In Her Sleep

A Simple Yes Or No

Layla's hospital bed dips on the side when Simon sits next to her.

"I thought I lost you baby."

He puts his arm around her and she naturally rests her head on his chest.

"Am still here." She looks up at him and he kisses her temple. His action warms her and she smiles. They stay like that for sometime each lost in their own thoughts.

"How have you been?" She shifts on the bed so that she is facing him.

"Fine...and You, how have you been? How are you doing?" He cups her cheeks and looks into her eyes.

"Am doing okay, now that you are here."
She looks down at his hands as she avoids his gaze. She doesn't even know why she does it but she just finds herself feeling uncomfortable with him looking at her like that.

"How is everything?" She asks in turn.

She is really struggling to keep this conversation going and she can't help but compare it with her other conversations with a certain someone.

"Everything is just fine my love." He smiles at her but she mentally raises her eyebrows at him. All these endearing names he is calling her are a bit strange. This is not the Simon she remembers.

"Are you sure you are ok?"

"Yeah, why do you ask?"

"I don't know, you sound a bit...strange." she shrugs

"Am perfectly fine, don't worry yourself." He cups her cheeks and she just nods and leans on him as she sits quietly.

He however gets up suddenly making her lose her balance and starts pacing about and Layla frowns.

"What is it?"

"Uh...what is what?"

"You are doing that thing again." Layla looks at him amused.

"What thing?"

"You are pacing, what is it?"

"Oh..uh its nothing."

"I know it's not nothing."

Simon visibly sighs and comes close to her. He takes her hands in his and rubs them gently as he looks at her thoughtfully.

"So I have been thinking..."

He looks nervous and she wonders why.

"Hey just say it. I can take it whatever it is. " she smiles at him trying to put him at ease when she herself is not.

"So you might probably think am being insensitive or something but this can't wait. I can't wait."

She looks at him questioningly trying to understand what he is on about.

"Like I said, I can't wait to make you my wife."
Layla freezes when she hears that statement. It didn't even cross her mind that he would bring it up so soon and now she knows she has to face it.

She sees him reach down in his pocket and comes up with a small black box. He comes in front of her and gets on one knee. When Layla sees that, she panics and surprisingly she finds herself combing through her head for an answer. And for a question whose answer is a simple yes or no she finds herself looking for an explanation. Something that will be close to a no and very far from a yes.

"I mean you said yes already so technically I shouldn't even be asking but I couldn't just slip this new ring on you just like that." His grin shows her his pearly whites and she knows she can't say no.

Before she can even open her mouth Simon slips the ring on her finger and he looks at it with satisfaction.
She on the other hand doesn't know what to feel. She should be happy that her fiancèe still wants to make her his wife but that detail is making her sad.
She leans on his chest just so she can hide her troubled face.

"As beautiful as this is, am afraid I have to leave now my love."

"What...just now?"
Not that it's very surprising to her. This is now the Simon she knows, who treats everything like a business deal. Once it's done he is off.

"Am afraid so, but I will see you tomorrow ok?"
Layla just nods. She thinks that maybe it's for the best that he goes now anyway.

"See you later."

"See you."

He disappears behind the door in a flash and Layla is left to her own thoughts. She takes a look at her ring that is fitting perfectly on her finger. It's beautiful too but it's not bringing her any joy so she takes it off and puts it on her side table. Immediately she does that she feels like a heavy weight has been lifted off of her.
She falls back on her bed and relaxes while looking up the ceiling. The end of her day is ruined and so is her mood. She thinks about what she can do to make it better and her doctor's face flashes in her mind and she wonders if he is sleeping.

She decides to text him but changes her mind again.

"Maybe I should just call you."

She bites her lips, surprised at all this courage. But with everything that has happened she just wants one thing, to hear his voice. And if she is being weird right now she doesn't care. She just knows his voice will help her troubled heart.

Her fingers get typing and she is surprised that she already mastered his cell number.

"Now this is more than weird." She mumbles to herself as the line rings in the background. She waits, and it rings for quite a bit before she decides to cut the line thinking he is probably sleeping. But before she can, Layla hears a sleepy hello from a very sleepy voice and the butterflies in her stomach get flapping like crazy.

"Hi"

"Hey"

"Am sorry, I didn't know you would be sleeping already."

"It's fine, what's up?"

Nothing really, I... I was just looking for some company that's all. This place is kind of too quiet"

"And why me, why are you not calling your fiancèe?"
He sounds wide awake and the sarcasm in his voice is evident and she just realised she made a mistake calling him.

"Oh...I...uh...I am sorry for disturbing you." She hangs up before he can add anything.

Her heart aches and it makes everything worse. A lump has formed in her throat and her eyes are glossy. Somehow being treated this way by him stings more than it should. She takes a deep breath to help calm herself.

"Maybe I should just sleep like I should have done already." She mumbles to herself and closes her eyes hoping that is enough to get her snoring. But that is easier said than done when all she can do is see Caleb's face and think about him. She turns to her side table and picks up her engagement ring and sighs with a heavy heart.

"Maybe it's time I focus on this future."

She looks at the ring and decides to slip it back on but just then she hears a knock and she frowns.

"Who could be here at this time?" She wonders, because all the rounds for the hospital are done for the day at least that is what she knows.
Her question is answered though when a very familiar face pops their head through the door and she is stunned.

He is in his sweatpants, his hair is a little out of order and looks like it's dripping. His chest is heaving and he looks out of breath. She watches him silently and she doesn't know how many beats her own heart skips. Her mind is screaming handsome and she totally agrees with it because this is one handsome guy.

"Did you run all the way here?" She croaks out as she tries to distract herself from staring at him too much.

"I couldn't risk finding you asleep."

He smiles at her and her owns lips smile back effortlessly. He is perfect and right now all the hurt she felt about being blown off has melted with that one smile.