How Do I Love Thee?

Recovery

I could feel consciousness coming back to me. But where was I? I cracked open my eyes and there were bright lights. I squeezed my eyes shut again. "Sorry." I heard someone mumble. I heard them shuffle around the room and dim the lights. I opened my eyes again. Much better. Now where was I? The walls were mint green, the ceiling was made out of foam tiles with lights replacing them here and there, and it smelled like antiseptic. I heard a slight beeping nearby. I was in a hospital. Oh yes the fight. I remember now. I had broken my ribs. How long had I been out? Ian! Where was he? Was he okay?

I tried to sit up but a sharp pain in my right side stopped me. I took in a sharp breath through my teeth. "Hey now. Just sit still." It was Ian. I looked around for him and found him at my side. "Your probably going to be a little woozy still. Doc used some heavy shit on you. You've got five stitches in your side which will come out tomorrow, but it'll take a couple days for your ribs to heal. Are you feeling okay?" He placed his hand on my forehead.

I felt tears pool in my eyes and spill over. "I was so worried. I thought you were hurt." I began sobbing. "It was... my fault... I should have... paid attention."

He rubbed my cheek. "Hey, I'm fine and it's not your fault. It could've happened to anyone. It has happened before. Many times." He soothed me for a few minutes until my sobbing and tears stopped. He sat in a chair beside my bed.

"Is everyone else okay? Did anyone else get hurt?" I was so worried about them. Was there anyone else in the hospital with me?

"Beside minor cuts, everyone's fine. You just need to worry about relaxing and getting better." He still rubbed my face and kissed me chastely here and there. "I was so worried. Doc said you almost slipped into shock. When you collapsed I didn't know what to think. Then I saw the blood... One of your ribs punctured the skin."

"How long have I been out?"

"A little over 24 hours."

"What?!" I tried to sit up again and winced at the pain. Ian pushed me back down on the bed. "I've never slept that long in my life." I sighed. "When do I get to leave?"

"Whenever you want, Doc will have to check up on you again first. But you'll still have to stay in bed for a few days."

"What about training?"

"Oh no." He sat back. "Definitely no training until your ribs are healed." When I opened my mouth to protest he held his hand up. "You can barely sit up right now. What makes you think you can go out there and train?"

I sighed and laid my head back. "So what can I do?"

"You can rest." He leaned forward again and held my hand in both of his. "And you can let Carolina take care of you."

My head shot up towards him. "Where are you going?"

He laughed. "I'm not going anywhere, but the elders have strict rules about me being over there past dark. They don't trust us." He winked at me. I couldn't help but laugh and then wince at the pain it caused me. "Sorry. Do you need Doc to give you more-"

"No. I'm fine." I didn't want to get knocked out again. "So what about those guys? Are they all..." I let my sentence trail off knowing he would know the meaning.

"Yes they are. A big help from you I might say. There probably would have been a lot more injuries if you hadn't practically mowed over all of them." He laughed and I smiled. He was so gorgeous when he laughed. It seemed like he was a lot younger. For some reason that brought back the memory of last night... Or whenever it was. When he was drunk. "What's wrong Alex?"

"It's just..." I looked away and started picking at a loose thread. I decided to start with something easier. "I didn't know... vampires... could get drunk." I looked back at him and he seemed amused. "What?"