Volume 4

Volume 4.

I.

Sounds began to echo in his head, many many busy sounds.. Where was he? He opened his eyes, shut them quickly. It was bright. He moaned out quietly, throwing his arms up to shield his eyes, he was moving. Fast, he was moving. Down a hallway? Dying, perhaps. A hand grabbed his, held it tight. The sound of tears, the sound of machines. Who's tears? He peeked out from his arms.  Dawn Edwards. She was holding his hand against her chest and weeping -- calling his name, saying something. What? What was she saying? The light faded.. His name was screamed out, it must have been Dawn. Slowly, again it was black. 
It was hours later until Johnny woke again. His eyes opened, widened then retracted. It was bright still, but not quite so blurry. In fact, it wasn't blurry at all now. Sounds had died down, and he gave his head a shake while he looked around. He shifted, but a sharp pain in his side brought him to a halt and he groaned quietly. One of his hands didn't move, and slowly he looked over to see it was clasped within another.. He caught a glimpse of golden-blonde hair. Dawn was at his bedside, slumped over at his side in a chair, her hand holding tiredly onto his. Her back moving slowly up and down suggested to him that she was asleep. He looked around again, let out another discontented groan and looked at the heart monitor. He was in a hospital.
Again his gaze shifted to Dawn, and he moved his arm a little to shake her, "Dawn.. Dawn.." He said quietly, trying to wake her. He was exhausted. Weak. "Dawn," She shifted, waking up quickly before she saw him and tightened her hand around his, pulling it close to her. 
"Johnny," she smiled, though her eyes were still puffy and red. She had been crying. He tightened his own grip on her's, though only as tight as he could. Her hand was warm in his, and it was then that he realized he was cold.. 
"What hap--" He glanced around again, "What happened? Why am I here?" Quickly another thought haunted his mind, coma. His eyes became horrified. "How long have I been asleep?" 
Her answer relieved him, "Only a few hours, Johnny.. It's okay."  He looked at her again, holding onto her hand. 
"What happened to me?" 
She looked at him, worried -- for a moment, he though she was going to cry again. He brushed his thumb lightly against the back of her hand to reassure her. Speak, he thought. Please speak..
"You.. She shot you, George said that you were shot, in the side."
That explains the pain in my side. 
"Is it.. Bad?" 
She shook her head,  "No, not as bad as it could have been. It didn't hit anything important.. Does it hurt you? I can call the nurse.." 
"No, no it's okay." he said quietly, reaching his other hand over to pull down the sheet, looking himself over. He was wrapped, all the way around his torso from where his chest stopped to where his hip began with a bandage. Luckily, no blood had run through it to stain the white cloth. Suddenly he was a little more relieved, and slowly he felt her thumb running back and forth against his palm as she looked at the bandage and grimaced. 
"Oh Johnny.." 
"It's okay," He pulled up the blankets again, after situating the blue paper gown. He looked at her and smiled reassuringly. "I've been hurt worse, huh?" 
She let out a quick little uncomfortable laugh, before bring his hand up to rest her cheek against it. "I was so scared.. Scared that you'd." She trailed off, and he licked his lips quickly before feeling uneasy. 
"Scared that I wouldn't wake up..?" She looked at him, eyes watering again before she sniffled and looked around, noticing the cup next to his bed.  
"Are you thirsty?" 
He looked over, swallowed. His throat hurt. He nodded, and she nodded too before slipping onto his bedside and sliding her hand under the back of his head. She touched him so gently, pulling him forward only slightly. The movement made him wince, and she gasped. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry.. Easy," She moved the straw to his mouth, and slowly he drank -- gratefully until she pulled it from him. 
"Okay.. They said you shouldn't drink too much," She sat it back down, but stayed at his side for a moment while she lay his head back down. She sat back in her chair, still at his side as she took his hand again and held it between both of her own, thumb moving almost mechanically back and forth.. Back and forth. He looked at her, curiously though his eyes were tired.  
"What time is it?" 
She glanced at the clock, before shrugging. "About two in the morning." 
"Why didn't you go home and sleep? How long have you been here?" 
"I was here when they brought you in. I didn't want to leave," 
"Why?" He looked at her now, and suddenly felt something begin to tug at his emotions. What was it like for his loved ones after the accident? Who was here with him for hours on end? Why was she here for him, where was his father? She looked at him, giving his hand a squeeze. 
"I didn't want to leave in case you woke up.. I didn't want you to be alone, and confused. I mean, I wanted to wait for you." 
John swallowed hard, and for a moment he felt his eyes watering. She kept speaking to him, even though he had closed his eyes again. "I would have waited until they dragged me outta here by my hair, Johnny.. I.. I love you, you know? I just.." She struggled to say the words, but she had bitten down on her lip. It was out, there was no going back. She didn't say anything else. It took him a moment to register it, and he found himself squeezing her hand. With a slow nod, he looked over at her to see she was almost crying again. 
It took everything in her to keep from wrapping her arms around him, and slowly he spoke.  
"I love you too." the words were whispered, whooshed out by a breath in his chest.  
Something inside her flickered on, and she smiled slightly as he kept nodding. Kept nodding.
She waited for me.. She's been waiting for me. 
Slowly she rose, and he looked up at her as she set down next to him and held a hand against his cheek -- which he leaned in to but kept his eyes on her as she leaned down and kissed his brow gently, before she moved down and her lips were against his own in a gentle kiss. The kiss that startled him slightly, but he squeezed onto her hand gently as she pulled away only to lower back down to kiss him again. His heart monitor began to keep with the way his heartbeat started to rise, but they didn't notice. Again, though for a moment that lasted for what seemed like forever, they were in another world while they kissed one another. Slowly she pulled away, smiling. 
"I always knew you'd come around." she said, quietly while she stroked his cheek gently under her open palm. Johnny's piercing blue eyes stared up into her's, and again he took her hand into his. She was rubbing his face now, so gently that it was putting him to sleep.  
Nothing protested in his head. The voices were quiet.  
Gently, her hand began to run through his hair, then it went back to his face when she ran her fingers across his cheek gently before she pulled away and sat back down in her chair. His hand was still encased in her's when she lay down her head, but he had opened his eyes again to look at her. "Go home and sleep, Dawn. Don't sleep in that chair like that.." 
She shook her head in protest, "I'll be okay," 
He sighed, pulling her hand slightly until she lifted his head to look at him, "Hmm?" 
John motioned to her, mouthing a come here. 
She obeyed, standing and sitting down next to him until he sighed quietly and pulled her down, enough to where she got the hint and lie down next to him, up against his good side. She lay her head down on his chest, and he found himself wrapping his arm down under her neck and around her shoulders to hold her close to him, even though they were separated by the sheet. They both sighed in sync, and slowly he drifted off to sleep.. Into the darkness that awaited him.   

II.

It wasn't but a few months, when Johnny healed, until he moved out of Herb's house and into another town. Dawn moved in with him. After a few weeks, things went back to normal. Johnny got a job, tutoring adolescents privately during the day. Dawn got a job as a waitress, at a diner half a mile or so down from their house -- and they lived. Contently at that, though Johnny rarely left the house. He was growing weaker and weaker by the week, it seemed. Eventually his eyes seemed to be sunken into his skull, and his eyes had begun to dull -- his skin, still deathly pale. Often he would shoot awake at night, and she would hold him until he calmed down and went to sleep again, whispering gentle words to him. 
When his birthday came, she slipped from their bed and baked him a cake -- so that he could have it when he woke. When he did wake, it was to the smell of it, but luckily she had just gotten it done and was decorating it when he came down the stairs, and into the kitchen with a tired smile. 
"What are you up to?" 
Dawn jumped, flinched at the suddenness of his voice and she whirled around, smiling innocently as she scampered over to him and threw her arms around his neck, standing up on her tip-toes to kiss him.
"Good morning," She whispered, only inches away from his mouth as she stared up at him, grinning. He stared down into her eyes, smirking slightly until he leaned down to rub his nose gently against her's.
"Good morning," he replied, "Now what are you up to?"
A giggle rang out from her chest as she pulled away from him and walked back to where she was decorating the big, white cake; but by the look of the slight bags under her eyes, she had been up for a while now. She mocked his voice, "Nuthin."
"It doesn't look nor smell like nuthin" He said, limping up behind her to peek over her shoulder. "..Why did you bake me a cake?"
She rolled her eyes and scoffed, "Because it's your birthday, you freakin' kook."
He looked at her, spinning her around and looking down at her with a gentle smile. "You shouldn't have, Dawn.. How long have you been up?"
She put a hand against his chest, "Long enough, now go sit down so I can finish?"
Johnny smiled warmly down at her, looking down at his feet nervously for a moment before he put a hand against the side of her arm and leaned down to kiss her mouth gently.
"Thank you." 
She smiled up at him almost bashfully before she merely nodded to him, turning away as he released her and sat down at the kitchen table. He grabbed a book, though he ended up just watching as she decorated it, hands very careful and yet powerful. After a few minutes, she sighed and sunk her shoulders slightly, looking back at him. 
"Would you stop staring at me, John Smith?"
A laugh erupted from his chest, and he shook his head before she began to laugh along with him with the rolling of her eyes. He grabbed the book again and read it with an amused smile on his face. It wasn't but about seven minutes until a hand grabbed his book, and it was yanked gently from his hands to be tossed onto the kitchen table with a papery, sliding thud noise. He flinched slightly, but relaxed when he looked up at her and she sighed before sitting down on his lap, wrapping an arm around his neck and entangling her fingers in his soft, sandy brunette hair.
"Your cakes done."
"Is that right?"
"Mmhm."
He nodded, holding a hand gently on the small of back as he looked at her, eyes darting from her eyes to her mouth. He swallowed hard, almost uneasily as he stared at her, but he just gave a smile and nodded again before squeezing her to him. "Thank you, Dawn. You didn't have to,"
She leaned against him, wrapping her other arm around him now and pulling him closer to her. "I know that, but I did anyway. Happy Birthday, Johnny."
He nodded, smiling and letting out a gentle chuckle at her, his lips curling over his teeth in a warm grin. 
Something inside her began to ache by how close they were. Slowly, Dawn pulled away from him and walked over, grabbing the pan that held the cake and bringing it over to the table to set it in front of him. She stood before him, arms crossed over her chest as she looked from the cake to him, and back again.
"What do you think?"
John looked over at it, and was taken back almost instantly.
The thing was damn-near elegant. It was one of the most perfect looking cakes he had ever seen in his twenty nine years of life, minus five.
"Well, I.." He closed his jaw, which had dropped a little farther than he wanted. She was watching him, trying not to giggle. 
He let out a gentle chuckle, wrinkling his brow quickly and thoughtfully,
"Wow, Dawn.. Were you a baker, something?"
She laughed quietly, running a bashful hand through her golden-blond locks. "For a year or so, yeah. Do you like it?"
Johnny looked at her, nodding "Of course, it's wonderful. You've got a creative hand.. You always did."
She shrugged, giggling quietly and looking at it. It was a white cake, white icing. It had flowers around the edges, and in the middle it had "Happy B-Day Johnny", but the letters came out of vine-like plants made of icing, and in the middle was a small tree, with a heart formed out of the branches. 
"You must have been working on that for hours.."
"Hour, or so.. Maybe an hour and a half.. Who looks at clocks, anyway?" She shrugged, like it was nothing. 
Johnny stood up, next to her though he was a head taller. At first, lost for words. "Why did you.. You shouldn't have--" He swallowed. Wrong words."Thank you, Dawn."
She looked over at him, nodding before she walked over and wrapped her arms around him -- sliding her arms through his unbuttoned sweater and hugging him close. "You're welcome."
When she looked up at him, she stood up on her tip toes and let her eyes drift closed as she kissed him. He leaned into her slightly and slowly, but as they kissed it grew more passionate through the seconds that passed until it left them both breathless, and she broke away because of the way she had begun to long for him. Dawn put her hand on his chest, smiling but picking softly at one of the buttons of his shirt. He held a hand gently under her elbow, getting her attention as he leaned down and kissed her again -- long and deeply at first, but then he pulled away and kissed her once again, more quickly and leaving her heart racing in her chest. 
Her head began to spin, but even still she moved closer to him until their bodies were touching and leaning against each other.
Her blue eyes stared up at him, and while he looked down at her he smiled and mouthed a quiet I love you to her, that left her grinning ear to ear at him and nodding. 
"I love you too, Johnny."
She decided then, that if he asked her to go to bed with him that night that she'd say yes. And if he didn't ask first, she would. 
Thankfully, he ended up asking her while holding her on the couch later that night by the fireplace. She agreed.
They had one another, to make up for the lost time that they hadn't, and just to have each other. 
Afterwards, they lie in bed, holding one another. He mentioned how odd their love story was.. Such an odd story. She whispered, in addition that it was romantic as it was odd. John agreed with her, and he wondered quietly, if she wrote a book about it, what would she call it? She answered with a quiet giggle, "A Dustland Fairytale."
Slowly, she ran her hand against the soft skin of his bare chest -- the couple hairs there tickling against her palm, but even there his skin was soft and warm. Slowly her hand ran up, against his neck where she eventually crawled up to lie atop him; his bare skin soft against her own; and kissed against, giggling quietly before she began to kiss up his jawline, his cheek, and then his mouth again. His hand held her at her back, and he leaned his head up slightly to kiss her back until she pulled away and laid back down next to him, her head against his chest, and her hand accompanied her head there. 
As she was falling asleep, he reached his hand over to take hold of her's atop his chest. They were still in this frozen embrace when she awoke again the next morning.