"He's stable. We expect him to gain consciousness in another 24 hours." said the emergency doctor coming out of the ICU and was greeted with loud cheers from a bunch of kids and a grown woman.
"So he'll be okay?" asked Vicky hopefully.
"Yes, he's dehydrated and has a third degree burn on his back. There will be a permanent scar, but he is expected to make a full recovery in a couple of weeks." he said calmly.
"Thank God," said Paula slumping back to the chair and holding her head in her hands. Her heart was finally beating at a slower pace, the past few hours had gone by in a blur of worry and anticipation.
"How is Levi?" asked Vicky her voice deceptively unfaltering.
"You mean the young man who came with him?" asked the doctor. "He's doing fine. Got him hydrated and fixed up the many cuts and burns all over him. Nothing too serious, but the shock of the whole situation is not something he will recover from so quickly. He may be afraid of the smoky smell and the sight of fire."
Just then a petite nurse came out of the operation theater.
"Doctor, the young man inside has been insisting on meeting someone called Vicky. He says he won't agree to take his medicines if she doesn't talk to him." she said exasperatedly. "I tried to reason with him, but he's being stubborn."
"That sure sounds like him." snorted David from the back.
"We don't have a policy to allow visitors right now---" started the doctor but was cut short as another nurse came out looking harried.
"I tried to give him a tetanus shot and he well...sweet talked me into coming here to look for someone called Vicky." she said quickly looking around. "Said she's the love of his life and he really need to talk to her."
The twins tried to hold in their laughter as Vicky blushed tomato red. Paula looked around in amusement, eyes twinkling as she put two and two together. She wondered how long this little romance had been going on after all.
"Well he can talk to her tomorrow, after he's had his share of medicines and ---" started the doctor. Before he could finish his sentence, yet another nurse came to join them in the waiting room.
"I think the young man is getting delirious. The painkillers may have got to him, he keeps calling me Vicky and trying to flirt with me." said the brunette nurse.
Just then a male nurse came hurrying out of the ICU looking troubled. "The young man is refusing to take his medication. He keeps calling me Vicky and says I need to kiss him if I want him to take an injection. I'd kiss him, he's kinda cute, but my name's not Vicky."
"Oh for the love of God." groaned David at the back.
"I'm Vicky," said Vicky standing up shakily, blushing from head to toe. "Can I speak to him for a moment please?"
The Doctor looked at all the nurses and the squad of children eagerly waiting for his response and caved.
"Fine." he said as he was greeted with applause. "But make it quick. We can't delay his medication---"
But Vicky was nodding and already standing up. The nurses smiled at her.
"Come with us. He's right here."
***
The nurses kept trying to punch things into him. Watery stuff, cold stuff, sticky stuff.
They kept trying to patch him up. He wasn't broken damn it.
They said his left eyebrow was burnt off. And that he had a burn mark on the left side of his face.
It probably wouldn't fade.
Would that be a deal breaker with Vicky? Maybe she didn't like scarred guys.
Add to that he was a pretty big asshole to her. Led her on... used her to get to her father...
But it hadn't started off that way...he'd loved her ever since they'd met all those years ago. He never thought they would ever have a chance to be together. But fate had plans for them and she had sought him out, she kissed him, she was dating him, she liked him.
They could have been together if only he hadn't been such an idiot. He had been so blinded by the desire for revenge against Gavin Walter's he'd thrown everything else away.
He'd gained absolutely nothing, Gavin was still at large, he'd almost got Vicky's Dad killed and for all he knew Vicky would never forgive him.
He shut his eyes and tried to extinguish the anguish in his heart.He wished he hadn't turned away the nurses. Now would be great time for a shot of painkillers to help him forget it all. He hated himself, hated his life, hated how things had turned out.
"Levi?" asked a soft voice, concern etching every syllable.
The feminine voice was pleasant against his ear and sounded very much like the girl he wished he'd never hurt. He prudishly kept his eyes closed.
"Hey Levi," she said whispering against his ear, sending goosebumps down his spine. He turned his head away.
"Hey." he said hoarsely, eyes still tightly shut.
"Won't you look at me?" she asked innocently.
"Can you see the scar on my face?" he asked.
"Yes, does it hurt? Are you in pain, I'll call the nurse---" gushed Vicky.
He lifted his eyelashes and caught her soft brown eyes with his own.
"It doesn't hurt." he said quietly. "Is the old man okay?"
"He's going to be alright." said Vicky in a low voice. "Thank you for saving him."
"I'm sorry I put him in harms way in the first place." he said remorsefully. "Do you hate me?"
There was a long pause in which Vicky stared curiously at Levi, her expression revealing nothing he was restless to know.
"I can never hate you Levi." she said with a lopsided smile. "Maybe one day you could tell me why you did what you did and if what we had was at least something."
"It was more than something." said Levi huskily, anguish lacing his iris. "I'm sorry Vicky. I wasn't ready for you. All I wanted was to get back at Gavin Walters, to destroy him. I didn't think, didn't realize what I was throwing away. I am so sorry. I hope you will forgive me someday, I understand if you don't."
"What were you throwing away?" asked Vicky looking down at her lap and twiddling her fingers.
"What we could have been. I--- I fell in love with you when we were ten. I thought I was over you when you showed up again. But I couldn't have been more wrong. If anything, I fell harder for you this time. If I could go back in time and do things differently, I would." he said fully expecting a volatile reaction from Vicky.
There was a small pause again, as Vicky continued to avoid eye contact. When she finally looked up, she was smiling, looking hopeful.
"Do you want to try once more?" she asked nervously. "Meet again, and restart?"
"What about the bastard who hurt the old man?" asked Levi unable to process what Vicky was suggesting.
"We leave it to the professionals." she said firmly. "We are kids and that's how we should be. If something happened to you Levi, do you know how devastated your mom would be?"
He winced. "She doesn't know, right?"
"Not yet." said Vicky. "But she will need to be informed when you are ready to be discharged."
Levi nodded. He didn't want to hurt those he loved ever again.
"Vicky," he said taking her hand in his own. "As much as I'd like to be with you again, you deserve better---"
But she was already kissing him, soft and sweet on the cheek where his dimple formed.
"You'll do." she said stroking the thin scar by the side of his face.
He grinned sheepishly before speaking again.
"Guess my looks are ruined eh?" he said somewhat hesitantly, as though even though he knew he was scarred, he was still afraid that Vicky would agree.
"Not really." said Vicky raising her left eyebrow and pointed to her own face. "But this expression may be difficult for you to keep in the next few weeks. How did you burn off the entire eyebrow anyway?"
"I'm talking about the scar---" corrected Levi.
"I know." said Vicky.
"It won't go away." he clarified.
"I know." she said.
"Oh."
She kissed him chastely on the mouth and smiled.
"Listen to the nurses." she said sternly. "And take your medicines on time."
Levi beamed at her. Inside his head he was dancing, prancing, doing the waltz. Good Lord, not only had Vicky forgiven him, she had kissed him and even agreed to give him another chance.
"I will."
She grinned and he knew in his heart of hearts that if he was ever the cause of her tears again, he would rather it be because of sheer joy alone.
A/N: SO MUCH FLUFFY ROMANCE AHHHH!
Happy Valentines Week everyone!
What do you think of Levi and Vicky's reunion?
Also how funny were the nurses?
I'm still single, but I'm feeling better about it this year. The guy I had a crush on since forever, just posted a picture with his new girlfriend, but GUESS WHAT? I felt nothing! I like this feeling of not being hurt about things beyond my control.
Hope you are all doing well! Thanks for reading.
Lots of love,
Andy