The Child Who Holds the Power

Chapter 17

Chapter 17

I knew I was awake but I had no way of letting anyone else know. The exhaustion I felt left me powerless. I didn't have the energy to even open my eyes. Deep down in my bones hurt from fatigue and my whole body felt as though it had been hit by a bus in a high speed chase. I really wanted to know where I was and what was going on but not long after I woke up tiredness overcame me and I was out like a light.

I went through this process maybe twice more before I was actually able to fully remove myself from my weakened prison of a body. Before I even opened my eyes I could see the light through my eyelids. I could tell I was in a bed but I had no idea where and that was when it occurred to me. Maybe I didn't want to open my eyes; maybe I wouldn't like what I saw. What if I was somewhere worse than a nightmare, what if all that effort and use of strength didn't help? What if..............

That  was the thing. There were so many things that could have happened and I was so scared that the outcome would be worse than pretending I was still asleep. I lay there tossing up my options, but the whole time fear was creeping in. I was so scared and I didn't know what I would do if Kyle had managed to get us instead of help arriving first. But there was one burning question in my mind and I needed to know the answer, and there was no other way to get it.

So I very slowly I took a shaky breath and almost painfully slowly, I opened my eyes. I almost had to immediately close them again to shield my eyes from the harsh bright light. I waited as my eyes adjusted to the light more before I reopened them. I was still squinting a little but what I saw when I looked around gave me great relief. It looked like a hospital or medical centre or something like that. White sheeted beds and sterile curtains drawn around the place.

I had a bed side table on one side of the bed and on the other two uncomfortable looking chairs. My heart leapt when I saw who was sitting in one of them. Josh. He was here and he was ok. He was leaning back and slouching in the chair. His mouth was wide open as he breathed heavily sound asleep. I almost started crying when I saw he was alive and well. I wanted so badly to have his arms wrapped around me but he looked so tired and so peaceful I didn't want to disturb him.

But as soon as I tried to move quietly closer to him the bed squeaked and Josh sat bolt upright. I flinched slightly startled at the speed at which he moved and at the fact that I woke him. He looked around the room sleepily trying to locate the noise. He looked everywhere except for where I was lying. Maybe he didn't expect me to wake up at all. He got up and stuck his head round the corner and then walked back rubbing his eyes and running his hand through his hair the way he does when he's worried or agitated.

I couldn't help but smiling as he did so because it made his hair stick up in all different directions. I had been lying so still the moment my face broke out in a smile Josh stopped in his tracks finally discovering the source of the movement. Josh looked like he was about to have a heart attack or faint.

"Josh?" I asked in a gravelly unused voice.

Josh walked to my side and knelt on the floor. Taking my hand in both of his he brings them to his lips and kissed my hands. For a second I swear I saw a tear leak out of the corner of his eye but when I looked closer it was gone. He let go suddenly and put both hands on the side of my face and brought his lips down hard on mine.

He kissed me with so much passion and relief it took my breath away. I could feel how worried he had been and how tense he was. I felt like doing nothing else but kissing him back. I wanted to do nothing but feel him next to me for fear of losing him. I ran a hand through his soft and tousled hair loving the feel of it through my fingers. I think we both got so lost in each other that we didn't hear the doctor come in the door.