He wouldn’t be okay till he could hear her voice. See her beautiful grey eyes looking up at him.
Please be okay little bird.
He sat hunched over her hand, his chair pulled up close to her hospital bed. His thumb rubbing back and forth, the only contact he was allowing himself.
He wanted to climb into the bed, wrap his arms around her, hold her tight and never let go. But he didn’t want to risk hurting her. Not to mention he didn’t know if the nurses would like that or not.
The on duty nurse wasn’t exactly the friendliest person.
He took a deep breath, trying to let the heart rate monitor assure him that she was safe.
Alive.
He didn’t even want to contemplate what he would do without her here.
Home.
His chest shook with the realization.
His home.
That’s what she was.
His heart slammed against him, as he looked up into her peaceful face. Her lashes spanned out over her cheeks.
Home.
Fuck.
Branson had been right.
“Mark is too protective.”
“He has a right to be,” Branson said.
“I know he does. But there is a difference between protective and being defensive.”
“That being?” Branson said.
“Well one is holding me during nightmares, the other is alienating all your family, because they said one thing.”
“Hmm … I suppose your right. But I wonder if it’s just him fighting for what he’s found.”
She paused. “What?”
“Well women I don’t know about, but men, we are searching.”
“Searching?”
“Yeah. We’re all lookin’ for something. Might not even know what it is, but we’re still lookin’ for it all the same. I don’t know Dominic very well, but I’ve been around Rick a time or too. That man, searching. Trying to find some peace. Way I heard it, got himself a pretty little thing, and found it
“Maybe it’s not about Mark alienating his whole family. Maybe it’s about protecting something that he’s found.”
He opened his eyes, ignoring the tears.
All his life searching to fit in, searching for a place to call his own, traveling the country hoping beyond reason that he would find it. His reason for living.
His home.
