In Need of You

Chapter Three

Elisha opened his eyes and glanced around the dim-lit hospital room. He focused on the empty chair next to his bed. A brown teddy bear on crutches sat on the stand next to a get well soon card. He unclinched his hand. The touch of her palm and fingers lingered on his senses. 

"Sabrina Ellis," he whispered to himself. He'd never seen a woman so beautiful. Not even his ex-girlfriend was that pretty. Even when he saw her from afar in the restaurant, Elisha saw her beauty, yet seeing it up close was the best part for him. 

He closed his eyes, trying to keep her image in his head. But, it wasn't enough. He wanted to see her in person again, breathe in her scent of lavender and gardenia, hold her hand once again. He wanted to be in her space. 

He chuckled, then grimaced in pain. It had been nearly three years since his breakup with Adrienna. He vowed to himself that he wasn't going to allow another woman to take ahold of his heart and rip it from his chest as she had. Still, he couldn't stop thinking about her timid nature, her alluring brown eyes, her sun-touched brown skin.  

A tap at the door alerted him. Dr. Sawyer peeped inside and waved. "Did I wake you up?"

"No," he said. "I was already awake." He glanced at the door, wondering if Sabrina was still around.

Dr. Sawyer glanced at the door, then back at Elisha. She placed a notebook on the edge of his bed. "Are you looking for the angel that woke you up?"

The beige hue of his cheeks turned red. "I am. Has she left already?"

"Yeah." Dr. Sawyer checked his vitals once more. "She had to work tonight so she said. Every waitress has to be in attendance for the Friday Night Specials she told me. I think she left around eight, though."

He glared at the clock on the stand, seeing that it was eleven o'clock at night. 

"Really. What time was it when she came to see me?"

"I believe around three in the afternoon. She stayed with you for quite some time. She even got some sleep," Dr. Sawyer said. "I thought it was so cute that she held your hand while you slept. God. I'm a sucker for romance."

Elisha laughed, then winced in pain. "Please, don't feel that way."

"Honestly, I'm trying not to," she replied. "It's just that women like her are always seen as lesser than. That's why I'm so thankful for my wife. She's a lot like your angel."

"Why do you call her my angel?"

"For one, she woke you up. Two, you're moving a little more than you had earlier. Three, she's gorgeous," she said. She gathered her notebook from the foot of the bed and walked toward the door. "If I were you, I wouldn't let her get too far away. Angels like that come far and few between. Besides, she's got the cutest little girl."

Elisha smiled. "I'll do what I can, I guess."

"Better yet, let your heart lead you. I can't wait to hear the rest, " she said as she walked out the door. 

Of all the people he'd gotten advice from about women, it actually came from a doctor. He looked at his hand again and smiled. The doc was right, though. If he let her getaway, he'd never find her again. 

He wanted to know her. He wanted to touch her. He wanted to please. He wanted to protect her. He wanted to support her. He wanted to be with her. Damn. It took him getting hit by a car to find his one and only. Though she probably didn't want to have anything to do with him, he had to try. 

Turning on the television, he saw a beautiful African American woman walking down a stretch of white fabric on the grass to a Caucasian man. They stood in front of an arch of yellow and blue flowers. A small pond with a fountain in the center blended with the image of the two standing before a preacher marrying them. He smiled. God was funny he thought. Then again, HE never led him into a bad joke.