Page 52 of Possessed By You

“I’m fine, really.”

“All right. Call me at any time, day or night.” He pats my arm awkwardly before leaving. The moment he’s out of my sight, I walk, faster than I should, toward the critical wing of the hospital. It’s a tiring trek. When I reach his door, which has a fake name on the outside to ensure discretion, I’m scared to death.

My eyes zone on him in the bed the minute the door is cracked, and my face shatters along with the rest of me. Benjamin is completely still, bruised far worse than I am. It’s apparent he took the real impact of the crash. His arm is in a cast all the way to his knuckles.

Oh, Ben…

It takes me a lifetime to reach the edge of the bed, due to the fact that I can’t seem to inch my way forward. I study his wounds, needing to know where he’s hurt.

The casted arm is daunting. Although many aspects of the collision are hazy, I clearly remember the strength of his arm crashing into my chest to pin me to the seat. We were fighting and he still thought of me before himself. If I hadn’t known the depth of his commitment, I do now.

He’d die for me.

I resist running my fingers over his face, scared to harm him. His skin is scattered with gashes and bruises, dark ones that haven’t had the chance to heal yet.

I drag a seat to the edge of the bed and sit, taking hold of his hand. It’s warm, and I hitch a breath, pushing away the image of the chaotic waiting room, where I held him and he couldn’t respond.

I squeeze his fingers, silently willing him to wake.

When he doesn’t, I continue to evaluate his injuries. I uncover him, lifting the gown, knowing the sight of his stomach won’t be an easy one. The place he was impaled is bandaged, but there is blood on the gauze. The area around it is swollen and purple.

I’m lightheaded just glancing at it, imagining the pain he must have endured. I swipe under my eyes, but the tears keep flowing, my heart heavy for our loss. I press my mouth to his knuckles, trembling.

“Darcy?”

I lift my head in surprise. With relief, I scramble out of the seat and onto the bed. His eyes are still shut. I gently drag my hands through his dark tangled waves.

“I’m here.”

“Darcy.”

“Yes, baby. Open your eyes. I’m here.”

His emerald irises appear through fluttering lashes, forcing a smile onto my face. It takes him a minute to focus directly on me.

“Is this real?” His voice is so hoarse I can barely understand him.

I nod, desperately trying to keep my composure. A large part of me wants to cry like a baby. “Yes. Yes, I’m real. This is real.”

His eyes swell with tears at the realization, his lips trembling. I can’t stop myself. I lean over him and crush my mouth to his, hard enough that he groans, but he doesn’t stop me. I only pull back to apologize, taking the opportunity to do it now when at one point I didn’t think I’d ever be able to again.

“I’m…I’m so sorry,” I cry. He shakes his head, studying my face. “I didn’t mean what I said. I didn’t mean it.”

“No, I’m sorry. God, I’m sorry,” he whispers as I wipe the tears from his cheeks.

“I love you. I love you so much.”

“I was so scared it was over.” I press my forehead to his, caressing his cheek. “I love you, Darcy, no matter what. I was so horrible to you.”

I don’t want to think about what we said.

“Are you hurt? Your head…where are you hurt?” he asks.

Hearing the door open, I turn, seeing the nurse at the threshold.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I can come back…”

“No, no, it’s okay.” I swallow, wiping my cheeks, gesturing her in. Benjamin leans back uncomfortably as she walks to his bedside.