That evening, I slept in the chair beside Eli's hospital bed. Mrs Barnes and Jett were sat across the room in the other chairs that were placed in there for us. Both of them were fast asleep but I could barely keep my eyes closed for more than thirty seconds due to worrying about Eli.
He had his head resting on the pillows with his hair all over the place because of him being moved around the hospital. His face was a lot paler than earlier today but I was informed by the doctors that he was going to be okay.
That was the best news I'd received within the last twenty-four hours.
The other good news I'd heard was that my father had been arrested for assault and also for abusing me over the years. Turns out that Mrs Barnes and Jett had reported everything as soon as the police put handcuffs on him.
The least amount of time he would get would be three years which pleased me a lot as he'd probably be getting longer since there were more witnesses and evidence against him.
At last, I could relax without the feeling something would go wrong. I was safe with the Barnes' and my father wouldn't be able to hurt me anymore. I couldn't wait to tell Eli the news when he woke up.
Eventually I must have passed out because of how exhausted I was because I was carefully shaken awake again. I sat up, noticing I was still in the chair next to the bed and the sunlight was shining through the curtains.
"Ash."
I looked up and Eli was sat up in his bed, looking at me with a relieved expression on his face.
"You're okay!" I exclaimed and felt a bright smile light up my face as I pulled him in for a hug.
"Ouch, nice to see you too." He grinned but winced because of his injuries.
I let go of him quickly. "Sorry, I didn't realise."
He waved a hand at me, signalling it was okay.
"I'm just glad you're okay." He said softly. "When I passed out, I didn't know if your dad got to you or not. I couldn't help you."
"Eli, you did help me." I replied. "My dad got arrested for assault and for abuse. It's all thanks to you. You saved me."
"He got arrested?" He echoed and I nodded. "That means your safe from him now, you can have a happy life from now on."
"I was happy anyway since I had you and your family with me."
"That's good to hear." He smiled and leaned back onto his pillow. "What actually happened after he hit me though?"
I then explained everything that happened from the time when he fell to the present. He listened quietly throughout my explanation until I was finished.
"I remember hearing your voice but I couldn't do anything about it. I couldn't move and I could barely see anything." He told me thoughtfully.
"You were just lying there on the ground, I was so scared."
"It's okay now. From now on, you're safe and we'll be okay."
Just as he said that, the door opened and Jett walked in followed by Mrs Barnes. They both had coffees in their hands and gave them to us.
"We stopped by the cafe and thought you guys would appreciate these." Mrs Barnes told us as she sat down again.
"Thank you." I held the boiling hot coffee, watching as the steam rose into the air in front of me.
"Eli, the doctors say you can probably be discharged by the end of today. They say you've made a good recovery and should be fine." Jett informed him from the doorway.
I noticed he had a few bruises on his face showing that even he didn't get away from the fight unscathed. He didn't mention anything about it though so I didn't bring it up in front of him.
I stayed a bit quieter than usual, feeling as though it was my fault in the first place since it was me my dad was after. It was just unfortunate that the brothers got hurt because of me and my awful family.
I think Eli noticed my discomfort because he subtly took my hand in his and held it silently. I looked at him and gave him a small smile which he returned.
Later that evening, we were all back at home and Eli was settled into his room resting. Mrs Barnes told him he needed to rest and take it easy for a few days in order to fully recover. I agreed with her and Eli trudged up to his room in a bad mood.
Since things were quiet downstairs, I decided to check up on Eli to make sure he didn't need anything.
When I walked in, he was laid on his bed with a book at his side where he had fallen asleep reading it. I went over and carefully took it from him, trying not to wake him. I put it on his bedside table and pulled his blanket up to keep him warm.
He nuzzled into the warmth and turned over to face me. He was still fast asleep, a peaceful expression on his beautiful face. I gently brushed his messy hair to the side and kissed him on the forehead.
"You know it's weird to touch people when they're asleep, right?" He mumbled into his pillow.
"You were awake?!" I cried out.
He opened an eye, staring at me with a smirk on his face. "Well now I am."
"Oh, shut up." I hissed but I was fully aware that my face had gone bright red out of embarrassment.
I went to hit him playfully but instead, he grabbed my hand and pulled me towards him. My face was against his chest and he had his head on my shoulder as a sort of pillow. We were now both under the blanket, about a centimetre away from each other.
"Don't leave." He murmured, his eyes closed again. "Stay with me for a little while."
"Okay, Eli." I said, closing my eyes as well.
My head was in the perfect spot to hear his heart beating slowly and his arm was draped over my waist, holding me against him as though he was afraid to let go.
After a little while of this, I fell asleep with him beside me, enjoying the moment while it lasted.
