ALANA'S MISTAKE ✔

Chapter 55

Alana opened her eyes and saw the bright strip lights on the ceiling above her. The smell of hospital filled her nose. She felt stabs of pain in her back and her hands and winced. Seconds later Noah's face filled her view. He looked at her with concern in her eyes. And something else. Was it love? She dared not think it. She dared not ask.

'How are you feeling?' he said, taking her bandaged hand gently in his.

She nodded her head.

'Glad to be alive.'

He stroked her hair back from her face tenderly.

'You've lost a lot of blood, but the doctors here have been taking care of you. They are pretty amazing.'

She managed a tiny, grateful smile. She had never had to stay in hospital before. The sheets felt slightly hard, like they had been washed hundreds of times. The pillows were fluffy though and she sunk right into them.

'How long have I been here?'

'About seven hours,' he said. 'They gave you a blood transfusion and treated those wounds.'

He clenched his teeth, looking at her hands.

'That monster ... What kind of a guy would do this to a woman ... To anyone!'

She let out a long sigh.

'I don't want to talk about him,' she said. 'He's gone.'

Noah shook his head.

'He's lucky I didn't get to him first. He wouldn't have had such an easy exit if I were there.'

'Easy exit?' she said. 'He didn't have an easy exit.'

She remembered the feeling of sinking the knife in to his stomach.

'Please Noah,' she said. 'No more. He's only a part of us if we let him be. Let's not give him what he wanted. We have the power to take it away from him. I saw him, at the end, all he wanted was to destroy, to upset, to kill. We can't give him that power over us. He lost. He's gone.'

Noah nodded slowly.

'You're right,' he said. 'You're alive. And so is Snow. That is all that matters.'

Alana squeezed his hand.

'That's right.'

She knew this wouldn't be the last time they would talk about him. How could it be? They couldn't just pretend none of this every happened. But she wouldn't let him steal her family from her, even in death, she just wouldn't.

How is Snow?'

'She's fine,' he said. 'She's just outside with Jess. I thought I'd let you recover a little first. She's still a little shaken up.'

'Please,' said Alana. 'Bring her in, I want to see her.'

With that Noah rose to his feet and walked out of the room. Alana looked around her, at the bowl of fruit on the side table, the bar at the end of her bed, the clipboard hanging off it. She was haunted and harrowed by what had happened, she was in pain too, but there was one thing that outdid it all regardless. The realisation that she was alive. She was here and she had a second chance, and she was going to take hold of that chance with both hands and never let go.

The door of her room pushed open and Noah came through again, holding Snow's hand in his own. She carried her favourite teddy under her arm and held a small paper plate in her hand. She was pale but her eyes shone bright and so did the tumbles of curls around her shoulders.

'Mummy!' she said, running over. 'You're ok!'

Snow jumped up onto the bed, her teddy dropping onto the sheets, then she reached forwards to give Alana a kiss on the lips. The paper plate tottered about in her hand and she pulled back so that she could give her mum what was there.

'A pancake!' she announced. 'With chocolate sauce. Jess and I made one for you and we brought it here.'

Alana looked at the squashed lump of pancake that was smothered in chocolate. She took a little bit with her fingers and put it in her mouth. She closed her eyes and gave a sigh.

'That is the most delicious thing I ever tasted.'

'Oh good,' said Snow. 'We made it extra especial.'

Alana looked up at Noah who was standing over them, smiling.

'Come here,' she said, inviting him over.

And that's exactly what he did. He pulled up his chair so that he could be as close as possible to both of them and together, they ate every last bit of lumpy pancake and chocolate sauce.

- THE END -