Not to be found

Chapter 33 - Beating Heart

2 days after the accident

The sun peers through the slits in the blinds, I rub my eyes free of sleep and sit up. Noah looks peaceful as I look over at him.
In the past 2 days I haven't left his side in the hope that he'd wake up but unfortunately he hasn't so far.
I've barely slept, eaten or drunk any water, the nurses having to come in to force me, warning that I'd have to put on IV fluids if not.

I encouraged Mike, Julie and Sophia to go home and get some rest, they told me to do the same but being the stubborn cow I am I decided to stay with him. He'd need someone to be with him when he wakes up.
I still hadn't been told as to how this happened, Mike said he'd let Noah explain if he remembers.

I pull the duvet from my body and get up off the mattress that I've been sleeping on for the past two days. I pull the string on the blinds, wincing as the bright light enters the room.

"Good morning," I say to Noah, "I'm still here, are you going to wake up today for us?"

A beep sound rings out from the ECG machine, the wires attached to his chest as I watch his heart rate pick up from the sound of my voice, the nurses did say that he could hear us and this is proof.

"I know you can hear me," I whisper leaning in to place a light kiss on his cheek, "please wake up," I beg as I rest my forehead on his, "please please be okay."

Another beep, the ECG lines jumping once again. He can hear me and he knows it, his body is just being stubborn and not letting him come back to me. I can see his beating heart in his chest as it rises and falls.

I sit down on the plastic chair beside his bed, I intertwine one of my hands with his the other I use to rest my head on. At that moment my heart shatters into a thousand pieces, as it dawns on me that I am probably behind all of this. I sob into my hand and watch as my tears fall to the floor,
"Hey, don't cry," a familiar voice breaks me out of my depressed haze, I look up as I feel my hand being squeezed.

"See I'm fine," Noah groggily says.

I stand up from my seat and practically scream, prompting all of the nurses to come rushing to his bedside.
NOAH IS AWAKE! HE IS ACTUALLY AWAKE!

"Hey Noah," the senior nurse says casually whilst checking his stats, like he's perfectly okay, "you've been unconscious for the past 2 days."

His eyes go wide as he realises just how long he's been out of it for, "seriously?" He asks completely stunned.

"Yes," she smiles, "but this lovely lady has been with you the whole time, oh wait where has she gone?"

I hide behind a corner trying to catch my breath as I realise that I have him back. I have Noah back, he's awake! I cry happily to myself as I shake my head with bewilderment.

"I want her, where is she?" I can hear him calling out.

"I'm right here," I smile and wipe away the tears from my face as I take his hand in mine.

"You're so pale," he says sadly to me.
"You scared me," I whisper to him, "what the hell happened?"

I start crying again, as the nurses begin to leave after making sure he's stable, "I'm so sorry," he starts of, "me and dad found the guys who nearly shot us, the ones that want the money. We were facing them off and as soon as I saw their faces I just saw red," he pauses, "so I went for it, I was warned not to but I played with fire and I got burnt, dad got away thankfully okay, he is okay right?"

I cry a little louder, I knew this was because of me.
He begins to cry too as I sit sobbing,
"Lacey I'm so sorry, you don't even know what all this is."

I nod my head, "you didn't have to do that for me, I knew this was because of me," I cry as I point at his broken body, "but yes he is fine."

He breathes a sigh of relief, "shush, I'd do anything for you, I lo-"

"Oh my darling," Julie coos cutting him off as she walks through the door, Mike just a few steps behind her.
"How are you? We've been worried out of our minds?"

I can tell that he's frustrated before he replies to his mother, and equally so am I. I really wanted him to finish that sentence, because I knew what the ending was. I would have said it too.
"I'm fine mum stop fussing," he rolls his eyes.

"Stop fussing?" Julie asks her tone annoyed, "you've been unconscious for two days, you're my only child I care about you!"

Mike puts an arm around her waist trying to calm her, "your mum and I are just worried Ark, have you told her?" He asks referring to me.

He nods not being able I find the words to speak.
"Did you even catch them?" I ask looking to Mike.

"No we didn't," he sighs looking at his son, "but we will get them I promise."

A sudden rush of anger flows through my veins, making me feel the need to hit something or someone, "so all of this was for nothing?!" I raise my voice, "He's here in a hospital bed with a collapsed lung and bleeding out wounds because of me and we still haven't found them?!"

Noah grabs my hand, his eyes wide as he circles his thumb on my shaking skin something that I had witnessed his own mother doing to him whilst he was laying unconscious.

I can't breathe or think straight. How dare they do this to this family? When it's me they really want!

"It's not fair," I yell feeling tears blurring my vision, "none of you should have to go through this its me they really want.........so why don't we just give them what they want?"

Mike goes to say something but he's cut off by Noah who squeezes my hand and goes full on out with what he next says, "I am not letting you go do you hear me? Am I being perfectly clear? I didn't nearly die for you to just walk away!" He yells, his voice weak as I can see the tears appearing in his eyes, "I'm not giving up, we will catch them it will just take time," he sighs leaning closer to me but he winces causing me to move forward, "I can't lose you.......I lo-love you!"

At that moment in time the anger from my body diminishes, I can feel my heart growing lighter and butterflies forming in the pit of my stomach. I turn around to see Mike and Julie are grinning from ear to ear, my face that was once frozen over with anger now melts into a smile.

"I love you too."