| Chapter 22: I'll stand by you, won't let nobody hurt you. I'll stand by you Take me in into your darkest hour and I'll never desert you I'll stand by you. Emily felt tired, her eyelids felt heavy. But she didn't want to sleep. She squeezed Lucky's hand tighter, afraid that if she let go or closed her eyes that he would go away, that none of this would have happened. "Don't leave." She whispered drowsily. "Never." Lucky replied. He watched as she drifted off to sleep, and as her breathing became steady. Emily's grip loosened, but Lucky still hung on to her hand. The door opened and Bobbie poked her head in. "Hi Lucky, how is everything?" Lucky shrugged. "She just fell asleep." "Well, I think she needs her rest." "Can I stay here with her?" "It's against the rules of the hospital…"Bobbie looked at Lucky's pleading face. "But yeah, you can stay here. There's an extra blanket and pillow in the closet." "Thanks Aunt Bobbie." "Yeah…" Bobbie smiled. "You owe me." As the door shut, Lucky got up and walked over to the closet. He pulled out a blanket and pillow and settled back in the chair by the bed. He pulled the blanket over top of him and lay his head back on the pillow, keeping an eye on Emily. She stirred, and for a minute Lucky thought that she was going to wake up, but her breathing resumed its steady pace. Lucky took Emily's hand in his own again and closed his eyes, ready to fall asleep. He reopened his eyes to feel pressure against his hand. He smiled as he realized that Emily had gently squeezed it. He gazed down at this friend. "I'm going to show you the world, Em." He whispered. "Nikolas?" The dark haired boy turned around and smiled. "What are you doing here?" she asked. "I-"Nikolas swallowed, trying to speak clearly. "Came to…see you." Sarah could feel herself smiling. "Really." He nodded and offered her his hand. "I thought…about…what you said." He helped Sarah down from the rock. "I'm sorry." "I just missed you Nikolas." She glanced away. "Why wouldn't you let me see you?" "I didn't want you to see me like this." Sarah shook her head. "I don't care what you sound like, don't you get that?" she paused. "I'm in love with you, Nikolas Cassadine." |