Ghost of You

17

-Kennedy-

I woke up in my bed. I sat up and pain shot up to my head.

"Careful sweetheart, you probably have a mild concussion." A soft voice said.

I looked up to see Luke getting up from his post in the chair in the corner. He sat down on the mattress next to me. He looked tired like he hadn't slept well. There were dark circles stamped under his eyes but he still managed a smile.

"How're you feeling?"

"Hazy," I murmured. "I'm not quite sure what happened last night."

"What do you remember?" Luke asked cautiously.

"I remember Will's crazy vengeance plan, I remember running, I remember falling in the woods, and I remember... I remember seeing... never mind it's dumb." I whispered.

"An angel?" He asked nonchalantly.

"Yeah," I responded confused, "How did you know?"

"You told me in your sleep." He said, bright eyed.

"Yeah," I recalled. "He was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. He rescued me."

Luke's face relaxed and he just nodded quietly. "Do you want me to make you something to eat?"

I suddenly realized the empty pit in my stomach. "Yes please." I smiled, appreciating that I had such a caring person to look after me.

"I'll send Michael in to keep an eye on you while I'm fixing your food." He said heading towards the door.

"You don't need to, I'll be ok." I assured.

He shook his head, "You're too precious to me to take chances with."

My heart hurt, he genuinely cared for me and it was little things like that that reminded me how lucky I was to have found someone so special. But there really wasn't much to worry about. Though my head throbbed, I felt ok. The scrapes I had gotten were nothing compared to what I had experienced in the past.

Michael popped his head through the doorway, "How's the runaway doing?"

"I've been better and I've been worse." I shrugged.

"You took quite the tumble, from what I heard." He grinned doing his best to make light of the situation.

"Yeah it was... an experience." I laughed and instantly regretted it because a sharp pain in my head followed the action.

"You're lucky Luke was there to find you." Michael added.

Confusion swept over me, I knew that I couldn't remember much from that night but Luke certainly wasn't there. "Like in the woods?" I asked.

"Uh, yeah he went after you." Michael replied raising an eyebrow.

"He wasn't there." I said slowly trying to make sense of it all.

"Tell me what you remember." Michael suggested so we could both get some clarification.

"Well I fell and hit my head, then I saw an angel." I paused suddenly realizing how absurd it sounded. "Michael, I know this sounds crazy but I was stranded alone in the cold and I couldn't move and then this light came from the sky. The only way I can really describe it is heavenly. Then I saw someone. The most beautiful ethereal being came up to me and carried me here. I think he was an angel."

"An angel?" Michael stated skeptically.

"Mhmm." I said blushing at the bizarre nature of my story.

"Kennedy," Michael said very seriously. "Last night, Luke was devastated when he found out about the news. When you found out and ran from us, he went after you and followed you into the woods with a flashlight. The light that you saw was his flashlight. He came home carrying you all the way. He laid you down in your bed and tended to your wounds. He sat up in that chair in the corner watching you the whole night! We told him to get some rest but he refused to leave your side until he knew you were ok. Luke is the one who saved you, Luke is your angel."

It suddenly made sense to me. The memories came rushing back and the figure was no longer blurry. It all made sense- the golden locks, the crystal blue eyes- Luke had been my savior all along. A specific moment played in my mind, it was Luke's bright eyes welled up with tears, his perfect bone structure wet from where they had fallen. My chest swelled with pain as I thought of such a strong person being so vulnerable. I had never seen Luke cry; he was always one to put on a brave face in difficult situations. But in that moment I saw his feelings, raw and real, right before my eyes.

I opened my mouth to say something just as Luke walked in with a bowl of soup and a grilled cheese sandwich.

"There you are!" Michael grinned, moving towards the doorway to give us some privacy.

He left and Luke came to sit down next to me. "Careful, the soup is pretty hot." He reminded.

"Luke," I said suddenly very serious. "Why didn't you tell me you were the one that brought me home last night?"

He suddenly looked uncomfortable. He shrugged, "You were so in awe with the figure you saw that I didn't want to disappoint you."

I gawked, "Disappoint me? You're literally the only reason I'm here right now and not rotting in some trench in the forest."

"I just wanted you to believe in something wonderful." He said quietly.

My eyes softened. "You're my something wonderful." I replied, putting the soup down on the bedside table and stroking his arm.

"Yeah, but you said that the angel you saw was the most beautiful thing you've ever seen and I just don't deserve that. I got you in this mess in the first place." He muttered looking down at his lap.

"Hey," I said taking his hands in mine. "You are the most beautiful thing I've ever seen, inside and out. You're the best person I know. You changed my life, Luke. I would still be with Will, getting beaten until I had no fight left in me. You mean the world to me, because you showed me what life has to offer. You-"

My voice was shaky. A tear rolled down my cheek, "You showed me what it's like to be in love."