My Life in Pieces✔️:#projectNigeria

Chapter Thirty-Six

Zoeya's POV

"Please don't go". I froze when I recognized that familiar voice.

I was shaking vehemently as I turned to meet his face. He winced in pain as he shielded his eyes from the sun. I was lost, numb and happy. He tried to get up but then slipped back maybe due to the pain. I was having hiccups now as I trudged slowly to him.  It was him truly, he was scratching his left eye vigorously. After the incident they were able to perform an operation on him and not much damage was caused. Although the wound has healed he may still limp while walking.

Without thinking twice I pulled him into a bone crushing hug. I knew the contact might harm him due to all the things plugged into him or maybe due to the numbness he may be feeling. I was sobbing loudly or more like wailing. I felt like a widow all these while and now I'm glad that burden is off my chest. I flinched as his hand touched my back caressing it smoothly.

"Zoe". He breathed out heavily. This time the tears knew no bound. They flowed endlesly because I missed the sound of his voice calling my name.

He lifted my face up to look at him and his thumb caressed my cheek softly. I kept on crying not finding the right words to say. He brought my forehead to his lips and the contact made me calm.

"I thought.....Y-y-you would never hiccup wake up. I w-was scared hiccup that I would n-n-never see you hiccup again". I formed the sentences with great difficulty.

"Shhhhhh". He hugged me back while I cried into his stuffy clothes.
"I'm here now". I needed those words,  all the six months of people's compassion and empathy I never felt like they were true. I would only nod and force a smile but they never seemed like these words.

We stayed like that for almost an hour. I would have thought he was asleep if not for the constant movement of his thumb on my back.  "What are you thinking of ?". He broke the silence.

"The last six months without you". I stated cooly.

"Believe me mine was hell". He stated.

I sighed heavily and now my eyes were dry because I couldn't cry no more. I wanted this moment to last forever but then he spoke again

"Zoe. My arms are hurting". He said subtly which made me stand up immediately with the speed of light.

"I'm sorry". I muttered while adjusting my scarf.

"You look tired. And thinner than I last saw you. Are you okay?". He assessed me for visible signs.

"Yeah I am". How can I when you're in the hospital

"Sure?". He pushed further.

"Yeah".

Silence. We dropped into a comfortable silence.

"I couldn't believe I would not see you again. To only hear your voice and not see your face was too much to bear". He was looking directly at me and I in the best way possible tried to stop the river outburst

"I heard your every move. The tears you shed, how you narrated the things that happened each day". Now it was rolling slowly down my cheeks.

"It was too hard Zoe. All I could see was darkness, I wanted to get out of this room but my body was not responding and the dropped curtains made everything worse. It broke me when you stopped coming. Why?". He asked softly.

I used the back of my hands to wipe away my tears but a fresh set occupied the space again. I sighed "Because I was afraid to come see you in the same position again".