“You also have a couple of broken ribs which will heal on their own but you may have some discomfort for a couple of weeks.”
The damage seems to get worse and worse as he continues to speak, explaining the gunshot wound to my stomach which barely missed my internal organs to the burns on the inside of my thighs. But the worst blow of all, is the damage to my cervix and womb.
“Now, I’m not saying that you may never be able to have children, but it might be a struggle. There are always other options if that’s something that you both would like to discuss at a later date.”
The doctor’s words seem to fade away as I digest what he’s just said. I can’t have children? The part of me that would grow another life is broken? What will Dean think of me then?
I’ll never be able to give him a family.
Time freezes around me and all I can hear is a muffled conversation between Dean and the doctor, words I don’t want to hear.
“Baby, look at me.”
I don’t want to. I can’t possibly show my face to him now. A disfigured monster is what I’ve become, all because of someone else.
“Ana, please. I’m begging you, look at me. I need to see you.”
Dean leaves me with no choice but to turn my face to look at him.
“There you are.” He beams. “I already know what’s going round in that pretty head of yours. You’re worried that I’ll walkaway from you, that I’ll no longer want you anymore, that I couldn’t possibly love you with everything you’ve been through, but you couldn’t be more wrong baby.”
“You are mine, and I am yours. Everything that you are, is all that I am and no matter what the world throws at us, I’ll be here. I’ll love you until I take my last breath, and even then, I’ll find you in the afterlife to continue loving you. Nothing you could ever say or do will change the way I feel about you. You hear me?”
His words stab right into my soul, cracking the precious jewel in half and I begin to wonder how I ever doubted him.
“Your scars make you who you are, and I’ll take whatever version I can get of you. The good, the bad and the ugly. I’ll take it all because you are enough. You willalways,be enough.”
“But what about-” I start.
“Kids?” He throws back. “If you want to try for kids, I’ll do everything I can to give that to you and if it doesn’t happen, it’s okay because just having you here,alive, is more than I could ever ask for and I’d never trade that for anything.”
Words fail me and I simply squeeze his hand in mine with tears streaming down my face.
“Can I take this off for a second?” He asks, gesturing to the oxygen mask and I nod, allowing him to slip it off my face. His rough hands that I’ve missed dearly caress my cheeks, his thumbs wiping away the trail of tears that have settled into my skin.
“Please remember that you are enough, pretty girl.” He whispers, and the minty-ness of his breath washes over my skin before he places his lips on mine.
Every emotion floods into me like a tidal wave at that moment, all of them coiling around me but his kiss alone is enough tobanish the hurtful ones, only allowing the good ones in. The feel of his tongue against mine sends shivers down my spine, causing my heart to skip a beat which reflects on the heart monitor.
The moment Dean hears the rhythmic beep getting faster, he grins against my mouth.
“Is your heart beating for me, pretty girl?” He whispers against my lips and I nod. “Yes. Always.”
“Good. Because mine is ready to explode for you.”
Dean gives me one last kiss on the lips, then a gentle one on my forehead before taking a seat in the chair again that practically molds to his large frame. God, I’ve missed him. I’ve missed him so much that my heart aches.
“I’ve missed you too mama, so fucking much.” He replies to my thoughts, almost like he can always hear what I’m thinking, that’s how much our souls are connected.
There’s a shuffling at the end of the bed that has my brows dropping in confusion.
“What’s that?”
My question is quickly answered as a pair of molten chocolate eyes find mine, and a mixture of joy and heartache quickly floods my system.
“Lyla?” I say and her ears quickly prick up, turning her head from side to side as she listens to my voice. “Lyla, it’s me. I’m home, baby.” Immediately she rises from the floor and plants her head in my open palm, whining with soft cries, her tail wagging a million miles an hour.
“I’m not the only one who’s missed you.” Dean chuckles, scratching in between Lyla’s ears. “She wouldn’t let me take her home, so she stayed here with me the whole time.”
