Somewhere

Chapter Twenty-Five

Sam

My body weighed a ton, pressing into my mattress. I fought through a haze, attempting to pry my eyes open, but it all took so much energy and I was still so tired. Groggily, I forced myself to wake up and I scowled against the light.

I don't know what I expected. The beeping came from a machine to my side and I was hooked up to an IV and I think I was wearing a hospital gown, which would normally lead me to think I was in a hospital bed.

However, at second glance, I might have been in a hotel room. A nice one too with wood flooring underneath a soft cream rug. There were large cotton curtains, all with a modern design. They painted the walls a soft yellow and the big screen TV was against striped wallpaper. There was a loveseat covered in pillows against the window, where my parents were sleeping in each other's arms. Nani slept in a big armchair, wrapped in a quilt from home. I was covered in blankets too, all patchwork and smelled like home. A big bookshelf held dozens of flowers and a few things with my name on it. I spotted a couple of mugs too.

I turned and by my side, Cooper smiled. He stared at me, his hand holding up his face. His eyes were sunken, rimmed with the shadows of sleepless nights. "Hi," he whispered.

"Hi," I croaked. Someone rudely replaced the walls of my throat with sandpaper.

Concern flashed over his face as he quickly grabbed a cup of water. He helped me sip, but half of it ended up down my neck. "Oh, sorry," he panicked, grabbing a towel. He wiped the excess water up, still smiling at me. The heart monitor beeped a little faster.

I told him, "I'm sorry I'm such a handful."

"It's okay," he chuckled and kissed my forehead. "I've got two hands."

I opened my hand out to him and he took it, sitting down. He asked me, "is it terrible I don't want to wake them? That I just want you for a few more minutes." I shook my head and he rubbed my hand with his thumb. His eyes hardened. He said, "thank you. Without you, I wouldn't have been able to stop Christopher. If you didn't jump down to help me, Christopher would have killed me." The truth squeezed my heart.

"Anytime," I chuckled, even though it hurt. "I just love to show off."

He laid his head into my hand, ever so gently. His voice cracked. "I thought I lost you."

"I wouldn't leave you," I said.

"You almost did."

"But I didn't."

"Sam," Cooper said my name and I loved it when he said it. No one said it like him. He said, "I want to love you for the rest of your life." He picked his head up, locking eyes with me. "I want to wake up in the morning next to you and I want to sleep next to you every night and I want to protect you. I want to yell at you for all the dumb reckless things you do and I want to celebrate your accomplishments. I want to make Somewhere the happiest place in the world, alongside you. Will you let me do that? Can I be with you? Forever?"

Tears pricked my eyes. "Forever doesn't feel like enough," I laughed, breathlessly. I pulled on his shirt and he leaned forward. Tenderly, we brushed each other's noses, our lips almost touching. "I love you," I whispered right into the kiss.

He leaned up, smiling sadly. "Times up."

And on cue, Nani stirred first, groaning nonsense. She slowly put the moment together, looking from me to Cooper and back. Suddenly, her eyes sprung open and she shouted, "Oh my god! Lilly! Lilly!" She smacked my mother on the arm, before jumping to her feet. "He's awake! Oh, Nawa!" She cried, throwing her arms around me.