~ Amarra's P.O.V. ~
We were standing right outside the ICU room in which Liam was settled in. I could see Liam sleeping on the uncomfortable bed. There were several cuts and bruises on his face. Some will heal with time but some will leave the mark forever. His beautiful spotless baby face will be replaced with a scarred one. My heart ached at the thought.
Multiple tubes were attached to his body and several machines were beeping at regular intervals in the room. Liam was intubated and his left hand was in a cast.
It is a miracle that he survived. And Dr. Bradley's efforts as well. I am so thankful to him.
Valerie was squeezing my hand every now and then ever since Dr. Bradley and Dr. Wesley told us all the minor information regarding Liam's recovery.
"He is okay. We stopped the internal bleeding and the broken ribs will recover with time and proper rest. His hand will be fine too in a few weeks- " And then Dr. Bradley had stopped abruptly as if he was dreading to say the dreadful. Well, Dr. Bradley is also our Professor in Trauma Management and it is quite sad to say but Liam is his favourite student because of his quick thinking skills and speed. It must have been hard on Dr. Bradley to operate on Liam.
Dr. Wesley understood his hesitation and cleared his throat attracting our attention.
"Since Liam was unconscious when he was brought here, we don't know how much damage he has taken to his head. We couldn't find anything on the CT so we have to wait until he's awake to see if there are any neurological deficits." Dr. Wesley, who is the head of Neuro in our college, said blatantly. Well, people say he is just too professional in his work. But he is a Neuro God.
"Other than that, he is okay." Dr. Bradley said with a small smile that didn't reach his eyes.
And we knew in that moment that if Liam wakes up anything other than himself, our lives will never be the same again.
It has been two hours since Liam was moved to the ICU but there was no sign of him waking up. Valerie and I were asked to wait outside the ICU main gate as no attendant is allowed inside the unit for more than 15 minutes and we will be called once he wakes up.
The waiting room was full of students from the campus. Some were Liam's friends from class, his roommate Scout, Derek, Alex, his minions and the entire basketball team alongwith Valerie and me were present, waiting for our rockstar to wake up.
I was losing my sanity and patience and was unknowingly rubbing my fingers together. It was a good distraction. But then my hands started to burn due to the constant pressure so I had to stop.
Valerie was dozing off on the seat next to me. She was very tired and exhausted. She has been here since 5 a.m. and it is 6 p.m. now. Thirteen hours. She hasn't left the hospital since.
6 p.m. reminded me of something else too. I glanced at the watch again and glanced at Derek who was already staring at me intensely. He blinked with his eyes once and smiled the not-so-noticeable smile and I understood that he understood why I was looking at my watch and at him.
I shook my head and averted my gaze from him only to land on Alex. Alex freaking Anderson, who met my gaze and again I was transported back a few hours ago when his closeness felt reposeful. And I can never forget those ocean blue serene eyes that screamed calmness.
'Why did I feel that way??' I questioned my subconscious. 'What is wrong with me??' I asked in confusion.
And why wouldn't I be confused. I have despised Alex ever since I first saw him. And he gave me several reasons to do so. And now, he is being completely different. Likeable. And I don't know how to act around him.
I was irritated with myself at such unwelcome thoughts about Alex. I averted my gaze without hiding my irritation and fixed it to the ICU door.
'I love Derek. And Alex is a douchebag. Period' I repeated the mantra over and over in my head until I was convinced.
_______________________
Another hour went by without any sign of Liam's consciousness.
I was at the cafeteria sipping my coffee when Derek came and sat opposite to me. I looked at his angelic face as he gave me a small smile. He looked tired and sleepy, his raven hair was in a disarray, spread in all directions. But his eyes, they were full of vigour even after the day we have had.
Moments later I realized Derek was looking at me as if I was a lost puppy. Which I was. But I hated when people thought I was weak. I have been here before. I have done this before. And I survived.
I knew what he was going to say to me. So I simply sipped on my coffee saying nothing.
"You should get some sleep. Go back to the dorm. I'll inform you when he's awake." He said placing his hand above mine.
My lips curled up in a smile as I motioned to my subconscious 'How predictable!!' and said, "Aren't you the most caring boyfriend in the whole world??"
He chuckled removing his hand and resting it on his temple. "Not yet." He said in a whisper as if he didn't want me to hear it. But I did. I fucking did and my tiny little heart fluttered in astonishment.
I was startled. Then shocked. Then surprised.
"Did I hear that right??"
"No you didn't. You should really go and sleep. You're hearing things you shouldn't hear." He said looking away.
"I'd rather be here when Liam wakes up." I paused uncomfortably.
"If he wakes up." I said clearing my throat twirling the coffee with a plastic spoon lazily.
Derek sighed and held my hand. Again. But he said nothing. Maybe he knew that no words could comfort me in this moment. This moment of waiting is always the worst. It's like you are standing on the threshold, not sure which way to go. And you are desperate to know.
"What did you want to talk to me about??" I said changing the topic abruptly. To be honest, I wanted to talk about something else other than the disaster that has happened to us.
"What??" His eyebrows knitted together in confusion.
"In your letter, you said that you wanted to talk to me about something. So what is it??" I asked resting both my hands on the table.
Derek looked flushed and shook his head giving a nervous laugh, "Now is not the time for that. We'll talk when everything's okay."
"No. No. I...I want to talk now." I said in irritation. "I want to talk about something that doesn't involve me thinking of what'll happen if Liam wakes up as a halfwit." I released a gash of air and looked hesitantly at Derek.
"So please. If you have something to say that will make me forget about the world, just say it."
Derek watched me as if he was debating whether to say it or not. He looked conflicted and we all know Derek Hale hates conflicts.
"I still think it can wait. I don't want to tell you anything like that when your best friend is in the hospital fighting for his life. And trust me, you wouldn't want that too." He said in such assurance that the floodgates that were shielding my eyes for hours now, came crashing down releasing all the held back tears.
Derek rushed to sit next to me. He embraced me in his strong arms as if shielding me from every evil force in the universe. I cried. For the second time today.
A blurry thought of how comfortable I was in Alex's arms crossed my mind.
'This is more comfortable. This is home' I told my stupid self and melted away in Derek's arms.
"Liam's my first friend here. I met him when I knew no one. And we clicked instantly. Since day one we have been together in every happy, sad, funny, crazy moment." A sob escaped. "If he wakes up anything other than.... other than himself ....I...I....I will.... I will die. We won't survive this."
I cried so hard. Seconds passed. Then minutes. And ultimately my chest lightened. I felt light. As if Derek took all the heaviness from my heart and deposited it somewhere else.
Derek was holding me so close to himself. I could hear the unsteady rhythm of his racing heart.
And I wondered what would it be like to be loved by him. I wondered what would it be like to have his heart. His heart that would beat for me.
We were still in each others warm embrace and I was feeling much better after my breakdown when I heard rushed footsteps coming towards the cafeteria.
Unwillingly I opened my eyes and saw Valerie, who was breathing heavily, her hand was rested on her chest to normalise her breathing. I had a spooky feeling as to what she was going to say.
Behind her, Alex followed closely and gave me a look that meant they had news. Regarding Liam.
I shifted from my safe haven and sat straight. My eyes were jumping out of the eyeballs in anticipation. I was both, ready and not ready to listen to them.
But I had to know.
"What is it?? Is Liam okay??" I asked in a whisper. I felt my throat tighten leaving no room for any voice beyond a whisper.
Valerie didn't say anything for five seconds.
And then she smiled and tears rolled down her big hazel eyes as she strode towards me and hugged the hell out of me.
I was taken by surprise at her gesture, clearly not able to comprehend what it meant. I hugged her patting her blonde hair softly.
After what felt like an eternity Valerie pulled back and looked at me with tear stained eyes.
"He's awake." She said crying. "And he's asking for us."
My heart escaped several beats and my lungs forgot how to breathe in that moment. That moment of pure joy. My eyes were brimming with fresh tears ready to roll down my cheeks. My mouth was agape and I couldn't speak. I was at a loss of words. And my throat was constricting my ability to speak.
I allowed myself to relax for the first time that day and let the joyful news sink in.
'Liam is awake and he is asking to see Vallie and me. That means he is not a halfwit and he is okay. He is Liam. He didn't sustain damage to his brilliant brain. Oh God !!!! Thankyou so much for saving his life. Thankyou so much for not letting me lose another person I love.'
I thanked the Divine Power making a mental note to visit the campus Church as soon as I can. I was grateful, truly.
I was finally able to form coherent words and said, "Let's go see Liam. He needs us as much as we need him."
Valerie nodded in agreement and the four of us left to see our survivor, our best friend,
Our rockstar Liam.
________________________
Liam's awake and is himself and all is well in the world again. ❤️💕
What do you think about the new bond between Alex and Amarra ??? I won't call it a bond but they are feeling something, which will not be pretty for anyone. Clearly.
I just wanted to add a twist to this. I mean Alex is not all bad and I have kinda started liking him.
Now the biggest chapter awaits. That is the confession of love between #Amarek.
Won't take long I promise.
Have a good day
With love,
Preeti