When I Met Tom (A Tom Hiddleston Fan Fiction)

Chapter Twenty One

Slowly I began to hear again. It started off as a faint noise, as if very distant. I couldn't work out what the sound was or where it was coming from, all I knew was that my eyes were closed and it felt impossible to open them.

I willed myself to try and move or make a sound, but I felt as if my body was made of lead and couldn't be lifted and like my voice box had been removed. Nothing was working for me.

I could still hear a faded sound around me, but it continued to mean nothing to me, not knowing, and starting to come to terms with never knowing, what it was.

I would have cried there and then if my body would allow such emotion or physicality to show, but no such luck.

I wondered where I was. I thought about what might be happening to me, or about to happen. I was also thinking about Tom, where he was and if he knew where I was. Was he waiting outside the school for me? Had he gone to my classroom, seen I wasn't there and looked for me?

My brain was over thinking everything all at once, and that sound I could hear completely disappeared as my consciousness left my body once more.

*

The next time I awoke the sound I could hear was prominent and recognisable. A steady, loud beep rang through me in a steady beat. The only place I could associate that noise with was the hospital.

I pushed myself with the little energy I had to open my eyes, and this time I managed to open them into very narrow slits, only just allowing the light in. As I did this I also let out a small, low hum from the back of my throat as I forced my eyes open.

'She's waking up,' I heard, loud and clear, 'Charlotte, can you hear me?'

A man's voice. Tom's voice.

My mouth felt dry, so I didn't attempt to speak and reply as I was certain nothing I tried would sound like an audible response.

'Charlotte, darling, I love you. Please wake up now,' he spoke again, this time with desperation in his voice, 'If you can hear me please try and show me baby. Make a noise, anything. Squeeze my hand if you can.'

I felt one of his hands in my right, gently gliding his thumb over it. There was a slight tremble in him as he did so.

'I love you, Charlotte.'

I needed to show him I could hear him. I needed to tell him I loved him too. I needed to see him... I needed to open my eyes.

I felt my eyelashes flutter against my cheeks as I strained to lift my weighty eyelids.

'Come on baby, that's it,' I heard Tom say, 'I can see you opening your eyes, keep going, you can do it.'

Tom's voice willed me on and eventually I took control of my body fully and managed it. I opened my eyes halfway to be hit with a bright burst of sunlight through the window to my right, and there in the middle of the light's path was Tom. He was smiling down at me.

With a final push I opened my eyes fully, actually making them feel a lot lighter than they did a few moments before.

'Hi,' said Tom breathlessly, 'I'm here, you're safe.'

I tried to smile, but all my facial muscles had relaxed and didn't want to work and form a smile on my face at that time. I looked at Tom and then gazed around at my surroundings. It was a very plain room with not much to it, but as I scanned my eyes across I caught sight of what looked like a computer screen, some rather technical equipment with tubes coming out of it. I followed it up into the back of my hand where the tube was connected to me. Evidence that I was right; I was in a hospital.