She could hear him, getting closer and closer. How badly she wanted to cry out, to tell him how scared she was, that she didn’t want to die alone. One minute she was there, staring up at the stars.. and really she couldn’t feel a thing. Something about it was peaceful, but daunting. The next minute she wasn’t.. everything just faded away. She didn’t get to tell him how sorry she was, she didn’t get to say how badly she’d missed him and hold his hand and feel like she was safe.
Of course questions where going to be asked, where she’d been this past week, what had really gone on? There was only one person who could really answer that but she’d been rushed straight in to surgery to stop that bleeding.
The next thing Eden new she was staring up at ceiling lights, eyes fluttering open slowly. They’d said how close to was to death, they’d taken her phone. There was already an investigation on what had happened the previous week and there was more hope on finding out what’d really happened now. Her heart monitor increased a tiny bit, her eyes started to look round in confusion. “Zak?” she questioned softly, slowly moving herself up, her eyes flickering form the bandage around her to the machines and tubes. He was the only person she wanted to see. She’d been out hours, but she was alive, her heart was beating, she’d get better, but her still thought was still him.
The hours had dragged past him, slowly and painfully. He had followed the ambulance all the way to the hospital only to sit in a waiting room for hours. The walls were so white that they hurt his eyes to look at and all he could do with himself was pace the length of the room several times or sit and stare at the ceiling. His entire body was on edge, panic running through every part of him. The adrenaline that had kept him going earlier had dissipated, it had been the only thing to keep him somewhat calm in the crazy situation he had found himself in, but now, he had nothing but the racing beat of his heart to make him aware that it was all real and happening.
The police had been in to see him, asked him questions. Of course, he didn’t have much to give them, not until he spoke to Eden. The possibilities were racking him brain, she had only been gone a week, how had she managed to get into so much trouble in only a few days? They couldn’t understand that. They tried to guess drugs but Zak couldn’t believe that. The question that really stumped him was the least obvious of the lot, what was Zak’s relationship to the victim? What am I to Eden? He had felt quite dumbfounded while they stood there, gawking at him and awaiting his answer. ‘I-I’m her b-best friend,’ he had managed to get out. But was he? They hadn’t quite believed him either, what kind of best friend doesn’t know what dark and deadly stuff their best friend is involved in? This back and forth of questions and answers seemed to go on for an eternity until they let him be, warning that they would be back soon.
It was when one of the nurses made a beeline towards him that he felt his heart slow down for the first time in hours. All of his worry sat like an ocean in the pit of his stomach and the nurse was holding the hammer that could break the dam. ‘She’s okay, she's in a stable state now. Would you like to see her?’ It was all he needed, she’s okay. He had never been one with words and he had definitely lost the few he had in that moment since all he could manage was to nod at what she was saying and follow her to the room where Eden was.
The room was a soft yellow, a nice change from the white of the waiting room. Zak’s eyes quickly went to the bed, focussing on the resting body. ‘She may take some time to wake up,’ the nurse said softly before she left him alone with her. He made his way over to a chair in the corner of the room. Doing his best to be quiet he picked it up and moved it closer to her bed, wanting to be as close as possible for when she awoke.
As he settled into the chair he realised how long he had actually been awake. Now that his heart had stopped beating faster than he could count, a heaviness had taken over his eyes. He wasn’t sure if he had actually fallen asleep or just imagined it, but the sound of his name brought him out of whatever space he had been in. “Eden,” he reached out and took her hand, pushing himself to the edge of his seat and closer to her. “I-I’m here, you’re safe. You’re in the hospital and you’re safe.” Her hand was cold in his and so he wrapped both of his own around it, bringing it to his lips and placing a gentle kiss onto her knuckles. “You’re safe.”
