Lost in Blue

𝕹𝖊𝖚𝖓𝖟𝖊𝖍𝖓: Cat's out of the bag

When Dorn woke up and opened his eyes again, the first thing that greeted him were a pair of big, blue orbs gleaming down at him. Next, rose lips parted in a cry of astonishment and dully, almost painfully, echoed in his ears. Then, a pair of arms flung around his neck and pulled him into a tight hug. Golden curls got shoved in his face, a few strands threatened to get stuck in his mouth. As her narrow frame shakily clung to his, he could feel her heart beat hammer rapidly against him.

She was here. She really had come to see him.

In between several desperate whispers of "You're alive", her whole body shook uncontrollably. Awkwardly, he managed to pull Fräulein closer to comfort her by stroking her back gently, telling her that he was indeed alive – something he himself still could not quite fathom.

For a short moment, all their differences were forgotten. Only the present, only the both of them being there mattered, captured in a soothing embrace.

What was supposed to be a wholesome moment, ended as quickly as it came with Henning stiffening when he spotted a certain journalist standing opposite of him, a wide grin running from one corner of his mouth to the other.

"Good morning, princess Dorn."

Dorn, despite not being fully conscious yet, managed to roll his eyes at him. Like most journalists, that one just couldn't keep his mouth shut.

Before Fräulein broke away, she quietly whispered in his ear,

"I still haven't forgiven you wholly for what happened previously, but Gessler put in a good word for you and told me the reason. I understand now."

In all fairness, considering how he had treated her, he couldn't blame her. The guilt still gnawed at him and he would definitely apologize as soon as all of this was over and her innocence fully proven.

The fact that Gessler had stood up for Henning and smoothed the waters between him and the blonde, going as far as defending him, was surprising, but Christian's motive was clear. It was astounding to see the extent a man would go through to avoid winding up in jail.

The policeman took the chance to prop himself up on his elbows, still dizzily trying to register where he was. Familiar white-washed walls surrounded him and the bed creaked beneath his weight at the slightest movement. He faintly recalled what got him in the hospital in the first place. How many days has it been since he was attacked?

"I appreciate you paying me a visit, but you could have left that guy somewhere else." Henning tilted his chin towards the journalist, while he slowly reached for the back of his head. He felt the tape's hard fabric.

"It's not like I'm here voluntarily!" Christian exclaimed, outraged, "Without Eckert convincing me to check up on you, I never would have payed you a visit in the first place! Fräulein just happened to be here already when I came."

Henning glimpsed at the woman. She had been there already? Had she been waiting for him to wake up all this time? The thought of her sitting at his site, quietly looking down at him sleeping, while she anticipated his return made his heart ache.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Thanks and all that. Tell me what day it is, I have to go to work." Dorn heaved one of his stiff legs out of the creaking bed's ledge.

"Are you nuts?!" the journalist exclaimed, palm up in the air, "I'm gonna stop your workaholism right here. You're not going anywhere before you're fully healed."

"What about -"

Gessler didn't let him finish.

"The search? Forget about it. No new hints of Herr Schrödinger. You should worry more about yourself! Are you even aware what happened to you?"