The Best Candidate

Chapter 12

A/N: The image above does not belong to me. It belongs to the person who uploaded it on the internet.

Tul's POV

"Easy now," I shielded Max's head with my hand as I assisted him to settle into the front passenger seat of my car.

I glanced at him from time to time as I drove from the hospital towards his house. His eyes were closed. I had adjusted the car seat so that he was in an almost reclining position.

I was assuming that the prescription pain pills that he took before leaving the hospital had a drowsiness effect on him.

"We are at your house now," I shook him gently. He had fallen asleep during the drive.

I parked my car into his driveway, as close to his front door as possible. Then I walked over to the passenger side and helped him out of the car.

"Where's your key?" I asked when we reached his front door.

"I think the front door is open," he replied in a groggy voice, "I'm sure that I had forgotten to lock it before Mook took me to the hospital."

I turned the door knob. The door had indeed been left unlocked.

I pushed the door open and then with my arm still around Max's waist, I supported him as we walked towards his bedroom.

"Will it be a big bother for you if I were to ask you to stay the night with me?" Max asked as I helped him climb onto his bed. "I'm a bit anxious about being alone during the night. If anything new develops in my condition during the night, I won't have anyone to drive me back to the emergency room."

His concern made sense to me.

"Don't worry," I assured him. "I will accompany you until morning."

"I greatly appreciate your kind support," Max said to me, although his eyes were already closed. "I won't forget your kindness."

"That's what I'm here for," I said to him. "I will take the couch for tonight. Don't hesitate to call me if you need any kind of assistance during the night."

"No, please, stay here with me," Max pleaded. "I need you to observe me. The doctor had said that if I have any vomiting episodes during the night or if I become unresponsive, to go back immediately to the hospital."

"Didn't they do any CT scan or MRI of your head?" I asked him.

"They might have done so," he replied. "I was unconscious for some time."

"If they did so and they discharged you, that means they didn't find any abnormalities from the results of whatever scan or imaging that they did on your head," I concluded.

"So you're gonna sleep here beside me tonight?" Max asked anxiously.

"I might snore or move about a lot during my sleep," I warned him.

"It won't be a problem with me," he replied. "I sleep like a log during the night."

"Very well then," I said.

I must have been really tired because the moment my head hit the pillow, I had drifted off to dreamland.

In my dream I was in the living room of my own house and Ella was there with me. In my dream she wasn't in love with Mook. In my dream she was in love with me instead.

She was holding my hand and pulling me towards my couch.

As we sat beside each other on my beige couch, she looked deeply into my eyes.

I found myself moving my face close to hers.

I brought my face so close to hers that if I had moved just a half inch more, my lips would have touched hers.

I placed my hand on her arm.

I told myself this was now or never.

With a fast beating heart I lightly placed my lips on hers.

"Tul?"

Wait, why did Ella's voice sound  like a man's? And why did that man's voice sound like Max's???