The Demon King's Paladin

Chapter 77. Confirmation

I woke up to wet warm drops falling onto my face. I opened my eyes to see wet dark purple eyes staring at me from either side of the bed.

" JOHN!"

Sarah proceeded to jump onto and hug me when she saw my eyes open. As much as I would love to hug her back a more pressing matter assaulted my mind at the time.

" OWCH!"

Sarah jumped back like a scared cat and had an apologetic look on her face. I sat up so I could speak to her a bit easier. My back is still sore but, the pain has subsided for now. The sleepiness is still there. Regardless of it, I knew I had to speak to her and soothe her nerves.

" Sarah, I'm glad you're okay. How long have I been asleep for?"

She didn't answer my questions. Instead, she just stared at me.

" Sarah, are you okay?"

" Hic*"

Sarah made a sound and her eyes started to water again. It wasn't long until her arms were wrapped around me. Seems this whole thing has been rougher on her than even what was explained to me. I wrapped my left arm around her and began to stroke her head with my right. I simply watched her movements as I continued to comfort her.

" Sarah, I know it was scary but, I'm okay. I'm a little banged up but I'll heal up. I promise. I won't ever leave you or Anna."

Sarah started to mumble under her breath in almost a whisper through her sobs.

" I'm sorry.... I'm sorry..."

We sat there for a good while. I let her pour out all of the worry that she had for these past 3 days out onto my shirt. When she had finally felt some form of relief, she looked up at me. I couldn't help but smile at her. I used my fingers to wipe some of the tears from her eyes and I began to think deeply while looking at her. One of the last thoughts I had before losing consciousness was worrying about Sarah's safety. On top of that, without much thought as I drifted away into a deep sleep, the last thing I remember was Anna's smiling face flashing through my mind before it all went dark. I knew what this all meant. I thought of them when it seemed like I might die. Doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out. I felt Sarah's warmth from her hands wrapped around me and I could feel a warmth sprouting from my chest. With her eyes on me it just felt like it was the right time. So, after a deep breath, I started to speak while staring into her eyes.

" Sarah, do you remember how I asked you for some of your time after I fought the Hero?"

She nodded to my words. Sarah began to speak in a panic, however.

" But John because of me, you...."

Before she could finish, I kissed her to stop her from saying anything else. I tasted nothing but salt, I assume from her tears. I separated my lips from her own and began to speak instead. She seemed to be dazed from my actions.

" Sarah, we can work on things that we should have done better together later, okay? For now, I'd like to explain something to you. Is that alright with you?"

Sarah snapped out of her daze and nodded.

" To start with, I didn't really know what to say when I eventually would get to this point. But now, I feel like I should just be honest and tell you everything."

I look at Sarah to begin my confession.

" Sarah, when I first met you, you confused me a lot. You were so aggressive towards me that I wasn't completely sure that you weren't just trying to repay me for healing you as quickly as possible."

" I would never do something like that John!"

Sarah looked at me defiantly and spoke her mind. I simply smiled at her. Sarah thought I was teasing her and began to speak in a sad tone.