Had To Be You (Romance/Drama) [COMPLETED]

Chapter 21 - Right

He stood beside the small hospital bed where she slept, looking at her left arm, that she held close to her chest in a brace. Then his gaze went to the skin of her chest and neck, where she sported a fresh dusting of gauze-covered nicks from the flying glass of the windows. She had a patching of purple bruises along her left shoulder, just above the brace.

But he knew that Naomi was to be alright. That altogether they had been lucky all she had received were a few bruises and cuts and a fractured forearm, when the severity of her accident could have caused much worse.

God. How his heart had caved and broken when he was told her car had flipped. How rapidly it had started to beat when he was told she was alright, recovering. And even then, he had been scared in every part of him, scared and infuriated with himself for walking away from her so selfishly when she had only been trying to right the wrong she felt she had done to a good man.

And no matter how hard he tried to believe that Xavier was the scum of the earth, he knew it wasn't so.

"Thank you for calling me."

"She'd have wanted it," Xavier said from behind him, and Luke knew it was that simple: Naomi would have wanted, and so he gave.

"You say she's already woken up."

He nodded. "She fainted after the crash, awoke before the ambulance came. Then she went back to sleep after the doctor gave her medication."

"How was she found? It could have been hours before someone drove up the road, in the rain..." Luke found it difficult to speak, but kept his attention on Naomi's chest, how it moved as she breathed.

"I went after her. She was a mess and the weather was hideous. I had a bad feeling."

That's when Luke turned around, slowly and with forcible composure.

He saw Xavier, leaning against the wall by the door, and saw as the other man's eyes left Naomi's form to meet his own stare.

"Where was she headed?" Luke asked carefully.

Xavier shifted, but kept his eyes firm. "To you."

Lucas felt himself falter. He thought Naomi had driven out on impulse, hoping to escape somewhere on her own, away from him and everything else that troubled her.

But she had been running to him.

Xavier took him from his thoughts when next he spoke. "I'm leaving for a drink. But I'll be back to speak to her a last time before I leave."

And with that Luke was alone with her again. He took one of the two chairs inside the hospital room and placed it beside her bed where he sat and just stared at the walls.

He couldn't tell how much time had lapsed, but a nurse had come in to check on her, and the light coming from the window had lessened.

"Wake up," he whispered, knowing she wouldn't hear.

"I am."

He looked down at her face, saw her green eyes, somber and tired, watching him.

He shifted, torn as he wondered whether or not he should touch her. "How are you feeling?"

She looked over his face silently, then closed her eyes and backed her head against the pillow. "I'm okay. I want to go home. When can I go home?"

"Tomorrow morning. I'm taking you home, I promise."

Her eyes widened. "But I left all the lights on. The budding flowerbeds need to be watered, and-"

He smoothed over her hair, skimming along the sides of her cheeks. "Hush now, sweetheart. We'll take care of that. But you're going to my house."

"Your house? There's no need for the trouble. I'll be fine enough on my own. The doctor already told me I'll be good as new if I don't overwork-"

His brows knotted, and he looked down at her with an expression of confusion. "What's all this talk about 'on your own'?"

She stared at him, starting to speak, but she cut herself off and her mouth simply became agape.

"Tell me you're not thinking stupid thoughts about what we are to each other," he said softly, firmly.

"You left me. You were mad." Was all she could say.

"And I was stupid for it. And so sorry for it. I shouldn't have expected any less of you, to have wanted to make things right before coming with me. And even though I was hurt and jealous and pissed as hell I shouldn't have left you that way, when you needed me. Forgive me."

Her eyes became wide, and she reached out to him with her free hand, warm when he took it. "I forgive you."

This was all that she had wanted. To have him understand. To have him want her still.

"You-You want to stay with me," she stared, voice settled but raspy.

He gave her one hard look, then shook his head in exasperation, but a smile played with his lips.

"If there's one thing I know, is that having you in this hospital bed gives the both of us serious mental health issues. And that, when you love someone, you want to stay with them."

This time she let out a breath. "Love someone?"

"I love you more than I've ever loved."

She closed her eyes and smiled.

"And here I thought that I'd have to drive out to you in the pouring rain to make you see that."

He didn't laugh, just squeezed that hand and held it to his lips.

"A good thought that wasn't."

But she laughed either way, with all her bruises and her fracture, she laughed and looked with passion into his eyes.

"Say it to me," he spoke.

She relaxed, her lips taken to a soft curve. "I love you, Lucas Forrester. But you already knew that, you greedy man."

"Another one of my many faults. But you'll live with them, soften them, I hope."

"I want you this way. Always ready to take from me."

"Just that which you offer," he smiled, but his heart was about ready to explode, and he bent down for a soft brush of her lips. "We'll be home tomorrow. I'll officially be at your service."

Just below where his lips still lingered, she spoke quietly, "I can't say I don't like the sound of that."

"Neither can I. Now listen to me, you know Xavier is here. He's the one who called me, and I'll never forget that, because I wouldn't have been able to be here with you until you were awake and called for me personally. He wants to speak with you before he goes."

"And it doesn't bother you."

"You know I'd be lying if I said it didn't. But this isn't about me. It's about you, and what you think is right. What is right. Speak to him and let him know, Naomi, that you're mine now."

And almost as if on cue, there was a knock of warning on the door, before he let himself in.

Luke stepped away from his woman and gave the other man a nod of acknowledgement.

"I'll leave you two alone."

Once in the hallway he went to the small coffee machine of the same floor, making himself a cup that was both strong and black. He needed the caffeine.

There was a large window at the end of the hall, and he went to it, looking out over the tops of trees and the streets underneath them.

He didn't like this. Not one minute of it. But he was a man, and he owed it to Xavier to be considerate. And to Naomi to respect her wishes, to comfort her.

So he stayed put and nursed his coffee with a scowl, noting that he had to call the nurse after Xavier left.

And tomorrow, well. Tomorrow he would show her his home.

_______

Hey, ya'll! Hope you enjoyed the chapter. The final one will be posted soon. Do let me know what you think and don't hesitate to contact me. (: