A/N: "Hold On" Overstreet
Keefe's POV:
I sit beside Sophie's cot bed, her face so pale against the white sheets. The rhythmic beeping of the monitors is the only sound in the room, echoing the uncertainty that fills my heart. Her eyes are closed, her chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm of breath. She looks so peaceful, but I know the storm that rages within her mind.
It all started when the Neverseen attacked us. We were caught off guard, outnumbered and overpowered. In the chaos of the battle, I saw Sophie fall. I felt a surge of panic, of fear unlike anything I had ever experienced before. And then, when I knelt beside her, I saw her eyes flutter shut, her breathing shallow. I rushed her to the healing center, but nothing Elwin did seemed to bring her back to me.
I reach out and take her hand in mine, willing her to feel my presence, to know that I'm here, that I'll always be here. Her skin is cool to the touch, and for a moment, a cold dread grips my heart. But then I remember her warmth, her laughter, her light that has guided me through the darkest of times. I refuse to believe that this is the end for us.
The memories come flooding back, a tumultuous tide of emotions that threaten to drown me. I remember the first time I met Sophie, her fiery determination and her unwavering courage. I remember the moments we shared, the laughter and the tears, the secrets we whispered in the dead of night. I remember the way she looked at me, as if she saw me, truly saw me, in a way no one else ever had.
I lean closer to her, my voice barely a whisper in the silence of the room. "Hold on, Sophie," I plead, the words catching in my throat. "Don't leave me. I need you. I love you."
The hours pass in a haze of waiting, of hoping against hope that she'll open her eyes, that she'll smile at me, that she'll be okay. The healer comes in and out, checking her vitals, adjusting the machines that keep her tethered to this world. I watch him with a growing sense of frustration, of impotence that threatens to consume me.
And then, just as the first light of dawn filters through the window, I see it. A tremor in her hand, a flutter of her eyelids. My heart leaps in my chest, a wild hope taking hold of me. I call out her name, my voice filled with a desperate longing.
"Sophie, can you hear me?"
Her eyes open slowly, a dazed confusion clouding their depths. But then, she blinks, and the recognition dawns in her gaze. She turns her head towards me, a faint smile tugging at the corners of her lips.
"Keefe," she whispers, her voice barely a breath. "I knew you'd be here."
Relief washes over me, a wave of emotion so powerful that it leaves me breathless. I gather her in my arms, holding her close, feeling her heartbeat against my chest. The world falls away, leaving only the two of us, bound together by a love that defies all odds.
"I'll always be here," I promise her, my voice fierce with determination. "I'll never leave your side, Sophie. I love you."
And in that moment, as the sun rises on a new day, I know that our love is stronger than any darkness that may come our way. Together, we'll face the challenges that lie ahead, hand in hand, heart to heart, forever and always.
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Keep Being Cool
-KotLC183