Change of Heart [a Damian Priest story]

11 Breathing

Damian POV

Fuck! Fuck, Fuck, Fuck! I am the biggest fucking moron to walk this earth. How could I have forgotten that? I had tried so hard to make everything perfect for this one chance Blair was willing to give me and now I had totally fucked it up.

How the hell did I forget that she was allergic to seafood? It was one of the first things I learned about her. Such an important thing!

"Fuck!" I cursed as I jumped up from my chair.

It hit the floor with a loud thump. But I barely registered it. All my attention, all my thinking was focused on Blair. I just picked her up in my arms and ran out the door. She held her neck as she had trouble breathing.

Then I remembered that my car keys were in the house. Carefully I put her back on her feet before I ran back to get the keys and lock the house.

When I was back at her side, my eyes immediately fell on her face. To my horror, it was already beginning to show signs of swelling. Her skin was so red. Almost like she had a sunburn.

"Get in the car, baby. I got you. Everything is going to be okay. I'm so sorry." I said as I opened the door for her and then lifted her into the car.

My mind was racing like crazy as I sped to the hospital as fast as I could. I kept looking at Blair to make sure she was still breathing. But I could tell she was having a harder and harder time. Her panting was getting louder. And panic rose in me. I couldn't lose her. I couldn't. 

Fortunately, it didn't take long for me to come to a stop, tires squealing, in front of the emergency room entrance. I yanked open my door and ran around the car. Then I yanked open the passenger door as well before lifting Blair into my arms. As quickly as I could, I carried her inside.

"Help! We need help!" I shouted as a nurse approached us.

"She's having an allergic reaction," I said quickly.

"This way. Put her on the bed. Then wait outside. We'll take care of her and let you know as soon as possible." she said as she reached for the phone to call a doctor.

I didn't like that, I didn't want to leave her alone. Blair must have seen the look on my face because she reached for my hand.

"It's okay, D. It won't take long." she croaked.

"I'll be right outside the door, okay? You're going to be just fine. I'm so sorry." replied and then pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"Sir? Please remove your car from the entrance." said a stern looking security guard as soon as I came out of the room.

Reluctantly, I did as he said. It was the last thing I wanted to do at the moment, but I also couldn't prevent other people from getting help in an emergency.

Afterwards I went to the waiting room. But instead of sitting down, I nervously paced back and forth. Why was this taking so long? It had been at least half an hour since the nurse had taken care of Blair.

"For Miss McLeod?" I suddenly heard a voice say from the doorway.

It was a young doctor. The guy couldn't have been 30, so hopefully he knew what he was doing.

"Yes, that's me. How is she doing?" I asked quickly.

"Much better. It was good that you brought her in so quickly. She got a shot and can breathe normally again. The swelling on her limbs and face are going down. We will wait another half hour to see how she is doing. But after that, if everything is fine, she can go home. However, she should not be left alone for the night." he explained to me.

"Oh, thank God. Can I see her?" I said after breathing a sigh of relief.

"Of course. Follow me, please." the doctor replied.

"Hey, baby girl." said I as soon as I saw her lying there in bed.

"Hi, D." she replied tiredly, but still gave me a small smile.

"How do you feel?" I wanted to know as I knelt beside the bed and gently took her hand in mine.

"Much better. Thank you for bringing me here so fast..." she said softly.

"You really shouldn't thank me for that. After all, it's my fault you're here. I'm such an idiot. I'm so fucking sorry. I don't know how I could have forgotten. I should have paid more attention." I replied as I played with her fingers.

I couldn't even look at her. And I didn't deserve to either.

"Damian, come on. It can happen. I'm fine... really. And I don't expect you to be perfect." she said as she put her other hand on mine.

"You gave me a chance and I couldn't even do that right," I muttered.

"Hey, don't talk about yourself like that. It's okay to make mistakes." she retorted.

"Not almost deadly ones..." I grumbled.

"Now well... I'm not dead, though. And by the way... since I'm not supposed to be alone tonight.... I hereby put you on cuddle duty." said Blair to lift my spirits.

However, that didn't really work because I still felt so bad. I had no idea why she wasn't stinking mad at me.

"Can you even forgive me?" I wanted to know when I finally looked at her.

"I can.... but it's more important that you forgive yourself, you know? I know you think you screwed up, but that's not true." she replied.

"It feels like it, though," I whispered.

"I'll tell you something... if you really feel that guilty, you can make me breakfast in bed tomorrow. Well... without seafood and side effects though." Blair then said before first squeezing my hand and then lifting it and pressing a kiss to it.