Fix Me (Sequel to Deadly in Love)

Chapter 23

(Justin's pov)
"Yes, she's doing good so far," the doctor nods; then I feel a ton of stress off my shoulders.
"Can I see her?" I ask before she can say anything else.
"Well...ok, but don't wake her up. Her breathing needs to stay calm as well as her heart rate," the doctor warns strictly.
"Ok, can I see her now?" I ask desperately.
"Follow me," she orders, then starts walking the opposite direction.
"You can go without us. We'll see her later," Khalil nods at me. I have to see her, like, right now before I lose my mind.
"Ok. She's in this room. Please, be very careful," the doctor orders.
"I will," I walked into the hospital room, where Christie's sleeping peacefully on the hospital bed. I feel so much better knowing she's alive and breathing. I sit in the chair by the bed, scooting as close as possible. Her chest rises and falls so calmly. Her eyes flutter as her dry lips are slightly parted. There's a breathing tube on her. Her dark, smooth hair lays on the side of her shoulder. Her hands aren't visible since they're under the hospital blanket. Besides the wound, , I can see that she looks so much healthier. That makes me so happy. There's rhythmic beeping coming from the heart monitor. I take my chances to brush my thumb over her cheek. Damn, she's freezing cold. She's always cold, even if she doesn't feel it. I carefully pull the blanket to her neck to keep her warm; then I bury my head in my arms on the bed, close enough to sense her breathing. I know I can't touch anywhere near her injury, but I'm not that close.

"I'm sorry," I break into tears silently. She may not wake up for hours, but at least I know she's alive. I still have something to live for.

-8am-
The clock reads 8am. There's no window, so I can't tell if it's still dark out. I've run out of tears, but my eyes and cheeks are still puffy. I've spent 3 hours with my head down against the small space on the bed. I've thought about Christie, and been keeping track of her breathing. It got a little short a few times, but returned to its calm rhythm. A nurse came in a couple times to check on her. She scolded me, and told me not to get so close to Christie. I don't know why. I wasn't touching her or anything. Once she left, I just rested my head back down in its previous position. I would whisper things to her, but I'm worried that she might get freaked out.

Finally, I feel her hands move slowly. Instantly, I raise my head up. Her eyebrows furrow, and she lets out small whimpers and moans.
"Baby, you awake?" I whisper softly. Her eyes flutter open and soon meet mine.
"J-Justin," she whispers faintly as she slowly reaches out her hand to me. I cup it in my hands.
"Hey babe, how are you feeling?" I ask quietly.
"Bad," she whimpers a bit as she answers.
"I'll go get someone," I kiss her hand before walking out the door.
"She's awake. She says she's not feeling well," I inform a nearby nurse.
"Oh, ok. I'll be there in a sec," the nurse nods, so I make my way back to Christie.
"Ok baby, the nurse is coming," I sit back next to her. The nurse soon enters the room with a tray. There's a few cups with medicine.
"I heard you're not feeling well. Don't worry. It'll go away soon if you take these. Can I have your arm please?" the nurse sets the tray in front of her. Christie slowly puts her arm up. She winces as the nurse gives her medicine through the needle. After the nurse finishes, she leaves. Christie takes the small cups of medicine, then cutely scrunches her nose.
"Does it taste bad?" I chuckle at her reaction, and she nods with a smile.

I eventually lose my smile, and try to think of something to say to her.
"Listen Christie, I'm so so sorry. This is all my fault. Baby, I thought I...I thought I lost you." My voice cracks, and I try so hard not to cry in front of her. Fuck it, she's seen me cry before. Why not? I let myself break down.
"Justin...Justin, don't. It's ok." Her hand soothingly runs through my messy hair.
"Stop...Justin, you're gonna make me cry." Her voice is wobbly. Right now, crying us the last thing she should be doing, so I calm down.
"I'm sorry you have to see me like this," I dry my face.
"You don't have to be sorry for that," she keeps stroking her fingers through my hair, easing my distress.
"Are you feeling better?" I softly caress her cheek with my thumb.
"Yeah," she whispers, her eyes fluttering closed to my touch.
"I guess you can't move around that much," I murmur softly.
"How'd you know?" she opens her eyes again.
"I've been stabbed before, so I at least know a hint of what it feels like," I remark, adding a slight smile.
"Oh...it hurts, Justin." Her voice turns back into a shaky whisper.
"I know, babe. I don't think we'll be able to go home until you can at least walk. That'll probably take a week," I narrow my eyes and try to think of a way to get over this. I'll have to stay here as much as I can, because I'm not leaving her side.

"Wait, we? Justin, you can't stay here for a whole week," Christie points out.
"I can if I want to. I'm not leaving you here by yourself," I give her an assuring smile.
"You're so stubborn." But she loves me.
"I know, but I love you," I kiss her hand.
"I love you too." Her eyes light up, and it makes me feel so much better.
"The others want to see you. You want me to get them?" I stand up, still holding her hand.
"Yeah," she agrees to it, so I walk into the waiting room.
"Aye, you guys can come see her," I motion towards the door I just came in from.
"Ok, you got what you wanted?" Khalil smirks amiably.
"Yeah, thanks guys, for putting up with my shit," I nod thankfully at them.
"No problem, bro," Za grins as we head back into Christie's room. They all greet her at the same time, and she smiles brightly.
"How you doing, girl?" Za step close to her bed.
"Good, I think," she grins weakly.
"That's good to hear," Khalil nods with a supportive smile.
"I hope you feel better, Chris," Ryan gives her a grin.
"Aye, what did I—"
"It's fine. I said he could call me that. It's just a nickname," Christie interrupts. What the hell? Does she like him or something?

"Anyway, we had to make this quick, because we need to go back to the condo, but we'll be back later. We promise," Khalil warmly advises her.
"Ok. Bye guys."
"See you later, bro," I hug Khalil before they all leave.

"So what's up with you and Ryan?" I tease her.
"Justin, seriously?" Christie smiles in full knowledge that I'm only joking. I just chuckle before grabbing my jacket.
"Justin, are you ok? You look exhausted and have a few bruises," Christie points out worriedly.
"I'm fine. It's nothing," I shrug carelessly, even though I really do feel like crap.
"Get some rest, Justin. I know you haven't slept," she rests her head on the pillow. Damn, she's right.
"...Ok," I rest my arms and head on the empty space beside her. Christie gently strokes her fingers through my hair. Whenever she does that, it either turns me on, or makes me relax. In this case, it makes me relax and eventually doze off.

(Christie's pov)
-2pm-
I'm woken up by the door shutting. It's just a nurse. She checks my blood pressure and heartbeat; then she gives me a cup of medicine to take. It tastes terrible, like last time. Justin moans a little, slowly opening his eyes.
"Mm, what time is it?" he mumbles while raising his head.
"4pm," I rest my hand on his warm arm.
"You hungry?" His hair is all over the place. It's cute.
"I can't eat much even if I was," I inform him softly.
"That sucks," he grumbles.
"You can go eat something, you know," I encourage him.
"It's not the same, but it wouldn't hurt," Justin merely shrugs while running a hand through his hair.
"Go eat something, please," I hope he does. He's obviously really tired and stressed. The last thing he needs is lack of food.
"...Alright," he stands up, kissing me gently before walking out the door. In the meantime, I decide to take another nap since I'm still so tired. I can't do anything but sleep. Maybe by tomorrow I can eat something.

. . .
I can't sleep that well. Maybe it's because Justin isn't here. Or maybe it's the pain. There's a burning sensation around my wound. Even though I'm taking very strong medicine, it still hurts.

"Miss me?" Justin walks in with a cute smirk.
"I guess," I joke around with him.
"Hmm," he keeps his smirk as he sits down.
"I love you," I put my hand out for him to hold.
"I love you too, babygirl." His lips press against my hand.
"I'm gonna go to sleep," I shut my eyes, realizing just how tired I am.
"I'll be right here," Justin keeps my hand in his as I grow sleepier.

(A/N: I'm so sorry for the long wait. It's so hard to manage school and writing at the same time. It's mostly the editing, of all things, that takes the longest. By now I'm not sure when I'll post. I don't want to give an exact day and then not post. So I'm going to try to post another time this upcoming week. Thank you for your patience and I apologize for the delay)

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