When Worlds Collide

Chapter 16

*ANNA'S POV*

     I kept my fingers interlocked in Eli's. He didn't pull away, so maybe that was a good sign. A sign that he is human and does actually need comfort once in a while. I still had a few questions, but I decided not to ask for the time being. Eli didn't seem his best and I had no desire to bother him. He took a deep breath. "Anyway, I guess what I'm trying to say is that my bad boy reputation doesn't matter. What matters is your safety. You weren't safe with Alex, so I had to do something. I couldn't just sit idly by and lose someone else important to me." I hesitated, grappling with my question, then decided to just ask.
     "But you wouldn't have lost someone important to you. At that point in time, you didn't know me." He smiled, which was a strange look for him. It was unsettling, since I'd never seen it, yet somehow comforting.
     "But you became important to me. So either way, I couldn't just let that happen to you. By the way, when I collapsed, what was the reason?"
     "Alex injected slow-acting, homemade toxins into your bloodstream. He confessed to me that he was going to kill me and get rid of the antidote that he had on him. I shot him. Then when I saw you, I forgot about the poison until you collapsed. I ran to get help, when I remembered the antidote. I got back here as fast as I could and administered the antidote. At that point, the doctors got there. I went with them as they took you here and this is where we ended up." He nodded, taking in everything.
     "You stayed with me?" I blushed.
     "Well, you stayed with me. I'm returning the favor."
     "Riiiiiiight." I rolled my eyes as he yawned. "I'm really sleepy..." His head flopped back as he passed out. Huh. I guess the sedatives the doctors had hooked up to him finally released. They'd been set on a timer so they'd only take effect when he was fully awake. I shrugged, then laid my head on Eli's chest and fell asleep as well.