If Only

11. Emily

"It's been two and a half weeks, Liz. Why isn't she up." A familiar voice grumbles.

"I told you, she might not wake up. We have done everything. Physically she is fine; there is nothing medically wrong with her. She either needs more time or." The woman's voice trails off, "Or what?" The familiar voice growls.
"I will kick you out of here; I don't care. Or she is gone, and you need to accept that."
"No."
"Well, I'll be back later to check on her. Call me if anything changes." The woman sighs, a door closes, and a hand holds mine gently.

"Emily. Wake up, please. Just give me something, anything, let me know you're still in there. Please." He sounds so sad, so broken. If only I could reach out to him, I'm sure I could fix it. Maybe. I'm so tired, though. The darkness is comfortable and safe. Not like out there, people say they love you but leave you—people who are blood-related beat and kill you, not in the abyss.

"Alpha, you're needed." A rough voice clears his throat.
"No. Go get Ben." The sad man answers back,
"Alpha. The council-"
"I said no. Get Ben; he can handle it. If they need to talk to me, they have my cell and can bring their fucking asses up here."
"Alpha, her father-" A growl pours through me, a familiar feeling that makes me shiver. "Emily?" Wow, he sounds so happy now. Did I do that? Did that movement make the sad man happy? Can I do it again? I do that? Right? I can move. Nothing hurts as it did. The word is just dark.

Come one; you can do it; come on, fingers move! I feel my fingers twitch, touching a warmth that feels like it could warm me to my bones.

"Emily. Do it again. Move."
"Alpha, her-" A snarl stops his words,
"If you don't go get Ben, I swear to the Goddess above; you will be on nightshift till the fucking rapture." A touch squeezes my hand, and my fingers tighten around it, "Emily. Ok. Good, can you open your eyes for me?" A gentle touch runs down my cheek, over my lips, "Come on, Emily. Open your eyes, show me those pretty green eyes. Hell, I'll take the fucking purple ones at this point." He laughs, choking back a sob. I try. My lashes flutter, "Emily, open your eyes. You can do it." A white light blinds me. Dead I knew it. A gasp leaves my lips as my eyes open. My lashes blink, getting everything in focus.

"Am I dead?" My voice rasps, my throat raw.
"No, you're not dead. You tried your best at it, though. Do you want to sit up?"
"Can I have some water?" I croak out.
"Here ya go." A hand hands me a glass of cool water, and I gulp it down
"Thank you." My eyes blink, quickly forcing the haze out of my eyes, taking in the hospital room around me. The machines were beeping steadily, the wires attached to my fingers, tubes were running up my arms, and then him.

Malachi, his jawline covered in a thin black beard as if he hadn't shaved in weeks. His eyes were shrouded in the gray clouds, dark circles under his eyes as if he hadn't gotten a decent night of sleep in months. My fingers reach out hesitantly, wondering if he was real. If this were real. That I did it, I made it. "Well, this is new." I smile, pulling myself up in the bed, pulling my hand back from his jaw.

"Yeah, well, you were taking forever." He says with a shrug.
"Please, it was only like ten minutes." I smile back at him,
"Yeah, sure. Ten minutes, you keep telling yourself that." His hand cups my cheek, his thumb runs over my cheekbone, his fingers cupping my jaw. A movement that was so familiar, so comforting. It shouldn't be. It can't be.

"I should hurt a lot more than I do. How long have I been out?" My head leans into his touch before I pull myself away from him. I can't. His hand drops, as if he was unaware of the movement.
"Two weeks, almost three. Emily, what the hell happened?"
"My father and my brother happened." His eyes darken, the gray clouds growing in strength. "Please, Malachi, don't. I'm ok."
"You are now, Emily. You were half-dead when they found you in the forest."
"You told me to get to you."
"I didn't expect you to be half dead, Emily."
"Better half than whole?"
"Shut up." He laughs, "what happened, Emily?" I shake my head. I don't want to relive it. "Emily, you are going to have to tell the Alpha Council. You had my protection until you woke up. Now that you are, they will want the full story."