RYAN'S POV

It was around three o'clock and Bentley had been asleep on my shoulder for a few hours. People filtered in and out of the waiting room but my family all remained, bringing me coffee and chatting with words of encouragement to bring up my spirits.

"Is there a Ryan Bradley here?" An older nurse called out from the reception desk and I almost shot out of my seat but thankfully remembered the snoozing girl leaning against me. Mason gently pulled Bentley towards him, without waking her, and I jogged to the front desk.

"Hi, Ryan Bradley."

"Rebecca Hanson's fiancé correct?" she asked nosily.

"Yes. Is she allowed visitors now?" I was thrumming with excitement and couldn't wait to get to Becca's side.

"We don't want to overwhelm her so just you for now. Later on, we will allow two visitors at once. She's in room 314." Once the room number left the woman's mouth, I was basically speed walking down the hallway.

Room 310... 312... 314! Careful not to startle her, I knocked softly and opened the door surprisingly slow for how excited I was.

The first thing I noticed were the beeps of a heart monitor and other various equipment. After rounding a curtain, I finally saw Becca sleeping soundly on the hospital bed looking so weak. Her face was puffy and had a purple hue and her hair was just laying flat behind her head, still dirty with her blood. The rest of her was tucked under the white blankets and I was almost afraid to see what it looked like so I was glad it was hidden for now.

"Hey baby," I whispered and sat down next to the bed, gently taking her tiny hand in mine. "I love you so much Becs. I'm so sorry all this happened to you but you did such a good job being strong, I'm so proud of you." I quieted for a moment and was somewhat disappointed she hadn't woken up when I came in the room but not really... if you know what I mean. "I'll be here hun. You keep sleeping until you're ready to wake up... I love you sweetheart."

---

I sat in silence and just switched off between holding her hand and caressing it with my fingers. The beeps of the equipment set an interesting tempo and I got lost in a rhythm just staring at my beautiful girl. It was a few hours before the old nurse came in and asked if it was okay for other visitors to come in now.

"I'm not planning on leaving, but others can come in... they'll be happy to see her," I replied quietly, careful not to wake Becca.

My mom came in first with happy tears rolling down her face at the first sight of Becca.

"Oh my poor girl!" she whined and leaned down to kiss Becca's bruised cheek softly. "Has she been asleep the whole time?"

"Yeah. That's okay though, I'm sure she hasn't slept much in the past few days," I answer, never taking my eyes from Becca's face.

"Neither have you dear. I know you want to stay by her side but take a little nap if you must alright?" I smiled at my mom and she walked around the bed to lean down and hug me while I sat in the small chair. "I'm proud of you, Ryan." I scoffed in confusion.

"For what?"

"For being so caring and bringing Becca into your life. You were courageous enough to reach out and fight for her and brave enough to rescue her when she didn't have anyone else to count on. You're such an amazing person and I'm happy you found someone who means this much to you, someone to love as hard as I know you do."

"Well she's an amazing girl," I said with a shrug and refocused on Becca's face, "She deserves someone to fight for her and I'm glad she lets me do it."

"I love you baby." My mom kissed the top of my head and left the room with a smile. What she said made me happier than I've been in the past few days. I never thought I'd be the type to fall head over heels for a girl to the point of literally doing anything she wants, but here I was gratefully wound up in this beautiful girl beside me.

My dad came in for a short visit after my mom left. He's never one for spoken conversation but his actions spoke loudly. He rested a hand on my shoulder, gave it a squeeze, and smiled. Surprisingly, he leaned down to kiss Becca's forehead and run a hand over the top of her head before nodding and leaving the room silently so the next visitor could come in.

Next was Alex, who rushed to Becca's side as soon as he rounded the privacy curtain hanging between the bed and the door. He smiled and I watched in awe as a few tears rolled down his face.

"She did good," he said to me with a little smile – referring to how strong of a person she is to go through so much and come out the way she has.

"I knew she would."

"Me too," he smiled brightly and gently grabbed Becca's other hand. "Hannah went home with Will a little while ago. She wanted to stay, but her mom was giving him the fifth degree about bringing her on a mission like this."

"That's okay; I know this wasn't her fault. I was just acting out in anger because I was so scared. I'll apologize to her again." Alex nodded and left quietly after giving Becca's hand a slight squeeze.

Kate was the last visitor. She spent most of her short visit crying and telling Becca how she'd bring some nail polish and great smelling shampoo next visit so she could do her hair. After the initial shock of Becca being okay, she shared the news that Landon had come out of surgery and Bentley and Mason were waiting for him to wake up.

"Did everything go okay?" I was so relieved and happy to be by my girl's side, but I was also concerned for my best friend.

"They said it went the better than they could have hoped for! I sat with them before I came here and he's looking good. The doc said if he wakes up by tonight and doesn't have any bad reactions, he'll be able to leave Friday."

"Really? That fast?" Today was only Wednesday! How can he leave two days after being shot and operated on?

"Well he doesn't have any insurance so they have to release him as soon as it's safe," she explained sadly. "He's going to stay at your house though so your mom can keep an eye on him."

"Oh good. Keep me updated when he wakes up alright? Oh, do you have a phone charger?" I ask.

"Your mom went back to the hotel to grab your things and bring them here. You packed some stuff for Becca too right?"

"Yeah, her blanket and some clothes." Honestly I've been using her blanket every night in hopes of feeling closer to her and I brought along her favorite sweatshirt of mine knowing she'd want to be comfortable and cozy as soon as possible.

"Okay," Kate smiled and pushed Becca's matted hair back. "I'm going to go see how Landon's doing, but let me know if anything changes here okay?" I nodded and she turned to leave quietly.

---

My mom dropped off my duffle and brought some food for me since I hadn't eaten since we ordered pizza over twenty-four hours ago.

I ate some restaurant style Thai chicken soup and devoured the large sandwich that came with which caused me to be extremely sleepy. With all the worry that I've dealt with over the past few days and the exhaustion that came with it, I was trying hard not to fall fast asleep while my head leaned on Becca's legs and my hand lightly played with hers. I really wanted to join her on the bed and pull her close to me, but I didn't know how extensive her injuries were... why didn't anyone tell me? I immediately pressed the call button for the nurse – who came rushing in, probably thinking Becca was awake.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you or anything," I started awkwardly after sitting up quickly when she shot through the door. "I was hoping you could give me a report or something about Becca. The doctor hasn't come in and spoken with me yet."

"Oh my goodness! Someone should have come in and debriefed you! Let me grab her chart," she said in surprise and returned soon after with Becca's paperwork. "Alright, you're the fiancé correct? I need to know with HIPPA and everything..."

"Yeah. I'm the, uh, fiancé."

"Okay! It looks like Becca had a hemorrhage in an artery that leads up to her neck. With all the sudden movement it probably got dislodged, most likely from the blood that circulates around her lungs and ribcage, and caused a small blockage in the blood flow to her brain." That didn't sound good and I paled instantly. "It wasn't completely blocked, but that's what caused the seizure and it was just something that had to be taken care of immediately. She was awake before surgery and acting cognitively so we're almost positive there's no brain damage but we can't promise anything until she wakes up; however, the chances of damage are very slim." I was thankful for that.

"What are her other injuries?"

"Her left ribs are extremely bruised and four on the right side are broken with one that punctured the lung. There were a few areas that needed stitches but everything is taken care of and she just needs a lot of rest now to get back to her hundred percent," the nurse said cheerfully.

"Is there anything I need to watch out for?" I ask, now worried that Becca will start wheezing or something and I would be too stupid to call the doctor in.

"She is hooked up to all the monitors for now and those will notify us immediately if anything changes. We'll still check in about every half hour so if you need anything please let us know okay?" I nod. "Try to be mindful of her upper body and neck for now; she'll be extremely sore when she wakes up."

"Thank you," I say and she smiles and leaves after checking Becca's vitals on the many screens before me and writing some notes on the papers.

I was so lucky I got Becca back before it was too late. Kirk was no longer going to be a problem – Will would make sure of it – and we can finish high school and start our lives together without constantly watching our backs. My tiredness returned and I gently leaned my head against the bed near Becca's thighs and fell asleep to the beep of her heart rate that I felt in the pulse of her hand. I haven't been this relaxed and completely at ease in what felt like forever.