Chapter 57

Rachel woke up to a rhythmic beeping sound coming from somewhere near her and when she opened her eyes, she felt as if someone had stuck tiny needles inside her eyelids because of how much they stung. A quick scan of her surroundings told her that she was in a hospital room and there were all kinds of tubes attached to her chest and hands. Her throat was parched and her lips were dry.

“Water,” she croaked as she tried to lift herself to a sitting position. She groaned at the effort because her back ached when she tried to sit.

“You’re awake!”

Rachel turned in the direction of the voice and was pleasantly surprised to see Derek sitting on a chair beside her bed. He looked disheveled yet insanely handsome.

“You’re here,” she rasped and then coughed because of the dryness in her throat.

“Hey, take it easy,” he said softly and gently propped her against the pillow. He picked up the jug of water on the bedstand and poured some water into a plastic cup and then held it to her lips for her to drink.

She drank the water hungrily and felt refreshed immediately. “Thank you,” she whispered, glad that she now sounded more like herself.

Derek took her hand in his and squeezed it gently. “You gave everyone a scare,” he said. “I nearly passed out when I got the call and heard what happened. I am so glad that you are ok, Rachel. I was so afraid, I flew down here like a mad man.”

She chuckled. “I’m so sorry I scared everyone. I don’t even remember much of what happened. Where’s Zoe?”

“She’s with your mom and Elaine and the others at my penthouse. They’re all fine and before you ask, I insisted that they all stay there and rest while I take my turn here with you. Taylor was discharged this morning, he too had a rough time with smoke inhalation but it seemed like you had it worse than him.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” she said. “But my mom’s house…?”

“The first floor got burned up pretty badly, mostly the kitchen and the bottom stairs but it’s nothing that can’t be fixed.”

“What happened? Did they ever find out what started the fire?”

“A faulty fuse in the kitchen blew up. I guess it’s been damaged for quite some time but nobody noticed. I’m just glad that you all made it out of that house alive.”

“I hope that wasn’t my fault though. I was in the kitchen before the fire started and I’d been there to make myself a cup of coffee. Maybe the coffee maker triggered the bad fuse and caused the fire.”

“I doubt that was the cause but even if it was, the culprit was the damaged fuse. It was a disaster waiting to happen and I’m glad that you guys noticed the fire before things really got out of hand.”

Rachel sighed. “Poor Mom, she must be so devastated.”

“Not really,” said Derek. “She’s shaken but not devastated. The insurance company will fix the damage and if they don’t, I’ll pick up the tab.”

“You don’t have to do that. Mom wouldn’t want you to pay for fixing her house anyway.”

“We shall see when the time comes, won’t we?” He replied with a grin.

“How did you get here so quickly?” She wondered aloud.

“Shane called me as soon as you guys were rushed off to the hospital and I got on my jet as soon as I could, and I arrived in New York yesterday morning.”

Rachel frowned. “Yesterday morning? But the fire outbreak happened last night.”

“No, Rachel. The fire outbreak happened two nights ago. You’ve been unconscious for 36 hours.”

She was stunned by this piece of information. “I can’t believe it. I felt like I just closed my eyes and opened them here. Speaking of which… I remember falling off my mom’s bedroom window.”

“Yes, and Taylor caught you before you landed on the ground. He’s officially my hero,” said Derek.

Rachel blinked back tears. “He saved my life,” she whispered.

“And I will be eternally grateful to him for that,” replied Derek softly. “I feel as if fate has given me another shot at life with you, Rachel. I thought you were overreacting when you stormed out of Rickman Manor with Zoe three days ago, but now I understand what you were trying to say.”

“What?”

“Everyone deserves to be with someone who makes their life complete, someone who adds color and beauty to their life. For me, that is you, Rachel. I admit that initially, I stayed with you out of duty because I felt guilty for abandoning you and Zoe before. I thought that giving you and Zoe whatever you wanted was my way of restituting for my past mistakes with you but that’s not what you wanted, that’s not love.”

Rachel felt her heart swelling with hope as he continued to speak.

“You wanted me to need you, to acknowledge your importance in my life and now I finally understand. These past few days without you have been hell for me, Rachel. I felt lost and useless, and I don’t want to ever feel that way again. I don’t want to ever live my life without you, Rachel. You complete me and you have made my life meaningful. I love you, Rachel Lane. I love you with all of my heart and soul and I want to go through the rest of my life with you beside me.”

“Oh, Derek,” she broke down in tears. “I love you so much, it hurts.”

He leaned forward and embraced her tightly, then he wiped her tears away with his thumbs. “It won’t hurt anymore, I promise.”

Someone knocked on the door, interrupting the intimate moment. Derek broke the embrace and sat back on the chair.

“Who is it?” He asked.

“The doctor,” answered Mark from the other side of the door.

“You have got to be kidding me,” Rachel laughed. “You brought your bodyguard to the hospital?”

“Well, the media got wind of what happened and they know you’re here. The paparazzi are already camped outside in front of the hospital.”

“Nothing again…” Rachel groaned dramatically.

There was a quick rap on the door again and this time, the doctor entered the room without waiting for a response from them.

“Morning, Miss Lane, Mr. Fraser,” greeted the middle-aged doctor. “I reckon you’ll have to inform your bodyguard that doctors have all access to see their patients whenever needed.”

“Of course,” said Derek with an apologetic smile. “I’ll let him know.”

“Great. I’m Doctor Kelly, by the way. It’s good to see that you’re awake now, Miss Lane. How are you feeling?”

“Tired,” she replied.

“That’s normal. How’s your breathing?”

“Ok. I think I feel pretty good now,” she said confidently. “When can I leave?”

“For now, we’ll place you on observation just to make sure that you are truly ok, and if your vitals remain steady for the rest of the day, you’ll be discharged this time tomorrow. How’s that?”

She shrugged. “Sounds good to me.”

“Awesome. I’ll send in a nurse to check your vitals and update your chart. The breakfast menu is on the bedstand, so feel free to let her know what you’ll be having and it will be sent up right away.”

“Thank you,” she smiled.

“We could swap that hospital meal for some gourmet breakfast instead,” said Derek after the doctor left. “What do you say?”

“Wouldn’t that be breaking the hospital rules?” She asked.

“We don’t follow the rules, remember?” He replied mischievously, making her laugh.

“Now that I think of it, I’m feeling ravenous and I think a three-course breakfast is an answer to that.”

“That’s what I’m talking about!”

Rachel laughed. It felt so good to have Derek here with her and her world seemed complete except for Zoe who wasn’t with them.

“I wish Zoe was here,” she mused. “We would all eat together and watch her make a huge mess with the food.”

“And piss off the doctors and everyone else in the hospital with our loud peals of laughter,” he added. “Man, I can’t believe I ever thought it was possible for me to live the rest of my life without you and Zoe in it. I feel so blessed to have you both in my life, Rachel. I mean it.”

“I know you do,” she said and put her hand over his beside the bed.

“I am looking forward to living the rest of my life with you,” he added. “I can’t wait to live happily ever after with you.”

She raised an eyebrow. “I thought you didn’t believe in all those mushy stuff?”

He grinned at her. “You have made me a believer, Rachel Lane, and now I can’t wait to live the rest of my life with you.”

“Aww… you’re going to make me cry,” she gushed.

Derek leaned forward and kissed her deeply. “I can’t wait for us to get out of here,” he said against her lips. “I’ve got plans for you, you know.”

She giggled. “You’re being a very naughty boy, Derek Fraser, simmer down.”

He laughed. “I love it when you get bossy with me like that.”

“Then get ready to be bossed around from now on.”

“I would love nothing more,” he said. “Now, how about that three-course breakfast? Kissing you has made me very hungry.”

Rachel laughed. This kind of playful, happy banter was what she signed up for and she couldn’t wait to experience more of it in the days to come. Derek was her happy place and she was extremely delighted to finally have him in her life again.