Bloom

Chapter-26

Stella

My eyes open to a bright white light shining above my head, I immediately squeeze them shut from the harsh exposure. Some kind of chemical is in the air, like an antiseptic. My brain fogs up and I feel heavy weight all across my body, like something is pulling me down.

A breath falls on my neck making me shudder. Confused I try to locate at its source when I see Zayn lies beside me, enveloping me in his warm body. Holding back the horror I look around and find myself in a white room, the machines beeping to my right. I think, a hospital. A hospital? What the hell? Am I dying?

What am I doing in a hospital? Anxiously I try to untangle myself from Zayn's body, trying to breathe, trying to get out. "Babygirl, what's wrong?" Zayn sleepily whispers, pulling me even closer, blocking my escape and holding me tight so I can't let go.

"Where am I?" I almost scream.

"Shit. Calm down. You're in a hospital." He rubs his ears and gains full consciousness. His hand flies up to my cheek and realisation dawns on his face, "You're up? How are you feeling?" His fingers send tickles through my face and down my neck.

"I'm fine, just a little dizzy. What happened? Why am I in a hospital? Why are you sleeping with me?" I alarm him with my curiosity and anxiety. The farthest thing on my mind was the the house. I just throw questions at Zayn's face.

"You were out cold from the last two days." He says with scrunched brows and a sincere face, still stroking my face and searching it thoroughly. "Are you sure you're fine?"

"How?" I ask exasperated. Ignoring his concern.

"You ran away from me, remember? Then I found you unconscious in a ditch after an hour long search." Huh? An hour long search? Where was I?

"I don't remember anything." I try to think the last time I was in a ditch and don't recall anything.

"It's the drugs, don't worry." His fingers now lapping my lower lip, tugging at it slowly, making me want to roll my eyes up and let his lips replace his hand.

"The drugs?" I shriek, my eyes two big O's, my hearts starts racing.

"Calm down, Stel. The doctor gave them to you." I release a breath, a little less anxious. Okay. That's fine.

"But what are you doing here?"

"I got you here." He states obviously.

"No. I mean, in my bed." Now I'm the one being obvious, eyeing his body mushed to mine.

He chuckles lowly, and it rumbles my body next to him "I was sleeping Stella." His tired voice reaches my ear. "I've been up for the past two days." Two days? That was the span of me being passed out in the hospital. He was awake the whole time?

"Why didn't you sleep then?" I want to know. He could've gone home and slept but he was awake. What for? Surely not me.

"I was here with you." If my world hadn't already rocked, this rocked it. Zayn giovanni, was in a hospital with me and hadn't slept from the last two days because he was here with me. No way.

Emotions flood through me without warning, bringing back my memories from before. I put the pieces together, how Zayn came to get me in the morning, massaged my nerves away, then drove me all the way to Louisiana, the way he was so patient with me. Until I bailed on him and ran for my life.

Zayn had done so much for me and acted nonchalant about it, like he does this on a daily basis and being this gentle and empathetic towards me came to him so naturally, like a second skin. He did it without thinking. I'd never taken Zayn as an altruistic person, neither was he one when I met him but his actions spoke louder than his words and his words were loud too. A creepy feeling breathes itself to life inside me, one I'd never felt before.