Always There

Chapter Forty-Three

Songs for this chapter:
• Stay With Me - Sam Smith
• Soon You'll Get Better - Taylor Swift ft. Dixie Chicks

Chapter Forty-Three:

Bryce's POV

There's suddenly someone tapping me on the shoulder.

I spin around to find the nurse staring at me. "Sir?" she asks.

"Yes?" I reply, suddenly filled with hope that she's here to deliver good news.

"Ms. Brooks was wearing a necklace and two rings that we had to remove. I placed them in the top drawer of the bedside table. I forgot to tell you earlier. My apologies," she says.

I let out a sob of relief. "Thank you."

She nods and smiles before heading back towards Kathleen and Johnathon to continue speaking with them.

Standing up from my seat on the bed, I beeline for the bedside table.

Yanking open the drawer, I find her cherry blossom necklace, promise ring, and ring with my name on it all resting inside.

I gently place the necklace and both rings into the pocket of my jeans, feeling my heart begin to slowly put itself back together.

Since Kathleen and Johnathon are still immersed in conversation with the nurse, I take the opportunity to crawl back into bed with my girl.

I wrap my arms around her waist, once again being as gentle as I can. I carefully position her on her side so that she can rest her head on my chest, right over my heart, because I know that this is where she'll want to be if she wakes up in this hospital bed: in my arms, able to hear my heartbeat.

I think about trying to fall back asleep, but I don't have to ponder the idea for long because I lose the option when Kathleen sits down on the chair that her husband had pulled up beside the bed.

She gives me a sad smile, taking one of Blossom's hands in her own, yet she didn't object to me laying in the bed with her daughter. Instead, she looks me in the eye and calmly asks me, "How have you been, Bryce? Not including today, obviously, because we're all sort of a mess right now."

Her question completely surprises me: she looks pale and worried and so genuinely concerned for her daughter, yet she's still asking about my wellbeing.

"I've been very well, thanks. It's quite impossible to not be extremely happy all the time when I have your daughter around. She truly is the sweetest girl that I've ever met and there's just something about her that lights up my life. I can't bear the thought of losing her," I say, glancing down at Blossom's beautiful face.

Some of her hair has fallen back into her eyes and so I gently brush the hair back and behind her ears before pressing a gentle kiss to her temple.

When I turn back to Kathleen, I find that her smile has grown wider. I smile back at her before asking, "How have you been?"

She glances down at Blossom's hand for a moment and squeezes. She keeps her grip on her daughter's hand just as firm as she answers, "I've been fine. I miss having Lexi at home. I feel like last year didn't give me enough time to prove to her that I really do love her and that I can be a good mother. All I want as a parent is to see my child happy, and I feel that she hasn't had nearly enough time to pursue her dreams.

"She was so miserable before you moved back, Bryce. She cried herself to sleep most nights, which I'm sure she's already told you. She still doesn't know that Charlie, John, and I heard her every time. We just had no clue how we could possibly help her. She never liked what they told her at therapy and she seemed to be content feeling miserable all the time.