Extraterrestrial Lives

3

"Rafe," she pulls her hand out of mine. I close my eyes to the pain. Then her arms go around me and pulls me down. She doesn't care if there are other people present or not. If she doesn't care who am I to deny her, deny myself what I so desperately need.

I kiss her lightly at first but she is having none of that. She has definitely learned a few things since our first kiss. I wish we were alone and not in the hospital. Finally I reluctantly break the kiss off and face my father.

He's completely shocked and has allowed it to show. "Yes, father, I think that I can bring her out of her coma just like that."

"Neither one of us would still have been in a coma if you had brought her to me sooner." I am so angry that my father forced me to suffer like he had for at least a week. That he let Maha lie in a coma for so long. In that moment I truly hated my father.

Maha waking up has the doctor and nurses coming in and pushing me out of the way so that they can make sure she's alright. I don't like it, but they are doing this to help her. I force my growl of anger and impatience down.

"She needs to finish her IV as well then as long as she too remains conscious we'll remove it." The doctor is speaking to me and not my parents. Smart man, she's mine not their's to protect and care for.

I nod my understanding and force myself to keep from pushing him out of my way. But then my IV machine gives an alarm. One of the nurses comes back in with some bandages and scissors. Shortly the IV is out. The medical staff seeing how I look are smart enough to vacate the room.

"Why are you here father?" I wanted the words to come out sarcastic but they come out gravely and angry.

"I come by everyday to check on you." He says hesitantly. My father is never hesitant I take my eyes off of Maha and narrow them at my father.

"You may be the damn king, but do me the decency to not lie to me. Give me the real reason you're here or leave."
"How did you know?" My father demands.

"How did I know what? You'll have to be more clear in your inquiry." He left me to suffer for days agony that he can't even imagine. I have no desire to even talk to him.

"How did you know that she was alive?"

I smile or rather smirk. I decide to give him an answer, it's even an honest answer but he won't understand it. It took me awhile to understand it and I'm still not sure that I have it completely right. "A dream within a dream father."

Maha gives a startled jump and locks eyes with me once more. It was real? she mouths to me and I nod. She smiles and closes her eyes.

I look back over to my father and like I thought he wore a look of confusion. My smirk grows.

I turn my attention back to Maha. I stroke her hair. I love the touch of her hair, although it needs to be washed. Maybe she'll let me help her instead of calling for a nurse to help her this time.

All too soon there is a knock at the door. I can smell the food and my stomach rumbles at the smell. The food and clothes are here. I was dying for a shower before but I think I'll wait until after I eat.

"Maha? Food's here, do you want to eat with me now or do you want to sleep some more?" I hope that she'll wake up and want to eat with me. But I'm still so unsure after all the screwing up I've done.

I'm such a screw up I still don't understand why father wants me to take over. Jenry didn't want it, I know that much, she just wants to be a mother. But Gearan, he does want it and it scares me how he'll react when he finds out that father intends for me to rule.

Maha opens her eyes and smiles at me. "I can smell it from here. It's my favorite. If you don't mind eating with me than I'd very much like to eat now." I look away in shame. Before we had eaten most of our meals together until the end, I didn't want to be around her. I can see the exact moment when that memory hits too.

"I'd love to eat with you," I smile. I have so much making up to her to do. How could I have caused her so much internal pain and not cared?

The staff that brought our food and clothes bustle about, setting my kit on my bed and putting Maha's things away in the closet. Those with the food set up the trays for us to eat. Almost as quickly as they came they were gone. Sometimes being royal has its advantages.

"Well since you are both awake now, and seem to be doing better, we'll leave you to your dinner and go get our own." Sometimes I could just kiss my mother. She hauls my father out of the room and makes sure the door is closed tight.

An awkward silence descends and we turn to eating. We both finish and I take them and put them outside for someone to take care of.

I go back to Maha, I fight the tears, I have wronged her so badly how can she possibly ever forgive me?

"Maha, I hurt you so bad." My tears start to fall, but it's nothing to the tears she's crying. "I can't take it back. I would if I could, you are my life line and I cut you off. You needed me and instead of being there for you I pushed you away. I'm no better than those other hypocrites that I took you away from. I don't deserve your forgiveness, but hope you'll give me another chance to do things right."

"You're an idiot Rafe. You really are, but you aren't the only one. Yes, I did need you and yes, you did push me away. But you aren't the only one guilty of pushing away. You're a freaking prince Rafe. I'm an unwanted bastard child, not even a real human. I'm a freak, so you pushing me away doesn't surprise me. What does surprise me was that you stayed with me as long as you did. I really expected you to leave after we had sex, you know. So I wasn't too surprised when you pushed me away." Maha shrugs.

"Don't worry, Rafe, or prince or highness or whatever I should call you now, I won't bother you anymore."

"Maha," my voice is low and growly, but this time it's from anger. "Don't you ever leave me again. You're mine, I'm not letting you go." This angers Maha.

"You don't get to order me what to do, Highness." Her anger is right up there with mine.

I back away, I need to calm down so I don't hurt her. Never again can I hurt her. "I'm sorry. You are right. You can leave me anytime you wish. I'll call the nurse and have them move you to a new room." I hold back the tears, already the pain in my chest is back. She wants to leave me again.

Maha is exasperated by me, "You are such an idiot! You can't order me, but have you tried asking or talking to me? Huh?" She exhales and tries to rein in her anger. "I don't want another room. You were the one that wanted that remember? Just don't order me."

Her words magically fix my pain. I can't live without her.