Broken Wings

Chapter 22: Stay

"I can't get enough." - The Vamps

Luke

My jaw tensed when Jesse entered the room. It still got me enraged knowing that he was part of the reason why Sasha nearly got killed.
 
"Hey, Sasha," Jesse greeted her.
 
Sasha reversed her neck from me to see who was standing at the door.
 
"Do I know you?" She asked.
 
"Oh, come on. Don't pretend you don't know me. It's me, Jesse! You're boyfriend!" He chuckled hesitantly.
 
"I don't have a boyfriend," Sasha responded in disgust. "And I seriously don't have any idea who the hell you are."
 
"Sasha, it's me." He said a little quieter this time.
 
"Yeah, who's me?"

Jesse was really starting to get on my nerves, Sasha's as well.
 
"Um, do you remember him cheating on you, Sasha?" I tried to remind her, but also to provoke Jesse.
 
"No, but I wouldn't be surprised if he did. He looks like the type."
 
I laughed and Jesse eyes filled with anger just like I had hoped, as much as he tried to hide it.
 
"You better watch what you're saying," he growled at me.
 
"It's kind of funny that she remembered me almost right away and it's going to take a couple days, maybe even weeks until she remembers who you are and what you did," I hissed out the last three words.
 
"Shut the fuck up," he growled.
 
"Get the hell out of here!" Me and Gabrielle commanded at the same time.
 
She was standing behind Jesse and her arms were crossed.
 
"Get out of here, Gabrielle," Jesse insisted.
 
"Seriously? That's how you're going to treat me and treat Sasha like you still own her?!"
 
"Of course I will." He walked around the bed next to me and was about to kiss Sasha when I heard a slap.
 
I laughed when I realized it was Sasha hitting Jesse to keep him from kissing her.
 
Jesse looked amused. "Oh, that's how you wanna play it?"
 
"Stay away from me!" She shouted, and this time, she definitely looked incensed.
 
That's when Paula showed up. "What's going on here? I thought only one person at a time."
 
"I'm sorry, Ms. Grey," Jesse apologized and quickly scampered out of them room.
 
Gabrielle and her friends were outside of the room, waiting for their turn with Sasha.
 
Paula set a bag of food on the small rolling table and moved it in front of Sasha.
 
"Mom, you buy me food everytime I'm in the hospital," she complained, but I could tell she was glad.
 
"Everyone hates the food they have here, including me."
 
"Count me in!" I raised my hand up as I began ramping out of the room.
 
"Luke?" Sasha stopped me with her soft voice.
 
"Yes?" I turned around.
 
"Can I talk to you for a minute... alone?"
 
"Yeah, sure." I stepped back into the room. "If that's okay with you."
 
Paula nodded. "Of course."
 
She stood up and left the room, closing the door behind her.
 
"Everything okay?" I asked as I sat down on the bed beside her.
 
"Are you..." Her eyes were getting teary. "Are you going to stay here with me?"
 
I stared into her eyes to see what she exactly meant. It was a habit, just by looking into them and it tells me what she's talking about.
 
I felt my throat thicken. "I don't know, Sasha."
 
She nodded as the tears slid down her face. "Why not?"
 
"I moved to LA and you moved to Florida... we're both heading in our own different ways," I tried to explain to her but all I really wanted, all I really needed, was to have her in my arms and keep her with me forever.
 
"Luke, I-I... can't be without you. Ever since you left, there's been this stupid black hole in my heart that never seems to fulfill. Please, Luke. Stay."
 
I knew she was right. There was no way I could leave her now, especially when she looked and felt terrible. Leaving her would just make things worse for the both of us.
 
"I will." I hoped my words were true. "I'll stay with you as long as you want."
 
She then smiled widely. "Thanks, Luke."
 
"Always." I took her hand and kissed it, holding my lips there for a while.
 
Her hands were warmer now, and her face was less pale. The nurse told us earlier this afternoon that her heart was slowly adjusting back to a normal rate. I could already tell that she was breathing just fine, but they kept the nasal breathing tube in her nose just in case. It had been two days since she had woken up. Everyone had a chance to speak with her and tried to remind her who they were.

I got a chance to get to know Sasha's new school friends, who were just the sweetest people. They really knew how to support each other. Sasha deserved to have great friends like them.
 
"You should eat," I insisted, gently placing her hand back on the bed.
 
I stood up and opened up the bag, the smell of chicken filled the room. I set the plastic tray on the bed table and opened up the lid. I took out the fork that Paula had packed for her daughter and took out the bottle of diet coke.
 
I knew her mom tried to care for Sasha's health as much as possible, but I could also tell Paula was spoiling her a lot lately.
 
"Luke?" Sasha asked for my attention before she started eating. "How did you know I was at the hospital?"
 
"It was all over the news," I answered.
 
"Yeah, but how did you know it was me?"
 
"I saw it on screen. I saw you getting hit, flying and landing on the road." I flinched at the image.
 
"Seriously? You were in LA when you saw it?"
 
"Yes, and I left five minutes after I saw that it was you."
 
"Oh." She stabbed the fork into the chicken. "Thanks, Luke. For coming back."
 
I couldn't resist so I wrapped my arms around her neck and pulled her into my chest. All I wanted to do was drain all her pain and fear by holding her here with me forever. Okay, definitely not here in the hospital but somewhere beautiful and safe from the world. I always imagined us running away together, like nothing else in the world mattered, as long as we had each other.
 
She used her unbroken arm to wrap it around me.
 
There was still a lot we didn't know about each other, but it felt like I've known her for years.

I don't know how long we held each other, but when we finally broke, I put her head in my hands.
 
"I love you." And it was the truth. I loved her more than anything and anyone in the world.
 
With my thumb, I drew the tear away that was slipping out of her eyes and pecked her on the lips.
 
"I love you too," she said the four most astonishing words I had ever heard her say.