When yet another curveball puts Andy and Lex's relationship into serious jeopardy, the stakes become higher than they've ever been, forcing the couple to fight not only for their love but also for their lives.
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Life see...
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It was odd... This awareness that even though I was sleeping, I knew something was wrong. I couldn't remember dreaming, or falling asleep, or even going to bed. But I must have done all those things because I was waking up.
Or I was trying to, at least.
It was as if I was submerged in tar. Everything was dark, slow, and heavy. When I tried to move, my limbs refused to cooperate. My thoughts were also numbed and hard to grasp, as restrained as my body. What was happening to me? What sort of sleep was that?
It seemed that my brain was a maze, and each thought took a while to make its way into my mind. What was the last thing I remembered? My birthday. I'd moved in with Lex, and we'd gone out to eat at that Moroccan restaurant. There was rain on the car's windshield as we'd gone back home, and I remembered staring at the wipers, chasing it away in rhythm. But then what?
A snake. There had been a snake embedded in the face of a bald man.
That man had tried to kill Lex, but I'd prevented it. I'd saved him by pushing him out of the way. And then... blood. So much blood on Lex's hands, on my dress.
I'd been shot. The snake man had shot me.
The memory of it agitated me, pulling me out of my numb state faster than it had been until now. A bullet had pierced through my skin, into my chest. Was I dead? Was that it? No, I couldn't be. I refused to be.
Somewhere deep in my mind, I vaguely remembered being hauled into an ambulance, opening my eyes for a brief second. Then some of the ride, with the siren blasting above me, the EMTs working on keeping me alive, and Lex holding my hand, sitting by my side, his face a mask of pure pain and anguish. The memory of the white ceiling of the hospital followed, the neon lights up there passing by as I was being rolled somewhere with haste. More people, nurses in their green-blue scrubs, and Lex, still right here with me. But then his hand was ripped away from mine, and I was alone. Alone with these people talking too fast and asking me questions I couldn't grasp.
As I became aware of more of my senses, I realized I was lying down in what seemed like a relatively comfortable bed. Had they saved me? Despite all the blood and the pain, had they successfully saved my life?
This time, when I tried to move, my arm cooperated a little, and I sensed a hand in mine. He was here again. He'd found me and wouldn't let go of my hand this time. "Lex..." I mumbled, my voice a gibberish mess. I called out his name again, forcing my eyes to open.
The light was excruciating, burning my retinas with its intensity. I was forced to squeeze my eyelids shut, and the foreign hand held mine tighter. He was right there. I had to see him, to make sure I was still alive, and he was still right here. This time, when I peeled my eyes open, the light wasn't as difficult to endure, so I blinked a few times. I could barely move my head, but I forced it to turn toward our joined hands, and then followed the arm it belonged to.
