The next morning, I’m sitting here watching Claree, waiting for a sign of life from her. The doctor came in last night and they started weaning her off of her meds that are keeping her in the coma. It’s now a waiting game, she needs to come around on her own, and I was informed it could be any minute now, or it could be days, just depending on how long it takes for her to recover.

“Claree, you should see the pictures that Steel drew for you. He’s been having a lot of fun with our parents, but he misses both of us. Please wake up, baby.” I stroke her hand and push her hair back, searching for any sign of movement. Still no signs of her coming around. “I’ve got so much to tell you. There won’t be any more nights of me not being home, or not being present with you and Steel in our life. They never adjusted my pay when I got patched in, and never added the additional monies for my shares for all the businesses. Axe figured it out, and Cara did the number stuff. I have no clue what that means, because I haven’t checked, but no more struggling. We won't be living paycheck to paycheck any longer.”

I’m here, Talon. I can hear you, why can’t you tell? I don’t understand why my eyes won’t open. I want to see him and hold him. Hold them both. I begin to fight for my eyes to open, move my hand, anything to let him know that I hear what he’s saying. He sounds so sad, so depressed, that I want to make him feel better, and I know the only way that will happen is if I fight harder to wake up. Feel me, Talon, I’m here, I’m not going anywhere, not when I feel I’ve just gotten you back.

“Do you still want our dream house to have two stories, with a wrap-around porch? I was thinking, too, that with you getting ready to graduate, we need a fancier kitchen so you can do stuff from home if you want, what do you think?” My mind has been whirling since I was given that news too, and I’ve sat next to her all night, wracking my brain for all the things she ever mentioned wanting ‘when we build our own house’ but I can’t think of things. I know we both want a huge-ass master suite. Just as I’m thinking these things I feel her hand twitch and jump up. “Claree, can you hear me? Wake up, baby girl, please fight, we need you,” I whisper through my tear-clogged throat. She squeezes my hand again, and I go over to the call button and press it.

“May I help you?” the voice on the other end asks.

“I think she’s waking up, can you get the doctor?”

“Someone will be with you shortly,” she states, cutting off our conversation. Fuck that, I want someone in here now. But I can’t leave, I need to be there when she opens her beautiful eyes, so I have no choice but to wait. I pull out my phone and using only one-hand, my unoccupied one, I text my dad, knowing he’ll pass on the word to everyone else. I keep stroking her knuckles and fingers while steadily squeezing her hand, and grow encouraged when her response feels stronger, and more solid than her previous ones initially did.

Long minutes pass.

Very long minutes, as I don’t take my eyes from her face. I feel as though if I look away, I’ll miss something of vital importance. I can see slight movement behind her eyelids and know she’s fighting her way back to me. To us. “Keep fighting, baby. The doctors on his way in,” I murmur.

“So, I hear Sleeping Beauty is trying to wake up,” the doctor says, as he walks in the room. I see him out of my peripheral vision looking over the monitors, but never stop watching her. “Ah yes, she’s definitely coming back to us,” he finally states. “Numbers are all looking good. Let me do a few tests.” I don’t know what he’s doing, but catch him flipping the sheets off her feet. Whatever he does, I see a slight grimace cross her face.

“What did you do to her?” I growl out. Part of me is grateful that she’s been in a coma because the thought of her actually feeling the pain of surgery and a broken arm crushes me.

“Checking her reflexes. I saw her flinch, Talon. This may take longer, but we’ll be checking on her more frequently than normal. Keep talking to her.”

I nod my head. “Claree, you’re waking up, beautiful. Don’t be scared when you do, okay? You’re on a ventilator and won’t be able to speak.” I figure I better prepare her because I don’t want her scared. I wasn’t able to protect her that day, and have failed so many other times, but that man no longer exists. Her accident has shown me how fucked up my priorities were, and I will never go back. Those words seem to be what force her to wake up, but she does so in a panic. I see her arms flailing and she immediately puts them to where the tubes are in her throat.

“Claree,” the doctor says, grabbing her hands. “We’re going to be taking this out shortly, I need you to take deep breaths in and out of your nose and try to calm down. Breath in, breath out,” he commands, then he repeats this mantra several times until she finally cracks her eyes open and they zone in on me first then move to the doctor’s direction. “That’s it, keep breathing,” he instructs her. “Sir, we’re going to have to ask you leave while we remove her from the ventilator.” Say what now?

“Why do I have to leave, she needs me and will be calmer with me near her,” I grit out through my teeth. I’m trying not to lose my shit and scare Claree more than she already is.

“Standard procedure, we find that the spouse, parent or significant other freaks out, and the patient ends up feeling that anxiety, and responds to that making it harder, and hurt worse if we allow them to stay.” Well, I don’t want her to possibly hurt herself, but I’ve promised to never abandon her again. I feel like I’m stuck in the middle of what I want to do, and what needs to be done.

I hear a noise from her and she’s shaking her head no. “Doctor, I don’t think she wants me to leave. I promise I won’t get in your way, but I won’t be leaving her.”

“Just stand over there,” he replies, pointing to the other side. I quickly move and then take her hand in mine.

“Baby, I’m right here. When the nurse comes in, I’m sure they’ll explain what they’re going to do, but you’ve gotta stay calm.” Her eyes find mine and she nods. I know they’ve been reducing the numbers so she’s mostly breathing on her own, but I’m sure it’s not going to be pleasant.

“What we’ll do,” the doctor says, hearing my words, “is suction out the tubing several times, then as we extubate the hose, we’re going to encourage her to cough. She also may look like she’s uncomfortable or in pain, but it’s minimal at best.” I nod my head at his explanation. I don’t always understand what they’re saying when they inform me of this, or that, relating to her condition, but if I have questions, they’ve been good about answering them. Plus, Mom and Trinity have been googling like crazy ever since she wound up here. “It may cause your gag reflex to come out and play, dear, please try to breathe through it and not vomit, it will make things harder for you in the long run,” he says, making sure he has Claree’s attention. She nods to him, letting him know she understands. About this time the room fills with a team of doctors and nurses.

“You ready, baby?” I ask, leaning close and kissing her forehead. She nods again, and I can sense how eager she is to be able to swallow without a tube in her throat.

“Okay, Claree, we’re going to suction first,” the nurse says, after putting on a pair of gloves. That’s one thing I’m beyond thankful for, they’ve treated her as though she was one of their own family members. I cringe when I hear the noises the suction machine makes, and I can see her eyes smiling at my reaction. My beautiful woman. So fucking brave. I never lose her eyes, focusing on her, and making mental plans for our future, so I don’t see what they’re doing with, and to her. I may be a badass, but this shit creeps me out. You never realize how much something like this will impact you, until it’s someone you love going through it.

Within minutes, they’ve got the tube and hose disconnected and out and a nurse is holding up a cup filled with ice water. “Sip slowly, Claree. And try to cough once you’ve swallowed,” the nurse instructs. “Talon, you can come back over here if you’d like.” I move back to my previous spot and take hold of her hand again.

“Welcome back, baby,” I whisper. I know I’m crying but seeing her eyes open and looking at me has me feeling all sorts of different emotions.

“T-t-talon?” she croaks out, her voice raspy from disuse and the ventilator.

“Shhh, baby, you don’t have to talk yet. I know it’s gotta hurt,” I tell her.

“A... little,” she stammers.

“Then wait until it doesn’t hurt, baby. I’m not going anywhere.”

“I love you,” she swallows harshly once the words leave her mouth.

“God, Claree, I love you so fucking much,” I reply. “I thought I’d lost you.”

“My last breath,” she says.

“What?” Wait, here I am telling her not to talk, and then turning around and asking her a question. Asshole, get your shit together!

She swallows a few times before saying, “Until my last breath, I’ll be yours, Talon.” She gulps and I see tears swimming in her eyes.

Fuck me. Those seven words are seared in my brain, and I realize that the next tattoo I get, will have them stated on there, somehow. “Same, baby. And you just gave me my next tat.” My words make her giggle even though the motion has her grimacing.

“H-hungry,” she says.

The nurse, who has been busy emptying the catheter bag and checking her vitals, says, “We’ll get a clear liquid diet going for you, Claree. You keep doing like you are right now and I think you’ll be headed to a regular room in a few days.”

I smile at the nurse’s words because when she gets transferred into a more permanent room, I can likely have our parents bring Steel in to see his mom. I know she’s missed him.

“Steel?” she asks.

“He’s fine, baby. I’ll see if he can come up once they move you, okay? Maybe we can video chat or something until then.”

“I’d like that,” she replies, smiling. “Feel gross.” I start laughing at her statement because my woman loves her showers and baths and she hasn’t had one since she’s been here other than the sponge baths I’ve given her.

“You saying I’ve lost my touch giving you a bath?” I tease. Her eyes grow wide at my words and I nod. “Baby, no one else was touching you like that. I’ve been giving you sponge baths.”

“Whereas I’m sure those have helped, I still feel...icky,” she says, and I can’t help but chuckle when she says the word icky, her nose scrunches up. I forgot how much I missed those small things.

“When things settle down, we need to talk. There are so many things I need to apologize to you for, I don’t even know where to begin,” I say to her.

“We both have things we need to apologize for and own. It takes two to be in a relationship and takes both to keep it going. I messed up just as badly as you did, I should’ve told you how I was feeling.”

“But, I didn’t give you an opportunity to say that to me,” I hang my head in shame.

“Talon. Talon, look at me!” she demands. My head shoots up and my eyes widen at her tone, she’s never hollered, yelled or commanded anything of me before...I have to say, I kinda like it.

“It was both of us, do not take this on your shoulders alone. I should’ve stood up and made myself known to you, I shouldn’t have just held it all in and allowed it to consume me. We need to reflect on the mistakes and make sure they don’t happen again. We learn, move on, grow as individuals, also as a couple, and as parents.”

I close my eyes at her words. Somehow, some way, we’ve been given a second chance and damned if we’re not going to make the best of it. “Whatever it takes to make sure we don’t, we’re gonna do it, baby,” I reply. She smiles at me and I see her eyelids drooping a bit. Leaning down, I kiss her forehead and say, “Sleep, babe. I’ll be here when you wake up.”

“M’kay, but when I do wake up, I’m going to require that shower,” she mumbles, as sleep invades her.

Now that she’s dozing, I quickly shoot off the texts to everyone letting them know the news. I’m sure I’ll be inundated shortly by our moms, at least, and smile. Nothing like this family, that’s for sure.

“Talon, don’t drop me!” she exclaims, as I carefully pick her up and carry her to the shower connected to her room. The nurses did whatever it is they do so I can give her a shower without all the tubes and shit. While the nurse was preparing her, I got all of her stuff together. I had my mom bring in her favorite body wash, sponge thingy that she uses, her shampoo and conditioner. I know she’s not home, but I wanted her to have her stuff so that she feels more connected to who she is and not smell of that damn hospital bullshit they supply.

“Never dropped you before, don’t anticipate doing it today,” I reply as I gently set her onto the shower chair they’ve placed in the bathroom. “Let’s get naked, baby.” I animatedly make a kissy face at her, then wiggle my eyebrows up and down. She always loves my facial gestures, and I need to show her I’m still me, even though I’ve emotionally, and physically, been distantt from her for a while now.

Her giggles let me know I said and did the right thing. She’s so fucking thin now that I can see her ribs and hipbones. Knowing she’s carrying our baby makes me want to fatten her up. I quickly strip her of the hospital gown and toss it in the corner before I undress.

“Talon! What in the world?” she questions, seeing me start the water to get it warmed just right. What does she expect? Me to sit idly by and watch her struggle to bathe herself? Not happening, at least not in our new beginning.

“Baby, not a fan of wearing wet clothes, and you’re still too weak to do this yourself,” I tell her. It’s definitely one of the more intimate things I’ve ever done for her that didn’t involve sex and somehow, it makes me feel like we’ve hit a new level in our relationship. I’m still hot as hell for her, but right now, it’s about making sure she’s clean, lotioned, and pampered. Just hope my dick gets the message. I know he’s screaming out for a connection with her, he’s missed her as much as I have. Yes, he has a damn mind of his own when it comes to our woman.

“Fine, but if this gets us kicked out, I’m gonna be pissed at you,” she says. Like they have the balls to kick us out of the hospital when my family is one of the hospital’s financial backers, but I keep that information quiet, because I want her to get excited, and feel as if we’re doing something forbidden, and taboo.

“Your dad’s watching the door. Thinking they’d be crazy to try and get in right now,” I tell her, as I take the shower head down and carefully start getting her wet. “Lean back, Claree, let me wash your hair,” I say.

“Love it when you wash my hair, Talon,” she murmurs while closing her eyes.

I deepen my voice to mimic one of her favorite actors and say, “Can’t keep my hands off you, darling.” It’s a line from one of her favorite movies and it produces the intended result...she’s got her head back, eyes closed, and is giggling.

“You’re a nut!” she exclaims.

“Only for you, baby, only for you. You cracked me open a long time ago, and I’ve been in the palm of your hand ever since,” I reply, grabbing the shampoo. This is one of my favorite things we stopped doing when we were disconnected. I love bathing her, seeing how my touch affects her. As my hands work the shampoo into a lather, I have to stifle my own groan. I’m sure she can tell that her nearness is affecting me because my traitorous dick is currently poking her in the back. Fucker.

“I take it you’re happy to see me, eh, baby?” she asks. I can hear the laughter in her voice because she knows there’s not a damn thing we can do right now.

“Seems that way. Then again, if your nipples get any harder, you can cut glass,” I reply. Good to know I’m not the only one affected by our closeness.

“Guess the pregnancy hormones are in full force,” she says, giggling.

“And they’re going to wait until we’re back home, you’re healed, and your dad’s not outside the door guarding your room!” I can picture him charging the room and aiming his gun at my dick, yeah, so not a visual I need right now.

“Not waiting too long, Talon. It’s been a long time.”

“At least until we get home, baby, okay?” Suddenly, me being in the shower with her doesn’t seem as good of an idea as I originally thought. The visual of Chief’s gun pointed at my dick has the desired effect and I see it deflate.

“Fine,” she mutters under her breath. I hate it when she says that, I always know I’m possibly in the doghouse. Well, hell, even I know that one word carries a helluva lot of meaning to a woman.

Leaning closer, I kiss behind her ear and say, “Baby, as soon as we’re home alone I plan to worship every single inch of your body. Nothing will stop me until you pass out from pleasure. Now’s not the time, though.” Motherfucker! He’s coming to life again, we really need to get onto another topic of conversation. Now!

She nuzzles her wet, soapy head into my abdomen and sighs. “I know. I hate waiting, but we probably don’t have long before someone comes and knocks on the door to see if everything’s okay.”

“The stars at night, are big and bright…” I start to sing, trying to get my mind off of her, and her delectable body.

“Deep in the heart of Texas,” she laughs, while singing. This is something we would do before we were ‘allowed’ to be together, and knew we couldn’t go any further than hand holding.

“God, I love you, Claree,” I tell her as I rinse her hair and start to condition it. “You’ve been my girl for so long now and still, I find something new to love about you every single day.”

“Oh yeah? And what’s today’s realization?” she asks.

“You’re giving me another chance.”

“You never lost your chance, Talon, we just lost our way and are finding each other again. Our love is true, we just have to guide it along the way and not forget about each other and what we mean to each other.”

“Damn, how did I get lucky and get such a wise woman?”

“You’re just lucky,” she shrugs her shoulders.

“That I am, baby. Now, let’s finish getting you cleaned up, we still need to talk.”