For the second time that year, I awoke in a hospital room.

I had never felt so beaten in my entire life.

When I swallowed my throat was as dry and rough as sandpaper and my tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth. My ribs ached and pain stabbed into my gut when I breathed and I was scared to move in case anything else was aggravated. My scalp was burning from the abuse it had succumbed to.

I peered to my left, I spotted a minuscule transparent tube, following it curiously until I saw it disappear into my arm. I felt faint. I was a goner when it came to needles - never mind that in my arm. The decor was bleak and the supposedly calming canvas of a sandy beach was ineffective on my mood. A lamp was settled in the corner, casting a dull orange glow on the room. I lay rigidly in the sterilised crisp white sheets that completely lacked the comfort my own bed held in every way and my neck was stiff from the solid mattress.

Then I saw him.

Hunched over the bed, his tie was loose and his designer Armani suit was torn, scuffed and bloodied. Zach was, despite his chaotic appearance, asleep; his gorgeous deep chestnut eyes hidden behind his closed eyelids and the long, black eyelashes brushing against his skin put mine to shame. There were faint dark circles under his eyes and I knew that he must have tried to stay awake the whole night. His thick eyebrows had lowered into a frown and his red lips were pressed together firmly. I noticed that his five o'clock shadow was a shade darker and his hair was unkempt - evidence that he had been running his hands through it repeatedly.

I was intrigued by his dorment state; I had never seen him look so peaceful. He wasn't snoring, but his breaths were heavy and consistent as he dreamt. His warm hand was clasped tightly on to mine, even in his sleep, and the size of it dwarfed mine completely.

The door to the room was swung open suddenly by a young nurse, the creak of the hinges and the click of the doorjamb causing Zach to stir slightly. I froze, then stared at the nurse, or Amy, as her name badge signified, as I held my index finger to my lips for her to be quiet.

She paused slightly as she glanced down at him before silently stepping into the room and closing the door gently.

"Has he been here all night?" I whispered softly as I gazed at his sleeping face.

Amy nodded, a gentle expression crossing her features before she frowned. "He caused a bit of trouble actually, he refused to leave even though your mother wanted to stay. I was a bit uneasy about letting him instead of your mother since you're under eighteen but..."

I scowled at him.

How dare he.

"But?" I almost hissed.

"He seems to love you a lot." Amy smiled softly.

My heart stalled for a second. There it was again. First the old man in the taxi, now her. I looked down at the man sleeping over my bed.

"Do you love him?" she asked.

My eyes flew up to meet her mousy brown ones. Her question was prominent in my mind as I silently asked myself again. I stole a glimpse of Zach again and my breathing hitched as I remembered his strong arms carrying me, the warmth of his chest, his comforting scent. All of the memories I had of him since our strange first encounter flashed through my mind.

And those brown eyes. Those scorching, bronze orbs encased in rich, dark, chocolate that always seemed fixed on me.

I did.

I loved him.

I loved the person who ran me over.

Irony was not the word.

I rolled my gaze.

"Of course not." I told her quickly - denial was definitely my only choice to save face.

As if my answer was void of existence, Amy shook her head slightly and laughed under her breath.

"You do."

My plan of denial obviously was not going to work on nurses. I pressed my lips together stubbornly before sighing.

"Yeah, I do. I love him." I admitted quietly.

A weight suddenly lifted from my chest and I inhaled deeply.

"But you haven't told him." Amy responded.

"No." I scoffed. "Do you know how much more his head would inflate?"

Plus the fact I was a total chicken.

Amy raised an eyebrow before walking to my bedside and placing the glass of water I hadn't realised she had on the table.

"Regarding your health, drink plenty of fluids and rest. And you should tell Zach." she informed me.

"Tell me what?" a deep voice suddenly questioned.

My stomach did a backflip and I squeaked as my gaze snapped towards Zach. He yawned as he rubbed his eyes and sat up.

"I'll give you two some privacy." Amy told us before shooting me a quick wink as she left the room.

I purposefully stared at the door longer than I had to, so I didn't have to look at him. I couldn't look at him.

I felt so guilty.

It was silent for a moment before he cleared his throat.

"Lou." he called me quietly.

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I turned to look at him. His dark eyes were watching my intently.

"Why didn't you tell anyone?" he asked softly.

"He said he'd hurt Alyssa." I mumbled, my voice cracking slightly.

"He could have killed you, Lou." he whispered, his umber eyes boring into mine.

"I know." I murmured.

"I have never been so angry in my life than when I saw him hitting you." he growled and I felt his hand squeeze around mine.

"Zach." I told him, letting him know how hard he was holding my hand.

He loosened his grip immediately.

"I'm sorry." he muttered before reaching over and stroking my face. "I'm so sorry I didn't get there sooner."

His hurt expression was killing me.

"What happened to him?" I asked.

"He has been arrested for attempted murder." he explained. "I made sure of it."

"Alyssa is going to hate me." I told him hopelessly.

"She doesn't. She came to visit you earlier." he assured me.

I sighed with relief before trying to sit up slightly as I stretched my arm out to grab the glass. Zach jolted.

"What are you doing?" he asked quickly.

"Trying to get some water. The nurse said I have to drink plenty of fluids."

And that I should tell you how I feel.

"Then let me get it. You need to rest." he told me firmly.

"Okay." I mumbled.

He picked up the glass and then made me sit up.

"Here."

Originally I felt stupid when he had to tip the water slightly into my mouth so I could drink it but as the cold liquid ran down my throat, simultaneously soothing it and my cracked lips, I no longer complained. My cheeks flamed as he watched me and I averted my eyes.

When I had drank the whole glass, he set it on the side and turned to look at me. I suddenly scowled.

"Why did you stay here with me instead of my mum anyway?" I queried.

"I wanted to stay the night. She was worried at first, but she's okay with it now." he stated simply.

I was going to ask how he managed to convince her as well as the hospital to let him stay but there was no point in asking.

The charm of Zachary Caldwell.

Zach stared at me, his obsidian eyes swirling with an unknown emotion. He licked his lower lip before leaning over me, so close his hot breath was fanning my face, so close I could see each shade of brown in his dark, ebony eyes, so close his soft mouth brushed against mine as he spoke.

"Now, tell me what the nurse said you should say to me."

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Hi!

Got another update for you all. 

Not too happy with this but I wanted to update. 

Hope you liked it. 

Please leave some comments, I love reading them. Feel free to vote.

Thanks so much for still reading this.

Sweets.