Ben Tyler Cook Imagines

Anniversary (part 2)

As requested by a few of you

It had been a few weeks since Ben's accident and you sat by his bedside every day, holding his hand and talking to him.  

The nurses in the ward told you to do that, and you had become close with most of them, a few of them taking their lunch break to sit and keep you company. Ben's family came to check in on him (and you) every few days, helping you to keep your feet on the ground. 

It was a crisp morning, the air coming in through the slight crack you had in the window. It was a relief to have the sounds of the street and not just the moderate silence that was usually maintained in the ICU. 

Every night you would go home and shower, then you would put on one of Ben's sweatshirts and go to bed. In the morning you would change into an outfit and then take an outfit with you, for when Ben recovered. Every day you repeated the ritual, helping to give you hope he would come back. 

This morning though you sat looking at the clothes in the corner of the room, your eyes drifting to the velvet box you had put on the counter. You wanted to slip the ring on, but you couldn't bear the new wave of heartbreak it would have brought if you had. Instead, you sat at Ben's bedside, listening to a podcast. It was some true crime podcast he had enjoyed listening to, so you turned it on, hoping to keep a little piece of him with you.

You sat there, his hand in yours as your other hand fidgeted with the bracelet you had on. A nervous habit of yours that had always bothered Ben. It made you laugh slightly as you twisted the bracelet looking at his gentle face. 

"Ben, I miss you, baby, please pull through for me. I know you can," you whispered softly as you began to cry, placing your head down on the bed.  

It was then that you felt a rigid movement against your hand. You picked your head up. Seeing two sluggish blue eyes sparkle back at you. 

"Nurse," you called out the door, immediately getting a woman named Emily's attention. She rushed in and looked at Ben, smiling to you at the sight of him up. 

"I'll go get the doctor so we can get Ben checked out and evaluated," Emily said, a smile still bright on her face as she walked out of the room. You could see the nurses at the nurses' station all smiling as Emily told them the news while paging for a doctor. 

You turned off the podcast, bringing your full attention to the boy. "Hey, baby," you said stroking his cheek softly with your hand. 

"Y/N," Ben whispered faintly, you quickly shushed him though. 

"Take it easy okay, wait until the doctor comes in to do anything drastic. I'm just so happy you're here," you whispered, a bright smile on your face as a few tears fell. Ben softly moved his hand wiping a few of the tears away. 

You immediately called Ben's parents delivering the happy news as they just cheered on the other side of the line. 

Once the doctor was done with his examination of Ben he explained to Ben the severity of all of his injuries. "Thankfully you only ended up with a few broken ribs and a transverse fracture to your tibia in your left leg. From the looks of it though, no major head trauma. We're obviously going to run a few more tests but it looks like we'll have you out of here soon Ben," The doctor said patting him on the shoulder before walking out of the room. 

"I brought some clothes if you want to put them on, nothing fancy just some sweats and a hoodie," you said getting up and bringing the clothes over to the bed as Ben adjusted himself so he could sit up. As you turned around you saw Ben's demeanor had changed drastically. 

"You weren't supposed to find that..." he said motioning to the ring box.  

"Ben, don't fret over that right now, all that matters is that you're okay," you said attempting to reassure him as you placed the clothes at the foot of the bed. 

"You don't understand Y/N, I had this whole speech planned and it was going to be perfect, and then I was going to get down on one knee and ask you and you were going to cry and say yes, and then it was going to be the happiest time of our lives. It was all going to be perfect, "Ben said, obviously frustrated as his blue eyes clouded with gray. 

"Well, let me hear this so-called 'perfect speech' then," you said, grabbing the box and handing it to Ben as he took your hand in his. 

"Y/F/N Y/M/N Y/L/N, you have brought so much joy to my life. Every time you walk into the room it gets a little brighter, and every time I hear your voice all my worries wash away. We work through our problems because we love each other, and that's what matters most. You take the highs while I take the lows. I love you so much and I have known that since I first heard your laugh at that party. I will never stop laughing at your ridiculous puns, and I will never want to stop being the one to make you laugh. Your face is the one I want to see first thing in the morning, and the last thing I want to see at the end of the day. I cannot imagine my life without your love in it. So, Y/F/N Y/M/N Y/L/N, will you make me the happiest man on earth and promise me forever," Ben said looking up at you as he took the ring out of the box. 

And he was right, you were going to cry. All you could do was nod your head as the tears washed down your face. Ben's bright and goofy smile came to his face as he slipped the ring onto your finger, pulling you into a hug. 

"I love you Benjamin Tyler Cook," you whispered as you held him close. 

Well, I hope that lived up to the expectations of those who had requested I do a part 2 of my 'Anniversary' chapter from many months ago. 

Much love- K