"It's okay you asked. I'm just not ready." I swallow, feeling a tug along the incision in my neck. He stabbed me. He could've killed me. He almost did.
"Did they tell you anything?" I ask. "About that day?"
"Not much. When you didn't show up at school, I got worried. I kept calling and texting but didn't get anything back. By lunch, I was panicking. I asked Danny to take me to your house. When we got there, the police officer was there and told us you'd been brought to the hospital. We went there but they wouldn't let us see you so Danny and I went to get Jake at school. That's when we found out he was gone."
She looks down, her shoulders slumped, tears sliding down her cheeks.
"Brook." I squeeze her hand. "This isn't your fault. Stop blaming yourself. It's not your fault."
She nods, keeping her head down. She doesn't believe me. I don't know what to do to convince her there was nothing she could've done to stop this.
I wish I could pull her into my arms and hold her but I can't. So I just keep holding her hand, my other hand lifting to her face to wipe her tears. It hurts like hell to lift my arm like this but I need to touch her. Just being near her, I already feel better.
"I love you," I whisper.
Her head rises and she looks at me. "I love you too." Her eyes go over my face and her lips turn up into that smile of hers I love so much. "You look better."
"I do? I haven't seen a mirror but I was thinking I probably look like shit."
"You still have the bruises but the swelling is down." She runs her hand down the side of my face, barely skimming it. "Does that hurt?"
"I hardly feel it. Try somewhere else."
"Like where?"
I smile at her. "Wherever you want."
She bites her lip. She gets what I was implying and leans down to my face, her lips barely touching mine and yet my body still reacts, wanting her, needing her.
When she starts to pull away I place my hand on the back of her head, keeping her there as I kiss her. Her lips part and I feel her breath, warm and sweet. God, I've missed her. The sound of her voice. Her scent. Her touch. I slip my tongue past her lips and feel her body relax, her chest resting against mine.
"You finally awake?" I hear someone say. "Oh, shit. Sorry."
Brook gets off me and stands up. "Danny."
He's standing there with an awkward smile. "I'll just uh...go wait in the cafeteria."
"It's okay," Brook says, smiling at him. "We're done."
"Like hell we are," I say. "Get back here."
"Later," she says. "You just got out of the ICU. You should be resting, not getting all...worked up."
Danny snickers. "Getting worked up is a good sign. Means things are working again."
"Okay, new topic," Brook says, her cheeks turning pink. "Look Dean! Danny's here."
"I see that," I say, laughing at her rosy cheeks. She doesn't need to be embarrassed. I can kiss my girlfriend.
"How's it going, man?" Danny says, coming up beside me.
"I've been better."
"You still look like shit but you sound better."
"Danny!" Brook scolds.
"What? He knows he looks like shit."
