Paul & Moi

Chapter 35

Derek's point of view

I turn to the sound of his chipped voice.

She is awake!

"Call the doctors!" I order Jena who hastens to press the call button.

Hillary rushes at Nina to take her in her arms.

Nina seems quite weak and remains motionless. It's barely if she manages to turn her head.

"I'm sorry" Hillary starts sobbing.

"Sorry? What happened? I'm going on? What happened to me?"? She's starting to get agitated.

"Don't you remember anything?" I ask her as I advance towards her.

She turns to me. And stare at me for a long time. I have the impression that she is thinking.

"Der...ek?" She pronounces my name with hesitation.

I think she could have some memory gaps.

"Yes, it's me" I caress her cheek and she smiles at me as an answer.

At that time, I don't know that Paul is in the room, I have no esteem for this guy. And then he hasn't moved from the wall since Nina woke up. He's too busy hiding, it seems.

"Do you remember me Neens?"

"How could I forget you Jena?" She answers with humor.

Then his gaze goes to the last person in this room. She stares at him for a long time and frowns. He doesn't bother to move from his wall. Is he afraid or what? At the same time, he should apprehend his reaction.

"Neens?" He asks and walks towards the bed.

She does not respond and continues to fix it intensely. Did she forget her name?

"I...I don't..."

"Neens!" He insists.

"I... Who...?"

"It's me! Paul" he rushes towards her and pushes me to the side.

Is he serious here? He is lucky that Nina is here. Confronting yourself would not be a good idea. Nina needs calm.

"Sorry, I don't remember." she answers him.

"No, no! Remember!! Paul! It's me! You must remember!" He insists.

His heart rate is accelerating.

"Stop! You're rushing her! Let her rest!" I push it out of my place.

A doctor enters the room and asks us to leave it so that he can examine it.

I hope she has nothing serious, that her memory loss is only temporary.

A few minutes later, the doctor leaves the room.

"So?" Paul asks him almost aggressively.

"She's fine, rest assured! She just has a few but minor injuries and she may not remember some things. I will ask you not to force too much on his ability to remember when he comes out. The memories will come back to him little by little. We will keep it under observation tonight. One of you will be able to stay."

"I'm going to stay" Paul imposes himself.

"No questions! You are the last person she should stay with!" I reply.

"It's MY girlfriend! You're really starting to get on my nerves! You're lucky we're in a hospital!" He gets angry.

"It was! And your threats you keep them," I reply.

I see anger in his eyes, I have never seen him in this state. He's going to jump in my throat from one second to the next.

"Calm down! According to the parents' testimony, it is Derek Allen who is allowed to stay with Nina during their absence."

"It's me!" I answer him.

"Sir, you can go back to the room. You others, I'm going to ask you to leave. Your friend will be able to go out tomorrow if all goes well," the doctor explains to them.

"I won't leave here! Especially knowing that he will stay with her!" Paul answers him.

"Sir! I'll have to call security if you don't leave this area!"

"Paul stop it! Come!" Jena leads him to her and pushes him to the exit.

I hear him screaming and hitting the wall. This guy is really unstable!

I go back to Nina's room and sit on the edge of her bed.

"I don't know what I was doing on the road..."

"The doctor said that you would regain your memory very quickly but that we should not rush you," I explain to him.

"And this guy, I can't put a name on his face but..."

She's probably talking about Paul.

"But?"

"I don't know, it's strange. I don't recognize him but at the same time he is familiar to me..."

"You'd rather not know him, believe me," I said to myself in a low voice.

"Thank you Derek. To always be there for me."

"I'll always be there for you, you don't have to worry," I reassure her.

"I'm a little tired," she admits to me.

I get up to close the shutters so that she can fall asleep in peace. I sit in the armchair near her bed to leave her alone. I understand that she is tired. I am too.

"Derek?"

"Yes?"

"Can you... sleep with me?" She asks me to be shy.

I am surprised by her request but I think she needs to feel surrounded, reassured. I get up and sit next to her in her bed. She sneaks into my arms and puts her head on my chest.

"You're all hard!" She exclaims.

"If you want I can put the cushion on me" I propose with a laugh.

"No. I'm here, in your arms," she clung to me.

Me too. I'm fine with you in my arms too. I could keep you in my arms all my life. We are well, just both, without worries. I like this simplicity. It is often the simplest moments that are the happiest.

She suddenly raises her head and looks me in the eyes which makes me lose the thread of my thoughts. She looks at me with her innocent look that I love so much. I do the same and stare at her in her little brown eyes. This game of looks persists and then it gets closer to my lips. We are only a few thousandths of a millimeters from the other. It is this minimal distance that has always persisted between us. This distance that we have both already almost broken many times. Our lips come into contact for the first time and this distance is finally broken. They are looking for each other but one always more than the other and vice versa. It's incredible, this feeling, like a breath of fresh air! I end up interrupting this kiss with reason to Nina's surprise. She may be too tired and I wouldn't want to abuse her. If she loves me more than as a friend, I would prefer her to make me understand it in her normal state. I hug her and she ends up falling asleep quite quickly.

This kiss may have lasted only a few seconds and may not have meant anything for her but I could never get it out of my head now.