Page 133 of Stronger Than Fate

“I'm not moving from her side,” he responded.

“Dali will wake up, you heard the doctor, she's out of danger. We all want her back with us, but we need to be patient. She's very weak due to the hemorrhage, but let's trust that she'll be fine soon. She's strong and brave, she'll wake up any moment and, when she does, it would be good if she saw you well. Go on, go to the bar here and eat something. Lolo, you should go eat something too.”

“I don't want to,” said Lolo.

“Neither do I,” said Henry.

Hearing them so distressed, I began to remember something about what happened with Sol, but I wasn't clear on how it all ended. What I did know was that I couldn't keep sleeping, they needed me. I made my greatest effort to open my eyes and managed to see some blurry figures, but the light bothered me too much and I closed them again.

Try again,I encouraged myself.

I tried again and blinked several times. The figures began to take shape. The first person my eyes looked for was Henry, and I found him beside me holding one of my hands and kissing it. My brothers were at the foot of the bed whispering to each other.

I moved my fingers slightly and immediately Henry raised his head and our eyes met. Joy and surprise filled him.

“She's awake!” he shouted, while smiling and crying at the same time.

He quickly moved closer to my face and pressed his forehead against mine. I wanted to say something to him, but I couldn't speak or move. Henry was crying inconsolably and my brothers approached to try to move him.

“Henry, let her breathe. Lolo, go get a doctor.”

Henry moved away slightly, but didn't let go of my hand and with the other he began to caress my face while he continued crying.

“My love, I love you, don't ever leave me again, I beg you.”

“Dali, my little one, you can't imagine how scared we were,” said Bastian, as he leaned down to my face and kissed me on the cheek, wetting it with his tears.

I looked at them and my heart clenched with sadness, I had worried them so much.

“Where am I?” I managed to ask with great effort, but I was frightened to hear my own voice that sounded hoarse, rough.

“In the hospital,” said Bastian. “How do you feel?”

At that moment Lolo came in and I couldn't answer.

“Little sister...” he said, and rushed over to me and covered my face with kisses.

“Please, we ask that you leave us alone with the patient because we need to examine her,” said a nurse, who entered the room along with who I assumed was a doctor.

“I'm staying with her, I'm not leaving her,” said Henry.

“Henry, it's better if we go out,” said Bastian, taking him by the arm.

“Are you family?” asked the doctor, looking at Henry.

“We're all family,” said Lolo, and I was glad to see them include Henry in such a definitive way. “We are her brothers and he is her future husband.”

“One of you can stay,” the doctor stated.

I noticed that Henry looked at them pleadingly and Bastian nodded, took Lolo by the arm and they left, but not before coming close to squeeze my hand while looking at me with tenderness.

The doctor approached and looked at me with a smile. He was young, probably Henry's age.

“I'm Dr. Álvarez, but I'll allow you to call me Lionel,” he said, taking my hand. “How are you feeling, Dalina? What beautiful eyes you have!” he stated, and I noticed that Henry looked at him very seriously, and I even thought I heard a growl from him.

“I'm thirsty,” I managed to respond.

“I'll allow you to have a little water, but in these first few hours you can only wet your lips a bit, just to take away the feeling of dryness. You have an IV and, for now, you don't need to drink water,” the doctor explained, and asked the nurse to go get some water.