Light pierces through the slits of my eyes, and I try to blink to ease the ache it causes.

Blink. Blink.

I will myself to blink, and eventually, my eyelids flutter closed and then open again. I repeat the process, willing my body to obey my commands.

Blink. Blink.

Slowly, so slowly, I take my first blinks and ease my eyes open further with each blink.

A shadow looms in the corner of my right eye. Moving around but not noticing me. I blink a few more times to clear the haze from my vision.

At first, I don't understand who she is or where I'm at, and then I get a suffocating feeling and my hands itch to pull something from my neck. It's wrapped so tight.

Oh god. I'm being strangled. I can't breathe.

I panic. My arms feeling like wet noodles, I slowly raise them to pull at whatever is strapped to my neck.

"Oh, no. Don't pull on that honey." My hands are forced down to my sides and a fresh wave of panic sets in as I try to fight whoever is holding me down.

I'm choking. I can't breathe.

My eyes glance from the lady to the others flooding into the room. Everyone looking so panicked that my fear ratchets up another notch.

"Call Dr. Scott right away," one of them calls out.

"Easy there, honey. Just calm down. You have a breathing tube in your neck. It’s inserted right here.” She points to the base of her neck. “You’re still hooked up to the ventilator and this is helping you breathe. Try and relax. Everything is going to be all right."

I nod and begin to calm down as I realize that I'm breathing fine, and that the tube isn't choking me, it's just uncomfortable. My eyes move from one person to the next as they all rally around my bed, taking vitals and replacing bags of IV medicine.

* * *

I'm walking toward Kara's room when I see a swarm of nurses flying in and out, doctors rushing in behind them at an alarming rate.

My heart kicks up speed as adrenaline rushes through my veins, and I take off at a dead sprint into her room.

I stop as soon as I pass through the doors.

Her eyes ... they're open.

She's looking around, and the nurses are working very slowly and talking in calming tones so as not to alarm her.

"I'm going to put some medicine in your IV that’s going to help rouse you a little, okay?" the nurse says as the other puts a suction catheter into her mouth to remove any fluid.

"Good job, now just lie back and relax." The nurse finishes adjusting the trach tube and then begins to clean around her feeding tube before checking her urine output.

The look of pain and discomfort that crosses her face wrenches at my heart as if it were my own experience. She hasn't noticed me yet, and I don't want to startle her while they’re working on her, so I wait until all the lines have been cleaned and secured and meds kick in, pulling her into a more conscious state of mind. The doctor steps forward and checks all her vitals and then takes out his stethoscope to listen to her heart and lungs.

After a few tense moments, he smiles and loops his stethoscope over the back of his neck. "Everything sounds good." He pulls a penlight from his lab coat. "Follow this light with your eyes. I don't want you to move your head, just follow it with your eyes only. Okay?" She gives a weak nod and proceeds to follow the movements of the light with her eyes.

"Perfect." He clicks the light off and places it back into his pocket. “I'll let you get settled now, but I'll be back to check on you and run a few more tests later on this afternoon. Okay?" She nods again.

The nurses finish cleaning her up, and when they've all slowly cleared out, I step forward into the light where she can see me.

Her eyes latch onto mine as if I were a life raft in a tumultuous sea, and I rush toward the bed and take my place by her side. Taking her hand in mine and moving to kiss her on her forehead before I can think better of it.

"I'm here. Everything is all right. Just relax. Nice and easy. Don't get too excited or you'll overdo it." I run my hand over her hair and try to soothe her. My lips kissing trails over her forehead. "Good morning, beautiful."

She coughs a little, and I step back to assess her. Tears are running down her cheeks. I brush them away with the backs of my fingers and settle her head back in place on her pillow before pulling the seat up next to the side of her bed.

"I can't believe it. You're really awake." The words come out in a rush, and I'm too overwhelmed with emotion to contain them. "I knew you'd come back to me."

She nods and gives my hand a weak squeeze. "Don't try to talk. We’ll have to wait for that when the trach tube is removed. The doctors will have to wean you from the ventilator. But don’t worry about any of that right now. We’ll have all the time in the world to talk. Just ... be here with me. That's all I need." I lean forward and kiss her forehead again.

She gives me a small smile, and I can't take it anymore. I push the chair away with the backs of my legs and lower the rail on her bed so that I can climb in beside her. When I'm situated next to her, her head resting against my shoulder, I release a heavy sigh and with it the weight of what feels like the world lifts from my body. She's alive, and she's with me again.

"I love you."

She nods against my shoulder, and I smile at the gesture.

"You already knew that, though, didn't you?" She nods again.

I chuckle lightly and then draw her closer to me. I can't get close enough to her right now. I need to feel every inch of her lined up against every inch of me. Too much is still not enough.

* * *

I never thought I'd hear those words pass over his lips. But for some reason, it doesn’t feel as if it's the first time he's said them to me. Flashes of memories assail my mind. Words heard throughout my time spent in the darkness of my mind. Beautiful. My love. Be my wife. Mother of my girls. It all flashes through my mind at a dizzying speed.

I flinch at the headache I feel coming on as I try to muddle through the haze and confusion cloaking my mind like wet cotton over a field of seedlings trying to emerge from the ground beneath its heaviness.

"Don't overdo it, Kara. Everything will come back to you in time. You have to be patient and allow your body to work its way slowly back to where you want to be. For now, just rest. I'll be here when you wake up. I promise."

That wasn't the first time he'd said those words to me either. I remembered. I heard him. Not every time. But I still heard him some of the time. I fought to get back to him. I fought my way through the shadows and back into the light to stand at his side as he bathed me in rays of love and affection.

I have never loved a man like I love Will Scott. He is all that is good in this world, and even though he has his flaws, he's perfect for me. I'm too tired to contemplate what the future might hold for us, but I'll take what the present is offering me ... the warmth of his embrace and the assurance of his love when I awake.

Good. Enough. For. Me.