Midnights thinkin' about you

You're still handsome, Clay. - 12

*Clay's POV*

I wake up, though I'm unsure of where I am. My vision is all blurry even though my left eye was left unharmed. After a few blinks, I can somewhat see.

A woman stands over me in a doctor's uniform. "Clay Burke.. we had to completely take your right eye out, the damage was just so severe for it to operate in a stable condition again. But we stitched everything up. Good thing they came to get you when they did, because you were close to bleeding out." She sighs, "It's a shame if you would have perished, really. Anyway, someone wants to see you. She walks out of the room, letting another person walk in. He sits down on the stool beside my bed as I sit up.

"Clay.." is all he could get out of his mouth. Henry. Henry.. I hear Henry swallow before he continues his sentence. "I'm so glad they got you when they did.. the doctors told me you were close to death, and.." I slowly reach out to squeeze his hand.

"But I'm alive. That's all we need to care about." I try to reassure him, and he smiles.

"Do you want to see it?" He asks, and I'm not sure what he's referring to.

"See what?"

"The scar." He looks over to a table, grabbing a hand-held mirror off of it, handing it off to me. When I hold the mirror up, I gasp in shock. Honestly, I didn't think William could do this much damage to me, but I was alone and defenseless. I look up at Henry and he frowns, leaning closer to me as he whispers. "I still think you look handsome, Clay." He speaks in a hushed tone, and it's enough to make me smile.

"Thank you, Mr. Emily.. but my eye.."

"Enough with the Mr. Emily crap.." he sighs, "Well, you still have one eye, and I don't want to stop looking at it." He smiles, looking into my eye as I cover the hideous scar that used to be the right side of my face. I look into his eyes, as well. His eyes were the perfect shade of a sky blue, enough to make you want to just stare into his eyes for hours on end. His hair wasn't too dark, but it wasn't too light. Henry's hair was a dirty blonde, but it appears more blond in the light. It just.. everything about his appearance was perfect.

Henry leans in, gently grabbing the left side of my face. He kisses me, nice and slow. At first he was hesitant, but it eventually settled and everything on the inside felt warm. I place my hand on his shoulder, and then my hand eventually found the back of his neck. I feel the tiny hairs lift up on the back of his neck as I do.

I hear the door open, but I don't feel Henry pull away from me, so I don't either.

"Aha.. Mr. Emily. Visiting time is over." Henry immediately pulls away, almost falling over on the stool. "I see you two got busy." Is all she says.

Henry leaves without a word, and I still feel his warmth lingering in the air. "You know, you shouldn't be working your jaw that much. Also, aren't the police just about to arrest him? He's basically a criminal."

"No, no. He's definitely no criminal. He wasn't the one who did this to me. Nor did he hurt any of those kids." I sit up, ready to defend him.

"Hm. Okay, then." The doctor says, checking my blood pressure and other things I don't mind paying attention to. "You know, most of the town views him as some witch. That picture of you two is going around fast. Henry Emily getting Hurricane's best policeman to kiss him? It must be deemed as some witchcraft. You can't hide anything in a small town."

"He's not a witch, and there is no witchcraft involved. Some people are crazy."

The lady sighs, "I know that. The rumors in this town are wild, and it's not like they're going to put him on trial for being a 'witch' this isn't the Salem Witch Trials." She points out, and I nod in agreement.

"You know, when I looked into the mirror and gasped in horror, Henry said to me, 'You're still handsome, Clay.' Is that true?" I ask, looking up at her.

"I have no say in this, but once we get you out of those stitches you'll look less like Freddy Kruger and more like yourself. But anyway, since you're unable to care for your child in this condition, we handed him over to Henry for the time being."

"Oh.. uhm, thank you. I'm sure he'll take good care of Carlton." I smile. "What about the man who attacked me at the restaurant? Where is he?"

"The police were able to catch him before he left the building, so he was caught, and they found you in the security office. The amount of blood spilt below you was quite alarming. So, they brought you here to us. Thank god they sent you here when they did. If you were left for a few more minutes there would be nothing we could do."

I sigh, lying back down on my bed. This was going to be a long healing process.