You're My Sunset

Chapter 26 - Happy 18!

AN: THIS IS THE LAST CHAPTER BEFORE THE EPILOGUE!!!!

PICTURE OF THE LOCKET AMBER GAVE LILY ABOVE

Ryder's p.o.v

I rush over to Cupcake after I see the bullet hit her. Don't close your eyes, don't close your eyes. Goddamn it, Lily, don't close your eyes! But she doesn't obey my silent commands and drifts off into unconsciousness.

I quickly pull her from the gunfire, and rush her to the nearest hospital, on Main Street, to the ER. The ER nurse takes her information as the doctors wheel her away. The others arrive just then, battered and bruised. Thankfully, nobody else was shot. Ethan walks over to put his arm around me and Max pats my shoulder. Then Amber comes. She walks right up to me until I'm eyeball-to-eyeball with her. She pokes a finger into my chest. "Lily will be fine, and don't you dare convince yourself otherwise. Do you understand me?" She looks so serious and threatening that I just meekly nodded. She backed away and into Ethan's arms.

***

Lily's p.o.v

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

I try to move, but I feel frozen in place. I try to open my eyes, but the lids are too heavy. I remember the fight and that I was wounded. The fight. My Daddy. The group. Ryder. I want to sit up straight, call for Ryder and Amber. But I can't. I'm frozen. Completely frozen. Not to mention I have no idea where the hell I am.

I hear the door open and someone enters. That someone sits down beside my bed and takes my hand. Familiar tingles shoot up it. Ryder? "Hi, baby," he says in a pained voice. "They say people in comas can still hear, so I'm here to talk to you." Coma? I'm in a coma? He continues. "After the fight, they all showed up here to keep a constant vigil by your side. Amber's been staying with you for a while. They're all here and concerned for you. Amber, Ethan, Drake, Mia, Max, Hayden, Alex, Michelle, and myself. We all want you to wake up so badly. Especially me. I don't know what my life would be like without you." He pauses to take a breath.

"I love you, Lily, so much. Oh, baby, please don't leave me. As Amber would say, we would make the cutest babies." I want so much to smile at this comment. I can almost hear the smirk in his voice. I want him so badly. That annoying-at-first smirk is what made me fall for him. And falling for him was the best thing that ever happened to me.

And I know, right then and there, that I'm going to come out of this coma. I'm going to wake up and everybody will be relieved and I'll get my Daddy back. Everything's going to be okay.

***

That night, I wake from my coma. Everyone cheers, even the nurses, but I have eyes only for Ryder. I can literally see his undying love for me shining in his eyes. The funny thing is, I feel like I've missed something. Something's going on that I'm not aware of. I try asking Ryder about it, but he shrugs the question off. 

The doctors have scheduled my release date, and get this: It's on the same day as my eighteenth birthday!

Ryder says that he's throwing a party for me back at the cabins as soon as I'm out of the hospital. Frankly, I think it's the best birthday present ever.

***

"And, here you are, Miss Turner. All set to go." I thank him and call Ryder in to see me out. He offers to carry me, but I tell him no thanks. I'm not THAT helpless.

As I walk down the sterile, white halls for possibly the last time, I can't help but notice that Ryder is acting odd. He's pulling at the collar of his tee like it's strangling him, and he looks like the cat who swallowed the canary. It's probably just my imagination, though. Ryder's never nervous about anything. 

Finally, we break out from the white, clean hospital. I take a deep breath of fresh air, smelling the pines and a hint of cigarette smoke. It's a nice change from the air of antiseptic in the hospital. I start to walk towards the cars where my friends are parked, but Ryder beats me to it, scooping me up bridal-style. Instead of fighting him, I settle into his arms, hooking mine around his neck. He nuzzles my arm as he brings me to his car. He sets me down then and opens the door for me. "Thanks," I say, kissing him. "My pleasure," he replies.

***

Soon we're back at the cabins, and the others have set up a major setting for my party. On the beach, (they know me too well!!) they've set up a small chair on a platform for me to sit. Surrounding the chair is a mound of presents. Apparently I'm very well-loved.

By the time we arrive at the beach, everyone else is already there, sitting on the sand and waiting for me. I take my seat and everyone sings 'Happy Birthday'. When they're finished showing off their terrible voices, I reach for the first present.

It's from Ethan. Inside is a single red high heeled shoe. I raise my eyebrow at him. He shrugs and says, "The other shoe was either stolen or fell from my bag while I was drinking Starbucks." I roll my eyes at him and grab another present. Ryder's already told me to open his last, so I pick a very colorfully wrapped one from Max. I open it, and it contains a notebook. "It's a diary. You can write about anything in it. Which is good, because you might have some VERY naughty tales to tell," he explains, and wiggles his eyebrows suggestively. I stick out my tongue at him. (Real mature, I know.)

The next gift is from Michelle. She bought me some perfume. It's a wonderful tropical scent. It smells like the grass does after fresh rain. It smells...heavenly. This is one gift I can actually thank for. Alex and Hayden ended up getting me the same thing. They both gave me a different T-shirt of Ryder's. How the hell did they know I like wearing his clothes?! Drake gets me an antique music box that plays a pretty melody.

Mia's gift is a bracelet, a pretty charm bracelet. It has dolphins swimming on it and it's very pretty. Amber's gift is my favorite, though. She got me a locket that says LOVE on it. Inside she's stuck a miniature picture of Ryder and I kissing on the beach. Where she got that picture, I don't know. I only know that I love this present.

After I've opened all other presents, there's only one left. Ryder's. I reach for it, and eagerly pull the paper off. Inside is a cardboard box. I open it, and inside is: Another box. And another box inside of that one. I groan and everyone laughs.

***3 Minutes Later***

I finally open the final box and inside that is a small jewelers box. I slowly raise the lid, afraid of what I'll find. Inside is a glittering diamond ring. My birthstone. I look at the ring, unable to comprehend it's meaning. Suddenly something clicks. "Are you...." I turn to Ryder, who has gotten down on one knee. "Lily Marie Turner, you are the light in my dark. The sun in my rain. I love you more than words can say, and I want to live the rest of my life with you. Please, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

All eyes turn to me. It takes a couple of seconds for the words to register, but when they do, I'm ecstatic. "Yes!" I cry, jumping into his arms. "Yes, yes, yes!" He softly stroked my hair. "I love you, Lily Marie Turner." "I love you, Ryder Andrew Smith." And we sealed the deal by a full, passionate kiss on the lips.