My shelter from the storm

Chapter 9

Anita

I woke the next morning and Raven was still beside me, her left arm and leg elevated. Thinking back to last night, I broke into relieved sobs, hiding my face between her neck and shoulder. She's still here, I'm not dreaming.

I feel her hand slip up the back of my shirt and shutter a calming breath at the contact. I lay a kiss on her neck and move my head over her chest. Her heart beat was soothing to me and I'll never get tired of hearing it. I trace my finger over drawing Amelia did on the cast on her arm, a heart with a bandaid.

"Anita," Raven asks with concern and I look up at her. "I know I normally wait for you to express your thoughts, but this morning you woke up sobbing."

"I thought I was in a dream yesterday and didn't want to go to sleep or wake up and you'd be gone," I say in a wavering whisper.

"I'm sorry," she says feeling bad, but she has nothing to apologize for.

"Don't apologize for being alive Ray," I choke quietly as her mother walks in. "Can you help her to the kitchen? I want to make her something for breakfast."

She gives me a knowing look and nods without question. I kiss the nearly healed cut on Raven's forehead and head to the kitchen. Lexi was sitting at the table with a cup of coffee and the newspaper. She sees me walk in and puts the paper down.

"Where's Raven? I thought you'd stay with her until someone..."

"Her mother is bringing her out. I wanted to make her breakfast," I say quietly and start taking out the pancake mix.

"I know it's a stupid question but are you okay," she asks with concern.

"No, I'm not. I'm extremely emotional and trying not to break down every five seconds," I choke quietly and she gets up to walk over to me. "Please don't. I already had a breakdown this morning, I just want to have breakfast with my fianceé and daughter."

She nods with understanding and sits back down. Raven is wheeled to the table and watches me mix the batter. I knew she could tell I was still emotional by the concerned look on her face. I could tell she felt bad she couldn't get up and comfort me, but little did she know her presence was comforting enough.

Amelia comes into the kitchen and immediately comes over to give me a hug. I help her on the counter and let her help me mix the batter. She and Raven both like extra chocolate chips so I let her put them in until she feels they're enough. She nods in satisfaction and it makes me laugh.

I kiss her forehead before helping her off the counter and a wave of dizziness makes me sway on my feet. "Anita," Raven's mother says with concern as she steps next to me.

"I'm...," I say as the room starts spinning faster and lose my balance.

"Anita," Raven exclaims with fear as I collapse in her mother's arms.

I woke up with my head spinning, beeping sounds in the background. I groan at the white walls spinning making me nauseous. The beeping was giving me a headache and I squinted to see a heart monitor.

The alarm on the machine goes off as I start to freak out being in the hospital with my heart racing. The doctor runs in followed by Raven being pushed in by her mother. As soon as I made eye contact with Raven I relaxed against the pillows and the beeping slows to normal.

She's wheeled closer to me and takes my hand. Her eyes were wet from recent crying, but they held relief. "Your blood pressure was high when you were brought in," she chokes quietly, squeezing my hand. "They think it was due to being upset about my accident. They want to monitor you and the baby for the day, to see if everything is good for you to come home."