The seventy-two hours that followed had been heart wrenching for Aida. She had been allowed a brief visit with Levi, but true to form, JoAnn, incensed, had returned shortly and caused such a ruckus that the police had shown up. Everyone had agreed it was best for Aida to leave. So, tail between her legs, she had gone back to her parent's home and had been curled up on her bed ever since. Her parents had tried their best to comfort her, even her father, but there were no words, no gesture, that eased the pain and guilt in her heart and mind.
Finally, another call had come, this time from Hopper. He had asked her to come back to the hospital. Levi had emerged from the medically induced coma, and the first word he had spoken was "Aida". Though it had taken an act of God followed by one from Congress, JoAnn had reluctantly agreed to allow Aida visitation without objection. The ride to the hospital was not a long one, but many thoughts raced through Aida's mind. Her heart was heavy with emotion.
Aida felt like she was walking to her own death, and in a sense, she was. All she wanted was to see him, touch him...although she had no idea what she would say. Hopper was waiting for her by the waiting room.
"Thanks for coming again." He hugged her, his face ragged and worse for the wear from days at his brother's bedside.
Aida nodded and took a breath. Like déjà vu, JoAnn emerged from the room.
"He keeps asking for you," JoAnn admitted, still not happy, through pursed lips.
"I just want to see him," Aida began. "That's all I want. Mrs. Hudson, I don't want any trouble. Please."
JoAnn moved out of the way and motioned with an outstretched arm for Aida to enter the room behind her.
"Be my guest. It's not like he's going to get up and walk out here to you." She took one last dig at Aida.
Aida understood her pain.
"Thank you."
"It is not for you. Trust me, Aida Morris. This is not for you and your guilt. It is for my Levi."
Biting her lip, Aida made her way inside. She approached the bed. His face looked a little better than the last time she had seen him. His eyes were still closed, so she pulled up a chair. The only sound was the steady beep of the machines. Aida studied him. He was still not out of the woods yet, and she knew it. They were all fully aware of that fact. The colorful tattoos that once proudly adorned his right arm and torso were now gone, replaced by full thickness skin graft, taken from his remaining healthy flesh. The full thickness graft posed more risk than the standard split thickness graft, but the medical providers had been confident the former was the right choice, due to the extensive nature of Levi's injuries. His left side still looked normal. If she could ignore the smell and the surroundings, Aida could pretend that they were back in Las Vegas, and that morning, instead of freaking out and running away, she would have followed her heart and been with the man she loved. Sighing, she gently rested her head on his left chest, lulled by the sound of his heartbeat.
"Aida," he struggled to whisper after a few minutes.
Aida raised her head slowly, tears filling her eyes. It was the sweetest sound, as if God Himself had answered every one of her prayers.
"Levi!" She called his name with a mix of relief and excitement.
"Thank you for coming," he managed to mouth.
She knew he was in intense pain, even just lying there.
"There is no place I'd rather be," she assured him. "You scared me. You scared all of us."
"I, I thought...you'd be in Texas..."
Aida shook her head.
"I'm so sorry. I messed up, Levi. I messed everything up. These past few months have been the happiest I have had in a long time. Every moment with you was better than the one before it. And I never wanted our time to end. I am so sorry for leaving you and for ruining Vegas. I wasn't honest with you. I wasn't even honest with myself. I fell for you and I got scared."
"I'd never hurt you."
Her eyes filled with tears.
"I know that. I wasn't afraid of you hurting me. I was afraid I was going to hurt you. I ended up doing that anyway, but it was all a mistake. Please forgive me, Levi. Being the wonderful man and friend and father that you are terrified me. Sometimes, sometimes I think I don't deserve to be happy or even normal. Not after all the mistakes I made with Van and Paloma and Eli. Knowing that you cared enough to come after me, to stop me from going to Austin, and knowing that you wrecked because you were speeding to get to me when I shouldn't have left in the first place...it broke my heart. It broke my heart but it woke me up. And I prayed and I begged God that if you could just open your eyes and be okay that I would make it right. Levi, I promise you that I'm not here because of guilt or pity. I am here because I want to be with you."
Levi's eyes strained as they looked around the room. He tried to move and winced. Every part of his body hurt in ways he didn't think possible. He knew he was not in good shape. He knew the accident was bad. He also knew the recovery would be torturous.
"Aida...this is gonna be hard. I, I have to get better."
"I know, baby. And I'll be there. For you and with you."
He licked his lips. Fear paralyzed him.
"How do I know?" he whispered.
Tears welled in his eyes too, and it had nothing to do with the searing physical agony. His heart was in turmoil. He was in love with this woman, always had been. She had hurt him deeply, but now she was back. He had to know, he needed to know if she was going to be there, really be there for him. He couldn't take her running away again.
"Because I love you." She looked right in his eyes. "I love you, Levi."
Stray tears slid down his bruised cheeks.
"I've waited half my life to hear you say that," he admitted.
"Oh sweetie." She tenderly touched the side of his face. "It's going to be okay. You are going to be okay. I just know, I have this feeling that everything that is supposed to happen will happen. You are going to get better and stronger, and you will get up out of this bed and ride again and tattoo again. And you're gonna live a long and happy life and walk Violet down the aisle at her wedding and have all the wonderful things in life you deserve. I promise you."
He managed a smile.
"Will you stay here with me?" he asked.
She nodded.
"I'm not going anywhere. And nothing will keep me from here, not even Hurricane JoAnn," she cracked a joke.
Levi tried to laugh but it hurt too badly.
"You must really love me to weather that storm," he bantered right back.
"I do. I do love you, Levi, and I hate that it took this, that it took tragedy to make me see it."
"It's okay." He licked his lips.
"It's not okay. You never should have been on that road. And you never would have been on that road if it hadn't been for me. I will never forgive myself. If you had died..."
"Shhh. I didn't die, babe. I am right here. I'm with you. And it is not your fault. I, I wasn't careful. I...I was going way too fast. It was stupid. I knew the risks and I took them anyway, knowing I could hurt myself, or worse, someone else. You weren't driving that bike. I was. You didn't make me do anything."
Aida regained her composure. She looked at him, so brave and beautiful. He winced, and she was immediately overcome with emotion again because of his fragile state and because of the fullness of her fragile heart.
"Are you okay? Do you need me to get a nurse? Do you need more meds?"
"I, I'm okay. Just...can you hold my hand?"
It was a simple request that meant the world. She looked down at his left hand and covered it with her smaller hand, interlocking the fingers. In that moment, he needed her to do for him what he had already done for her. He needed her to make him feel loved and safe. And that is what she would do. With every breath in her body and every fiber in her being.
"I love you."
He closed his eyes.
"I feel tired, babe..."
"It's okay. Go back to sleep. Get all the rest you need. I will stay here with you, and when you wake up, I'll still be here."
Before she finished her sentence, he had already drifted off. Even when the door opened, it did not wake him up. It was Violet.
"How is he?" She joined Aida.
Aida smiled a real smile.
"He was awake. We talked. It, it's all a good sign, sweetie."
"Is he going to be okay?" she asked.
Aida looked at him.
"I hope so."
Violet pulled up a chair and touched her father's hand, placing hers so that it touched both his and Aida's. She put her head on the bed and closed her eyes. Aida looked at the two of them. She had screwed things up with Van and Paloma, but now she was convinced that this was her second chance, her second family. She had lived selfishly before, but now no more. Her heart and mind were convinced. This was where she needed to be, not Texas, not New York...nowhere but California and wherever Levi and Violet were. All that was missing was her own baby girl. They were now the three most important people in her life. She hadn't been able to save her little brother, but now she had something to live for, to be good for. And she would lay down her life to make sure they all were safe and happy.