Forbidden

Chapter Forty-Three

*Tessa's POV*

When I finally wake up, I feel as if I have been asleep for a decade. My eyes are heavy and my body feels as if it has been beaten with a hammer. I have no clue where I am for a moment -- I can't even tell if I am alive. I blink nearly a hundred times and then my vision begins to come into focus. I see that I am laying in a white bed, a white dressing gown on my body, and I see that I am in some sort of infirmary. There is a bandage wrapped around my stomach and I don't try to move, knowing that it will hurt me.

Everything then comes back to me; my father and mother, fighting my father with the sword, him stabbing me and my mother killing him. I -- I'm alive. I didn't die there at that clearing. Someone came and saved me. And my mother -- she killed my father. The thoughts whirl around in my mind like a tornado and I shift slightly in my bed.

"Tessa!" A feminine voice exclaims.

I look slowly to my left to see Sophie sitting there; she looks much better than the last time I saw her, and relief crashes through me. I never thought that I would see Sophie again and I am glad to see that she's alright. But there is someone else on my mind.

Will. I have to see Will.

"How long have I been asleep for?" I rasp, my voice weak. "Where's Will?"

"Four days." Sophie replies, and then she glances up at the door. "Will just left a moment ago, but he'll be back any second. He hasn't left your side for more than two minutes in the past four days, Tessa. He's been worried sick -- we all have."

"I didn't expect to survive." I cough, my throat dry. "My father -- he's dead. My mother killed him to save my life."

Sophie nods. "I know."

I feel confused. "You do? But how--"

"Tess?" A voice rings out and my heart lurches.

I look up and lock eyes with Will who is hurrying towards me, shock and relief apparent on his face. I want to cry at the sight of him, I want to get out of this bed and launch myself into his arms and never let him go. Will. My Will, who I never thought I would see again. Will, whose face was the last thing I saw before I went unconscious. He is wearing black pants and a white button up shirt that he has rolled up to his elbows, and he looks so beautiful that I want to cry. He nears my bed and Sophie rises, saying that she'll leave us alone for awhile.

And then it's just Will and I, and I can hardly believe that I have lived to see him again.

"Tessa." There is a hint of desperation in Will's voice. "You're awake -- I didn't think -- I mean, I didn't know if I would ever see you awake again."

"Will." I can only whisper, my heart breaking at the sight of him. "Will -- I am so sorry."

Will sits down on the edge of my bed, his eyes frantic. "No, Tess, I'm the one who's sorry. I should have known that you would go to face your parents -- I should have known and I should have gone with you."

"There was no way for you to know." I shake my head and then hesitate. "What happened, Will? How did I live?"

"I woke up in the middle of the night, probably not long after you left, and I read your letter. It -- it crushed me, Tess." Will looks very far away, his voice heavy with emotion. "I knew that I had to go after you; I couldn't let you face them alone. I figured out where you were, and then my parents and I all rode to the clearing to find you. When we got there, your mother was standing there and you were on the ground and you looked--"

Will breaks away, tearing his eyes away from mine and staring into the distance. I can tell that recounting what happened is killing him, and I reach out and take his hand. Will closes his eyes for a moment and then continues speaking.