In Her Sleep

His Sun

Caleb lays on his bed shirtless. It's a cold evening but his body is so hot not even the cold showers are helping. He gets up and walks over to the doors that lead to his balcony and slides them open. A cold breeze hits him as soon as he opens them sending the curtains behind him flying.

He is a doctor but right now he can't tell clearly what is really bothering him. But whatever it may be he is sure it has everything to do with the red head sleeping in the room next to his and it has taken everything in him to keep himself away from her.

"Layla.."
He whispers the name that has turned his life upside down completely.

Ever since that day three months ago in the E.R his life has never been the same. He is not the same. If someone had told him then that he would have a woman sleeping in his house today he would have laughed straight in their face. For a long time he never wanted to have anything to do with them which makes today quite ironic.

He still remembers the day he was called that they were losing her. He was told they had tried everything but she kept on going downhill. He remembers having a bad day that day but he came anyway. His job always came first and if there was anything he could do to help he was up for it.

When he came in everyone had gloomy faces, a sight that was common but not enjoyed in the E.R. From the team that was present even he doubted he could do anything more for her because she had some of the best of his colleagues there.
Back then he knew nothing about her, she was nothing but a girl that had been in an accident. She was still covered in blood and barely hanging on to life. When he looked at her the first time he understood the gloomy faces that he had found. She was almost gone with a weak heart beat but the moment he spoke and held her hand it was an instant connection with her heart beat spiking on the heart monitor. Her strong grip on his hand also shocked him as she held him like everything depended on it.
When he had looked around everyone present had lost their gloomy faces and were looking at him shocked. Apparently at the time he was called she was already in a coma and they were shocked to have such a reaction with him simply talking to her.
What they all didn't know or notice then was his own reaction. While they were shocked at the girl's response at the time, he however was shocked at his own response to her. For the first time ever he connected with a patient beyond the doctor patient relationship. As she held on to him he found himself looking at her bloodied face and being drawn in. It was the strangest thing. He felt like he was seeing her beyond everything that was staring right at him on the surface. There was a sadness that was surrounding her and he found himself wanting to comfort her. His own heart was pounding in his chest with every contact they made. For a moment he found himself shaking. One would have easily mistaken him for a novice at his job. When he finally came to terms with what was going on he sprang into action to save the one person that had roused his heart.

From that moment on she was the first patient he saw and the last everyday of his working day. Some days he found himself waking up next to her in the wee hours of the morning after falling asleep. Her hospital room became his own haven. He would spend his free time there mostly talking to her, telling her about what was going on around her. It was the highlight of his days. Even when she couldn't talk back or even when he was not even sure she heard him it didn't matter. Just sitting there staring at her beautiful self was enough for him.

He smiles when he remembers her telling him that he was the only person she could hear while she had been comatose. That had him over the moon even though he couldn't show it to her openly afraid she might think he was weird. It made him feel just as special as she had become to him.
She was no longer just his patient but his sun that kissed his life each morning and he vowed to keep it shining everyday always.
So when she called him sounding like she was crying he was ready to do whatever it would take to wipe her tears away.
He had been on his way to a meeting when she called. He was so happy to see her name flash on his phone screen but her silent plea wiped the smile that had appeared on his lips. He didn't even need to be told twice, just the anguish in her voice made him drop everything and make a u-turn.

He holds on to the railings on his balcony a little too tightly and his knuckles sting. His bruises are now turning a dark shade. He grits his teeth in anger when the image of Simon holding back a crying Layla flashes before him. He didn't know what was going on but her tears were enough to rile him up enough to punch him. His forceful punch sent Simon flying backwards and he let go of her. When Caleb saw her free he picked her up and carried her away without asking questions. He didn't care who was watching too. All he was interested in was the girl that looked like her whole world had just crashed. He cradled her all the way back to his house while his driver drove them with her crying her eyes out. She looked like a lost little girl and that had his heart breaking. She looked like a shell of the bright person that she is and his heart tightened every time he looked at her.
When he got to his place he struggled between having her in his room or not. In the end for her sake he chose the room next to his, even though what he really wanted was to have her close to him. He stayed with her until she calmed down enough to fall asleep.

He walks back to his room and takes a seat. He reaches for his phone and when he switches it on his eyes linger on the his screen saver. He traces the glass laying over it and his heart flatters. She is so beautiful even with no make up on and in just a hospital gown. He took the photo on one of his morning rounds. She had looked so peaceful and because he couldn't stay to watch her he decided to take a photo of her. He knew it was unethical but he couldn't help it. For a doctor who vowed never to fall for any of his patients he is way in deep. Even without her knowing she has crawled into the innermost part of his heart. Without knowing she has his whole heart. He smiles at that thought. Without knowing she is the queen of his heart and his castle and her being here just feels right to him. She maybe crying now but like every night that he looks at her peaceful face he makes her the same promise.

"I will make you happy Layla."