Wildflower [c.h.]

28

*Valentyne's POV*

The sound of multiple beeping noises woke me up and I slowly let my eyes adjust to the hot, bright light. I was in the hospital still. I took a deep breath and looked around, seeing no one in the room except Luke. He was sat in the chair closest to the bed, his phone in his hand. His red eyes watched the screen and he glanced up at me, startled.

"Hey, Val. How are you feeling?" He asked softly, putting his phone away. "When did you wake up?"

My voice couldn't reach above a whisper. "Just now. My throat is raw."

He looked around the room. "Hold on a second." I watched as he walked to the other side of the bed, pouring a cup of water from the orange pitcher on the small, wooden table it sat on.

He came back around and held the cup to my lips, barely lifting it up. The cold water instantly soothed the burn in my throat and I thanked him when he put the cup down.

"Where is everyone?" My voice was slightly stronger now.

Luke scratched his jaw. "Katie went home last night, your dad went to the cafeteria to get coffee, and Ashton went with Calum to get clothes to change into."

I nodded and looked out the window. The sun was just barely peeking over the parking lot and the birds slowly woke up. They flew across the lightening sky, past the orange hue it gave off and up to the dark blue above it.

"Val, I'm so sorry this happened to you." I turned back to see his face reddening. I smiled a little and took his hand, but he snatched it away. "I'm sorry for what I did to you, too. I've been trying to make it right, but I can't forgive myself for letting it happen. To try and force you to do that.... Even drunk, I should have known better. I'm so sorry."

I reached out my hand and he slowly put his in it. "Luke, I forgive you. I know you'd never try and make me do that, especially if you were sober. There were a lot of things going on, a lot of emotions that you couldn't get ahold of. And that's okay, Luke. Not everyone deals with pain the same way. I'm not going to hold a grudge on you just because you had a moment of weakness where you didn't know how to deal with all your feelings. I forgive you."

He squeezed my hand. "Thank you."

I nodded and let my eyes wander to the window once again. Questions were burning in my throat, but I doubt Luke would want to answer the million questions I had.

When my father told me I had cancer, I felt my heart fall and I would never forget that feeling. I knew logically that so many people could beat it, that I had a chance to survive, but all I could think about was Calum and the tears in his eyes when he walked in the room. He had a mother who beat him and friends who didn't know it. He had his own home in a bookstore fifteen miles from school. I wasn't ready to stop distracting him from all the shit he had going on. And I certainly was not done loving him.

I also had no idea how my father would handle it. Could he take losing a wife and daughter? He shouldn't have to go through that. No one should.

I glanced back at Luke. "Does Katie know?" I asked him quietly.

"Yeah, she didn't take it too well, Val." I noticed from the corner of my eyes that he leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. Instead of placing his fingers on his lip ring, they rested against the gash where it used to lie. I could vividly remember when Calum attacked him on my behalf, how the ring layed on the cement while his lip endlessly gushed blood on his flannel shirt.