Two Steps Behind

Part 31

 Two weeks of being in the hospital and Elizabeth was beyond ready to go home. The bandages were finally off her head. They had shaved it in two spots to insert the tubes to drain the blood, but luckily it was underneath and more toward the base so the rest of her hair mostly covered it up. Her ribs were healing. The pain was definitely more bearable than it had been. It only hurt if she moved in certain ways or too quickly and breathing was not such a chore unless she breathed too deeply. The bruises to her face had faded from black to purple to a sickly shade of yellow over the two weeks. Now, they were a very faint shade of yellow and brown, around her eyes, nose, and cheeks. The doctor didn't think she would require plastic surgery as the fractures to her face appeared to be healing quite nicely on their own, though her nose might not be the exact same shape it had once been.

"There's my girl," Eddie smiled, walking into the room. He had headed down to check on her discharge paperwork. "Getting antsy to get out of here?"

"Very," she sighed. "Did they say how long?"

"Your mom is signing all the papers right now," he assured her, kissing her forehead. "We will have you out of here in no time."

Eddie had been by her side as much as he could for the last two weeks. Between him, her mom, and Angie, Elizabeth had never spent a moment alone in her hospital room. Gareth had even come to sit with her a couple of times. They adjusted shifts at work to make sure someone was always available to sit with her. She would never be able to properly thank them for all they had done and continued to do to give her some peace of mind. Eddie had spent every single night sleeping next to her in the hospital bed, which was precisely where she wanted him to be. But this bed was not the most comfortable thing in the world and she was sure he was looking forward to sleeping in his own bed. The man looked absolutely exhausted. He'd been so busy taking care of her that she was sure he hadn't been remembering to take care of himself.

"Thank you for staying every night," she told him.

"Princess, there isn't anywhere else I would rather be," he stated, sitting next to her on the bed and pulling her close to his chest.

She laid her head against him, melting into him as she gazed at his face, running her fingers over his eyes, his nose, his mouth. She was desperately trying to absorb everything she could. His smell, the feel of him, his eyes like the most delicious melted chocolate, those full lips that fit hers so perfectly. Those hands that always made her feel safe and loved, that sent shockwaves through her every time he touched her. That hair, wild and soft, that she loved to play with, rubbing the strands between her fingers, burying her fingers in it. If she had limited time left on this earth, she wanted to spend every possible second memorizing every single thing about this man so she could forever keep him with her. She wanted his face to be the one she saw in her mind, his voice to be the one ringing in her ears, when she took her last breath. Elizabeth didn't want to waste a single moment they had left because she knew they were numbered.

"Sweetheart," Eddie breathed quietly, snatching her fingers and gently kissing the tips of them. "You are healing and this is a hospital, but if you don't stop what you're doing, I will not be responsible for my actions."

Elizabeth laughed, pulling him in for a kiss. "We could really give the doctors and nurses something to talk about before we leave."

At that moment, the door swung open and her mom walked in with the paperwork in her hand. Elizabeth was both disappointed and relieved to see her.

"So, all the i's are dotted and the t's are crossed. They're bringing you a wheelchair and then we're out of here," her mom said with a grin.

"I don't need a wheelchair. I can walk."