42. Levi
42
LEVI
“ I ’m starving,” Hope groans from my right. My stomach rumbles right after, which makes us both laugh.
“Apparently, I am, too.” I reach out for her hand. We’re cuddled up on the couch at her house, watching mindless tv. “Should we go find something to eat?”
“Yeah. I haven’t eaten anything all day. I’m going to get hangry in a minute.”
We both continue sitting on the couch, not moving.
“Well, we’re getting nowhere fast,” I huff, glancing over at Hope.
“I don’t think I can move. We’ve been sitting for too long, and now, I’m stiff.”
“You always make me stiff.” I wink.
Hope’s laughter fills me with so much love. It took three days after I was allowed to see her before she was discharged from the hospital. And while being home has been great, we’ve had a rough week all around. Both of us are still laid up from our injuries, more her than me, now. The only thing keeping me down is my broken leg. My cast goes all the way up to my thigh, making my coordination non-existent.
Hope has been battling her nightmares again. Waking up screaming, fighting the ghosts of her past, while her body is pushed past its limits. She wakes up exhausted, unable to go back to sleep because she’s in so much pain. Healing has been rough in both mind and body.
It’s been torture watching her struggle night after night. I’ve even sat in on some of her therapy sessions to learn what I can do to help her move forward. At this point, it’s just going to take time. Time for her mind to understand she’s no longer in danger. That she’s safe here with me.
Groaning, I sit up to kiss Hope on the forehead, then move to stand. “Stay there, love. I’ll scrounge us up some snacks.”
Using my crutches, I hobble into the kitchen. Balancing on one leg, I pull together some fruit, crackers, and pre-sliced cheese. Then, finding some salami, I add it to the tray, still in the package. There’s no way I’m opening that beast of a package while trying to balance on one foot.
“Shit.”
“What? What’s wrong?” Hope calls from the living room.
“I made a fucking amazing snack, but I’m just now realizing, I can’t carry it into the living room.”
The tinkle of Hope’s laugh has me turning around. Despite the dark circles, she’s radiant right now with a wide grin lighting up her dark eyes. It’s in these moments I know we’ll be okay. One day, this horrible nightmare will be behind us.
Before I can say anything else, my phone starts ringing on the counter. I’m glad I’m already up, otherwise, I wouldn’t have answered it.
“Hello.”
“Hey, Levi! You guys up and moving okay today?” Cooper asks. He and Quinn have been checking on us regularly. Between them and Mom, we’ll have frozen meals for the next six months.
“Yeah, we’re doing okay today. ”
“Good. I have a surprise for you. Think you guys are up for a field trip?”
“Let me ask Hope.” I mute the phone, then look at Hope. She’s already waiting for me to ask. “Cooper wants to know if you’re up for a field trip. He said they have a surprise for us.”
“I could use some fresh air.”
I smile, knowing that if she’s ready to leave the house, we’ve taken another step in the right direction of healing. Right after she got out of the hospital, she couldn’t even stand to go out on the patio. Luckily, Mom, Claire, and Sam have kept up with the shop so Hope hasn’t had to worry about it. Even the girls have helped out some despite being horrible at creating arrangements. Quinn sent me the photo evidence, which ended up giving Hope a good laugh.
I unmute the phone to tell Cooper we’re up for whatever it is they’ve got planned. After I hang up, I crutch my way back to the living room. When I sit down, I turn to Hope. “They’ll be here in an hour. Want to go eat the snack I made and then get dressed?”
“Sure.”
I lean in closer to Hope, needing the connection. I almost lost her. She could’ve been killed, and I have no idea what I would’ve done. She’s everything I’ve ever wanted. And I could’ve lost her.
Cupping the back of her head, I pull her closer to me so our foreheads touch. “I love you so much, Hope. You have every part of me in your hands. I want nothing more than to give you my everything, forever.”
“Levi,” she whispers. My lips cover hers before she can say anything else. Our kisses are slow, loving. Building our foundation again after it’s been cracked. Strengthening our love so we can move forward. It’s creating something new from the broken pieces, something beautiful .
When we pull back, I see all the love in my eyes reflecting back at me. Despite the darkness we’ve had to face, we’ve made it through. Together.