sat down in the chair by my bed, her eyes glued on my face. "I missed you so much, Ash," she whispered, a tremor in her squeaked voice. I reached out to take her sleek hand in mine, squeezing softly as tears rolled down her cheeks. How did I always manage to make the girl I loved cry? Wiping the beaded tears from her cheeks, she continued bravely. "It was so horrible, not knowing what was happening."

"I'm here now, Sere," I softly murmured, running my thumb over her knuckles as she tried to regain her composure, the adoring look in her teary eyes making my heart skip a couple of beats. "It's okay."

She shook her head, her shorten haired-curls flying around her face. "No, it's not okay! I kept wondering what would happen if you- if you didn't come back, all the things I said during our last meeting..." Her voice trailed off and she sighed, the sound tugging at my heartstrings. "I felt so guilty, Ash."

"You don't have to, not anymore." While my memory was still very fuzzy on what had been said during the conversation Sere was still tore up over, I knew we had both probably said some very hurtful things we didn't mean. "I forgive you. And I'm sorry too," I was quick to add, lest it seem like I was actually blaming her for the way things had gone down. Because I wasn't.

Eyes widening from my responce, Sere exclaimed, "For what?"

"For everything," I replied simply, gazing at her beautiful face and wondering if my eyesight was really as screwed up as I thought it was, because were those bruises on Sere. Breathing through my nose to calm myself before I went off the handle, raging about something that potentially wasn't there, I continued. "I was such a dick to just put everything out there like that." Reaching up, I gently caressed Sere's cheek cupping upon my palm. She flinched for a spit second before relaxing into my touch. "I didn't mean to hurt you... I love you."

In an instant when I said those words. Her whole redened face glowing with happiness, Sere whispered, "I love you too."

And s***, she really did have bruises on her face. Multiple bruises. I squinted, honing in on the fading but visible marks as my hand tightened around hers. Alain. He'd done this to her. I felt sick to my stomach as I stared. Before I could ask what had happened, what she had done to Alain to warrant such vicious payback, a nurse came bustling in, signifying that our all too short visit was over.

"I'm sure that you've had fun catching up, but it's time for you to leave, miss. Mr. Ketchum needs his rest," the nurse told Sere as she fiddled with the various machines I was still hooked up to. I felt like a computer with all these wires plugged into me.