Alec, a hair-breadth away from full-blown panic, did as he was instructed. He smoothed the dirty hair from her face, whimpering softly as he gazed into her gray face. “Breathe, love, please. Christ, Peyton, breathe!”
“Blow into her mouth,” Ali coughed, wiping the muck off his face. “Put your lips on her mouth and blow.”
Alec did not hesitate. Clamping his lips over her sweet mouth, he blew hard. As Ali encouraged him onward, he kept blowing. He did not know if he was doing any good, but at least he was doing something to aid her. Anything to bring her back to him.
He stopped blowing for a moment, watching Peyton’s chest to see if she had resumed breathing on her own. After a few seconds, she remained still and his sense of despair immediately overwhelmed him.
“Christ…,” he desperately touched her face, her body, her dirty hair. “Oh, God, Peyton. Do not leave me. Not when we haven’t yet begun to live,” his hand was at her face, gripping her chin with his massive fingers. Suddenly, the pain of it was too much to take and he slapped her gently as if that action would bring her out of her state. One slap led to another and before he realized it, he had slapped her twice, hard, across her beautiful face.
“Do not leave me!” he cried, his voice cracking. One moment of slapping turned into another of desperate embraces, clutching her against his hard chest as tightly as he could. “I forbid you to leave me, do you hear? You have made me whole, sweetheart.Without you I am nothing. Christ, do you hear what I am saying? I need you! I love you more than life!”
Toby’s face was in his hand, hiding the tears that were coursing down his cheeks. Ali, having regained his breath and strength, knelt on the other side of Peyton’s body.
“Lay her down, Alec,” he encouraged firmly. He could see that Alec was beyond rational thinking. “Let me try.”
“No!” Alec sobbed, his face in her dirty hair. “She can’t leave me, Ali. I will not live without her!”
“If I am successful, you will not have to live without her,” Ali said firmly, gently. “Lay her down!”
After a moment’s hesitation, Alec tenderly lowered his wife to the ground, kissing her sweetly as he released his hold.
“Oh, Peyton….” he whispered, kissing her again. “Do not leave me, sweetheart. I love you.”
Ali gently pulled him away, moving to resume blowing air into Peyton’s lungs. As he put his hands on her face and hovered over her lips, she suddenly let out a violent cough.
Ali let out a whoop of surprise and barely managed to turn her on her side as she commenced vomiting water. Alec, overcome with astonishment, began gasping like a dying man as Ali thumped Peyton on the back to aid her in clearing her lungs.
“Peyton!” Alec cried, nearly pushing Ali over in his attempt to be near his wife. “Can you hear me, love? Peyton?”
Peyton vomited until there was nothing left. Air, rushing into her lungs, sent stabs of pain radiating throughout her body. Vaguely, she could hear Alec’s voice and Ali’s low laughter, but beyond that she was incapable of sensing anything else. She thought she was dreaming… or dead.
Last she remembered, she had been struggling with Colin. And now…. she truly had no idea what had happened, or where she was. Mayhap, in fact, she had dreamed the whole event with Colin. Or mayhap she was simply insane.
However, she had heard one thing clearly; Alec told her that he loved her. Somewhere in the mists that had fogged her mind, she had felt a stinging pain to her cheek and she had heard an unashamed declaration of his love. Then there had been this man…a man with golden red hair. He seemed to know her, for he had been smiling openly. Strangely, she did not fear him. As he moved toward her through the mists, tall and broad and handsome, she realized there was something very familiar about him. His voice, rich and deep, distinctly informed her that it was not yet her time. She thought she had dreamt him, too.
Alec’s voice reached her again, panicked and pleading. The tall man seemed to hear it, for a wistful look came to his eyes. Then, he put his hands on her shoulders and turned her away from the warm, bright light that had been intent on luring her. She had gazed at him questioningly but he had merely smiled and gave her another brotherly shove. Then she heard Alec’s voice again, telling her that he loved her.
It had been enough to bring her back from the light beckoning her towards everlasting peace. A glance over her shoulder had showed the red-headed man once last time, his smile faded into a pensive gesture. His sky-blue eyes had reached out to her.
“Tell Nubs there is nothing to forgive, Peyton,” he said.
And then she had come back.
“Alec?” she rasped; talking as well as breathing was mayhap the most painful experience of her life.
His hands were on her face, clutching her as if he were afraid she was intent upon leaving him again. “I am here. Christ, Peyton, can you hear me?”
She slipped into a coughing fit, agonizing with every breath. “Where…. where I am?”
His tears were falling freely, pelting her pallid cheek. “Safe, love. You are safe.”
She swallowed hard, trying to calm her breathing. Slowly, the sapphire blue eyes opened and Alec nearly collapsed when they focused on him. His lip quivered and Peyton shushed him softly.
“Do not cry, my Alec,” she whispered. She tried to raise her hand to him but was far too weak; he saw her feeble attempt and grasped her hand, holding it against his cheek fervently.
He closed his eyes against her frail, cold hand as his tears coursed warm paths over their flesh. “I thought you were lost,” he whispered.
She managed a very weak, very pale smile and closed her eyes. “Not hardly. I…. I had to live long enough to hear you tell me of your love.”
