The drive to the hospital takes a lifetime. Dad offers to drive me after he watched my hands shake while grabbing the car keys. Yesterday was exactly what I needed to feel better. Dad took me into the music room, and we spent most of the day jamming on and off. My brothers joined in, and Lucille was our number one fan. It was excellent, and I loved every minute of it.

Dad has some errands to run, so as we pull up to the hospital, he puts the car in park at the front visitor entrance. His hand folds over mine. I hadn't realized how tight they were gripping the seat.

"I'll be back in two hours. So, be good, okay?"

I nod. "I'm scared he's not going to wake up. I didn't hear any news from Ramona, so I don't know what to expect."

Dad holds my hand tighter. "No news is usually good news, sweetie."

I sigh, not entirely convinced of that statement. After a few minutes of convincing myself to go, I get out of the car and wave goodbye as dad pulls away.

When I arrive, Ramona isn't in the waiting room, so I stop at the nurses' station. They direct me to the same room he was in the other day. Stepping inside the room, I immediately notice that his color is back. Even with the deep purple bruising, he looks much healthier than he had. The monitor continues its steady beat.

I'm not sure what I want to do. I worry that if he wakes and sees me here that he'll tell me to go away. I wouldn't want to see me either. Taking a deep breath, I walk over to the orange chair at his bedside. As I glance around the room, I notice more of its emptiness than before. It's a lonely environment.

Reaching out, I cover my hand over his. I miss his warmth. I glance up at his face. His lips form a straight line. I crave his smile more than I thought. I sit quietly. Words don't come easily to me, only on paper. The knot returns, and I'm on the verge of tears. I once heard that talking to someone who isn't conscious will help wake them.

Swallowing hard, I suck in a breath. "Hey, it's Marnie. I've been trying to find the courage to say how I feel. In my head, through text, or on paper, the words come easy, but when said aloud, they come out a jumbled mess." Tears start to fall, but I'm not sobbing, and that's good. It means I can do this.

"I keep thinking that if I didn't make you angry that day, if I just told Tanya the truth, you wouldn't be lying here in this hospital bed." I choke up a little. "It's only been a few days, but I miss you. I check my phone for lyrics to come, and they don't." My voice breaks.

I have to give myself a moment to collect my thoughts before I continue. I want to say the right things, even if he can't hear me. But mostly, I want this nightmare to be over. For a brief moment, I bury my face in my hands in an attempt to pull myself together. He needs to know how I feel. Then, reaching out again, I swear his fingers move against mine. There's a soft flutter low in my stomach.

"I love you more than I've loved anyone before. There I admit it," I half-laugh, and it sounds crazy. "I can already hear your voice making dumb comments while I confess my feelings." Now I've started sobbing again.

"I can't tell you if I'll still love you a few days from now or a few months from now. I have no freaking clue. All I know is that I'm hanging by..."

"Every moment here with you..."

I gasp and pull my hand away, covering my mouth. I stare at him. I'm tongue-tied. He grins. A deep chuckle rumbles low in his chest, causing him to cough. He groans a little. It serves him right for scaring the shit out of me.

"That was not what I was about to say. How dare you trick me! Wait, how much of that did you hear?" My cheeks are warm.

"So, you love me, huh?" he asks, trying to twist his body towards me. His voice is raspy, and he tries to clear it again.

"Of course, I do. You jerk!"

Relief washes over me, and I start ugly crying right in front of him. Oh my god, I can't believe he's okay. He's okay. I put my head in my hands again and rest my elbows on my knees, sobbing into them. I'm feeling all of these crazy emotions all at once flow through me.

"Hey, didn't I tell you not to cry over me?" he asks.

He laughs again and adjusts the bed so that he's sitting up. Then, reaching his hand over, it connects with mine.

"That was before..."

"Before what?" he whispers.

"Before you meant the world to me." I choke on my words.

"Come here." He tugs on my hands to pull me closer.

I stand and take one step towards the bed. He moves some of the wires for the heart monitor out of the way and pats the bed next to him. I slide on and lay my head on his chest. His heart beats fast as I snuggle close.

"I love you too. You know that, right?"

My heart has grown wings and is ready to fly out of my chest. Yet, all I can do is nod.

"Marnie Bennett, you are seriously the best thing that's ever happened to me. I'm not angry with you, okay? It's not your fault."

I shrug. I'm still trying to wrap my head around this whole thing.

"No one blames you. I promise," he whispers into my hair. I shiver at his touch and snuggle closer, trying not to hurt him.

"It could have been worse, but I'm okay. My brain scans are all normal, and there's no bleeding anywhere. The police arrived before things could escalate any further, from what I was told."

I glance up at him, needing to look into his eyes. I have to know that everything is truly okay between us. It feels so good to hear his voice and be in his arms. I take a deep breath and enjoy this moment with him. He leans his head towards me, and I reach up and plant a small kiss on his lips. He pulls away and sits back.

"God, I've missed you so much, "I say.

"I missed you too." He squeezes tighter.

We stay like that for a long time and hold each other. I close my eyes and hold onto him with everything I have. I'm so tired that I drift off. When I open my eyes, hours have gone by. I turn to see the clock on the other side of the room, and I'm right. It's almost seven at night, and they'll most likely be kicking me out soon. Flint shifts under me, so I move to get off of him. He grabs onto me, not letting me go, and I laugh a little.

"I missed that laugh." He whispers, planting a kiss on the top of my head.

"Harlow's song," he says, his breath tickling my ear.

I turn to look up at him with a confused look.

"One of the many lyrics you sent me yesterday," he says.

I couldn't help myself. I sent him some more lyrics last night before I went to bed. I was hoping to wake up and find his answers there.

"I read them last night. Mom said, you were here Friday and then went to the house to spend time with Connor and Parker. It means the world to me that you did that for them. Connor won't stop talking about his comic. Although I must say I am a little jealous you gave Duck Hunt to Parker," he chuckles.

His laugh makes me smile.

"Mom said you were pretty shaken up by the whole thing."

I glance down. My smile fades into a frown.

"Hey." He tucks a finger under my chin to get me to look at him. "I don't want to live this life without you either," he says, referring to the song.

"Neither do I."

"Good, then let's not," he says.

"Okay," I smile.

"So, what happened in the real world while I was headed for the gates of hell?" he jokes.

I nudge him lightly, then adjust to sitting up a little. My muscles are sore from the position I napped in. I dangle my feet off the bed and stare down at them.

"I made up with Tanya. She knows everything. After she came to apologize last night, we spoke on the phone. Rose has gone rogue, and I don't think there's a chance we'll ever be friends again."

Thinking about Rose's betrayal still hurts but having Tanya back in my life eases that pain a little.

"That's great. Tanya seems cool." He smiles at the news but closes his eyes and squints like he's in pain.

"Are you okay?" I ask.

"Honestly? It feels like I've been run over by a truck. They have been running tests like crazy, and I feel like the second I shut my eyes, they are back in here drawing blood or taking my vitals. It's never-ending. I can't wait to go home to my bed. I'm lucky that my injuries weren't worse. I should be going home tomorrow." He grins.

My eyes water again.

"I'm so ...." I began to sob again.

He shakes his head and squeezes my hand tight. "I told you, I'm not mad at you."

"How could it take me until now too...." I turn to him, and he sighs.

"Shhh, Marnie. Everything is okay now. Promise." He grunts again like his sides hurt.

His face scrunches as he tries to adjust again.

"Are you sure you're, okay?" I ask again.

"Yeah, as good as I can feel. Thought you lost me, didn't you?"

"Flint!!!" Ramona is standing in the doorway with her arms crossed. She's shaking her head at her son's comment.

"What?" he chuckles, then coughs, groaning a bit. "My ribs are sore."

"Can we just think positive?" Ramona asks, walking into the room. "Marnie, your dad is here. He came earlier, and I sent him home since you two had fallen asleep."

"Thank you, Ramona." I turn back to Flint. "Listen to your mom." I scowl at him.

"I am positive, see..." he points to his smile.

I want to smack him again, but I decide against it. Ramona looks at me and smiles. Then, she walks out of the room, leaving us alone again.

"Come over to the house tomorrow when I get home. We can celebrate with some Duck Hunt." He grabs hold of me and pulls me close.

"Oh, so I can kick your ass?" I smirk.

"I'm all in. There's nothing left to hide," he sings in my ear.

I smirk. "I'm falling harder than a landslide."

I lift my head and lean in close. Our lips touch, and a shock rushes through my whole body. He presses against me hard as his tongue meets mine. His kiss is soft but urgent. When he pulls away, he rests his forehead against mine.

"I love you so much, Marnie."

Love, this is definitely love. There's no question about it.

"Love you too, Flint," I reply, and I mean it with all my heart.