Lewis had been knocked out cold only once before when he was thirteen and had taken a volleyball to the face during a gym class and hit his head on the way down. At the time, he’d woken with ringing in his ears and while a dull pain had pulsed at the back of his skull, it had mostly felt like he’d been stuffed full of sand. This time was much worse. The ringing was louder, like a clanging bell just inside his ears, his entire body ached and his head pounded as though someone was beating him with a mallet from within his skull, which now felt like it housed a boulder.

He groaned as he opened his eyes, only to immediately squeeze them shut against the blinding lights that had bombarded his vision with fuzzy gray spots.

He was more cautious the second time as he reopened them and blinked rapidly until his eyes adjusted. He had one of the worst headaches he’d ever had and was desperate for something to dampen it.

He was sprawled flat on a twin bed with a thin sheet tucked up around his chest. When he turned his head, he saw his left hand bound in a thick cast and tucked up in a sling against his chest. That explained the burning throb emanating from the limb.

The room was small and simple, with cream coloured walls. There was a nightstand with a lamp and a small digital clock that read seven. It was evening. He’d been unconscious for at least three hours.

Lewis wasn’t given much time alone to collect himself before the handle turned and the door to the room swung open with a slow creak of its hinges.

He frowned and narrowed his gaze at the doorway. A tall, bulkier man stood there. He had charcoal skin and chocolate eyes, and his hair was buzzed short, but he smiled widely when he caught Lewis looking. “Finally awake, huh?” he inquired as he strode into the room.

Lewis winced as he slowly propped himself up with his good arm. His head spun as he sat up, but he took a breath and held it, counting to five in his head before releasing it. He felt better after that.

“You’ll want to take it slow,” the man advised. “You and your girlfriend took quite the spill down that ravine.”

As the man spoke, everything that had happened came rushing back. “Sophie,” Lewis panicked. “Where is she? She was hurt, I-” he broke off as he tried to surge out of bed and nearly toppled over. He was still quite dizzy. The other man braced his hand on Lewis’ chest and carefully guided him back into a stable, sitting position.

“Easy there,” he said. “You’ve had quite the day. The woman with you is fine; my wife’s a nurse and with her now. She’s banged up worse than you, scrambled her brains a little on impact, but Sara thinks she should be alright with a little rest. I’ll take you to see her, but you got to settle down, mate. You’re going to hurt yourself if you push too fast. You alright?”

“Yeah,” Lewis replied. He waved his hand to shoo the stranger away. It felt rude, but he was feeling a bit on edge. “What happened?” he pressed. “Who are you?”

“I suppose I didn’t introduce myself,” the man conceded. “I’m Mitch. You were in a car accident. You swerved off the road if you recall. You got a name, mate?”

“Lewis,” Lewis replied. He was feeling a bit better now, less lightheaded, so he pushed himself upright and regarded Mitch. “I appreciate the help, but I really need to get to Sophie and make sure she’s alright.”

Mitch nodded. “Can’t blame you for that. It would be my first priority in your shoes as well. Alright, I’ll take you down the hall. Do you need a shoulder?”

Lewis shifted his weight from foot to foot. His balance felt fine, so he shook his head. “Thanks, but I’ll be alright,” he refused.

Mitch nodded and crossed the room to the doorway before turning and waiting for Lewis to catch up. Standing had been one thing, but walking took more exertion than Lewis had anticipated, so he found himself shuffling slowly out of the room.

He leaned against the wall as they made their way down the hall, but found a bit more energy once Mitch gestured into another room with an open door.

It was quite similar to the one Lewis had just left, and Sophie was sprawled flat much in the same way he had been. Her neck was propped up with a pillow and bandages had been wrapped around her skull. Her eyes were closed and her posture limp, and she was being watched over by a lanky woman leaned against the wall. Her skin was like coffee grinds and she wore her curly hair up in a bun with a few wisps frizzing out. She eyed Lewis with a raised eyebrow as he entered. He assumed this was Sara.

“Figured you’d find your way here eventually. She hasn’t woken yet. You’d best learn to be more careful on the road, you hear? Your reckless adventure could have ended far worse than a good bump on the head and a fracture.”

“We weren’t joyriding,” Lewis protested softly so he wouldn’t disturb Sophie. “We were cut off. A truck cut in front of us and clipped the side of the van. I swerved away to avoid a bigger collision and lost traction.” He kept his suspicions about being purposefully run off the road to himself. Sophie was in no fit state to leave in a hurry and he didn’t want Sara and Mitch to think they were trouble. “Is she alright?”

Sara pursed her lips and made a somewhat disapproving noise before nodding. “She’s lucky. There was physical trauma, but it seems to be mostly external. She’ll have a headache for a while and might be a little disoriented and dizzy for a few hours, but she should be fine so long as she doesn’t try to do much too quickly, and avoids any further head trauma, of course.”

Lewis dipped his head in understanding. “Thank you,” Lewis expressed. “For everything; we would have been in a lot of trouble without your help.”

“Yes,” Sara agreed with a quirked brow. “You would have been. Now she needs to rest, but you can sit with her for a while if you like. No heroics if a problem arises; holler. I’ll be down the hall.” Sara didn’t wait for a response before she turned and exited the room. Lewis pursed his lips to keep from chuckling in front of Mitch. Sara came off as strict, impatient, and blunt, but she had tolerated and aided them thus far, so Lewis decided he liked her. He owed them both his gratitude.

Mitch began to laugh and he clapped Lewis on the shoulder. “Love, right? You got the look about you. Sara’s a little like cactus fruit, prickly on the outside but with a sweet center. What’s she like?” He nodded in Sophie’s direction.

Lewis sighed. “Perfect…and too hard on herself.”

“Well, good thing she’s got you then,” Mitch replied. “I’m going to go help Sara with getting something to eat ready. A late supper is better than none at all. It’s further down the hall and to the left if you need anything, alright?”

Lewis took a deep breath and nodded. “Thank you.”

He moved to Sophie’s side. There was a chair beside the bed, so Lewis pulled it closer with his good hand and sat down with a sigh. He still felt winded and dizzy, but at least they were both alright. He felt a surge of guilt scald his throat like acid as he stared at her. She was visibly bruised along one arm and the side of her face, and thick bandaged wrapped snuggly around her head and smooshing up her curly hair at odd angles. She looked frail like this – though he knew she was anything but – and it broke his heart to see her in this state. He reached out and took her hand in his own and rubbed his thumb over her knuckles. “I’m sorry, Soph,” he whispered. “I should have been more careful.”

At least the rise and fall of her chest was steady, her breathing deep. Sara had mentioned the likelihood of a concussion, but no severe brain damage. Her body was probably just sleeping off the shock, but Lewis was desperate for her to open her eyes so he could know for sure that she was alright.

Despite his hopes, Lewis sat by her side for what felt like an eternity with no true response from the woman he loved. He was starting to feel drowsy again and wondered if he should just put his head down on the corner of the bed so he wouldn’t be ragged when Sophie finally did rouse.

He rose shakily from the chair and awkwardly adjusted the thin blanket draped over her body. He tucked it in more around her sides and tugged the lip up closer to her collar bone the way she liked. It was a shaky process – he wasn’t used to using just one hand for things – but he managed to accomplish the task without jostling her too much. Still, Sophie was usually a very light sleeper – he imagined she’d trained herself into the habit of rousing at the slightest disturbance after Katie came to live with her – and when she didn’t so much as stir, his heart sunk further. She truly was down for the count and it made him worry all the more for her wellbeing.

Finally, he plopped back down in the chair and brought his hand to his head. His headache hadn’t subsided and was only growing worse. He shifted, pushed the chair out a little further, and leaned against the bed to put his head down.

Sophie was still sleeping deeply and he began to wonder if perhaps part of the reason was her body catching up on what she’d been depriving it of for the last few weeks. She’d been barely sleeping or eating and had been fretting a lot. She needed to rest, he only hoped that would help her recover more quickly. He’d felt rather useless to her lately. After being unable to help Katie and unable to keep Luna hidden, and now being a partial cause of their accident – he still blamed the reckless truck driver, but his hasty reactions hadn’t helped – and he only hoped that she was going to be alright now. “I’ll make it up to you,” he promised her in a hushed tone. “We’ll fix all of it.”

He took another breath and finally closed his eyes. He was no good to her when his head was spinning and he felt ready to topple over. As soon as his eyelids slid shut, Lewis’ body felt incredibly heavy and he found himself drifting off once more.

***

“Lewis?” Sophie’s voice was soft and slurred, but it snapped Lewis awake instantly. When he sat up, he saw her with a hand shielding her eyes, blinking blearily. “Lewis, what happened?”

“Sophie, you’re awake,” he breathed. “Thank goodness. Are you alright?” He rose carefully and moved closer to sit on the side of the bed and leaned partially over her. He imagined the light was as blinding for her as it had been for him, and wanted to block some of it from her face.

“My head hurts,” she complained with a wince. “I…your arm,” she broke off with a frown and he shook his head.

“It’s fine, Soph, don’t worry. I’m just glad you’re awake. I was really worried…you hit your head really hard, there was blood, I just…”

Sophie lifted a shaky hand and cupped his cheek. “It wasn’t your fault,” she whispered. He hated how well she could read his self-guilt. “But I hope you got the plate off the bastard that hit us because I’m going to rip them a new one.”

Lewis chuckled and shook his head. He leaned down and gently pressed his lips to hers. “I’m sure you will and I’ll help. Do you want to sit up?”

“Please,” she agreed. He gripped one of her arms with his good hand and slowly pulled her up. Her breath whistled between her teeth as she sat up, and her free hand remained pressed to her forehead.

“Too fast?” he inquired.

She slowly shook her head and the muscle in her jaw feathered as she clenched her teeth together. “No. No, I’m okay. Just a little woozy is all. Lewis, where are we?”

Lewis frowned. “I’m not entirely sure. I was knocked out too. I woke up in the other room. There’s a couple here; Mitch and Sara. Sara is a nurse and she’s tended to both of us now, but I have no idea how we got here or why we weren’t just taken to a hospital,” he admitted.

Sophie’s brows furrowed and she chewed on her lip for a few moments. Lewis waited patiently for a response; she had to be feeling a bit scrambled right now, all things considered. He certainly still was, and he hadn’t suffered a head injury. “I think I’d feel better knowing a bit more. I suppose we owe them our thanks either way.”

Lewis caught Sophie by the arm and held her back as she tried to get further upright. “Soph, I’m concerned too, but I don’t think you should be trying to get up that quickly. You have a concussion and you were unconscious for quite a while. You need to take it easy for a bit.”

Sophie’s frown morphed into a scowl and her jaw tightened while one brow raised. “We’re not exactly in a secure situation right now. I won’t sit here in a stranger’s home without any answers as to how we got here or who our hosts are,” she growled in a sharp tone.

Lewis tried not to be offended by how sharp she was being. She’d been under a lot of stress as of late, and the situation had stretched even her good nature to its breaking point. Sophie was usually the trusting type who would show kindness first and pass judgement later as necessary, but Lemuria had burned them all fairly viciously for that sort of thinking. And to top it off, she had to have a killer migraine if his own brain ache was anything to go off of.

He took a breath and embraced her. She was tense in his grasp so he tightened his one-handed hold and began rubbing her back. Her weight was against his bad arm, but he ignored the pressure and the tingles of pain that pulsed through the limb. “I’m scared too,” he admitted. “But your health is more important to me right now. I’ll go down the hall and ask some questions, but you have to promise to lie back down and wait here for me, alright? I don’t want to risk you fainting trying to exert yourself too soon.”

Sophie remained silent and rigid against him for just long enough to convince him she was going to lash out and argue, but then she relaxed in his embrace and returned the gesture. He felt her weight shift to take the pressure off his arm, which he appreciated immensely. She shook her head against his shoulder. “Just stay here,” she caved. “Please. If you won’t take me with you, then stay. Someone will have to come to check in on us eventually and we can get answers then. I-I need to not be alone right now.”

Lewis continued to rub her back and he twisted his head to press a kiss to her cheek. “I’m not going anywhere,” he whispered. “I promise.”

Sophie squeezed him as he spoke and he winced as it jarred his arm, but he didn’t dare pull away. The small twinge of pain was worth being close to her. “Good. Because I never want you to leave my side again.”

Lewis’ heart thumped sporadically in his chest as he held her close. Her frizzy red locks were tickling his nose, but he relished her warmth as she cuddled up against him. She made it seem like it was going to be a burden to remain close, but there was nothing that made him happier. He kissed the crown of her head and nervously shifted his weight. “Soph?”

“Hmm?” she murmured.

He was glad she seemed a little bit more relaxed now, and it was rare that they got a calm moment to themselves these days, so he hoped he wasn’t about to screw it all up. “I know now is probably not the best time and I promise, when things settle down and we get a better moment, I’ll do this properly; how you deserve, but…” he broke off to take a nervous breath and then continued. “When this is all over and things settle down…will you marry me?”

As he felt Sophie stiffen in his embrace, worry gnawed at his gut like a wild dog on a bone. They were in a highly stressful situation and it was more of a selfish request, but he wanted her to know that he wanted to be there with her, always. He reluctantly loosened his grip as she sat up. Her brilliant green eyes were sparkling with moisture. At first, he worried he’d distressed her as the first tear dripped from the corner of her eye to slide down her cheek. It was followed by another on the other side, and then they began to flow freely, but a smile spread on her lips and she nodded.

She leaned forward again and her fingers clenched in his shirt as she pulled up closer to her too so that she could kiss him. He happily returned the gesture. “Yes,” she gasped when they broke apart for a moment. “I will. I will, but…Lewis? Katie and Riley have to be there, okay? I-I can’t do that without them, I won’t. We have to sort everything else out.”

Lewis nodded. “I want them there too,” he agreed. “I want our family together. But I need you to know that I’m all in, Soph. You girls are my world and that’s never going to change.” He pulled her close again. “Besides, I’m not going to miss the opportunity to see you try to wrestle Riley into dressing up.”

Sophie burst out laughing as he spoke and she shook her head. “I’ll never get her in any sort of dress, you know that,” she laughed. “But maybe we could convince her to wear a bowtie or something.”

Lewis snorted at the thought as he pictured it. He knew that if Riley did give them a hard time, it would mostly be in her mischievous playful nature and just to be difficult.

“It’ll be perfect,” Lewis agreed and he bowed his head to kiss her again.

“You’re both up then, good.” Sara’s sharp voice echoed from the doorway and made Lewis jump. He heard Sophie suck in a breath as they pulled apart and both turned to look at the woman hovering in the open doorframe. “How do you feel?” she jerked her chin in Sophie’s direction.

Sophie coughed and cleared her throat, and pushed herself up a little better on the bed. “Like I was hit by a truck.” Lewis shook his head at her twisted attempt at humour. “I imagine I’m going to have this headache for a while, but I’ll be alright.”

Sara nodded and strode into the room. She was carrying a glass of water and a labelless pill bottle. “Take two,” she said as she handed both off to Sophie. Her hand hovered as though she expected Sophie to be unable to hold it.

Sophie frowned and set the water aside to uncap the pill bottle. She shook two of the red tablets into her hand. They had a dark A branding on them and were easily recognizable. It was probably the only reason Sophie lifted one to her lips. Lewis winced. He’d known Sophie a long time now, and he’d never seen her physically struggle with something more than she did trying to choke down a pill. She took a sip of water and sputtered a little.

She seemed to get it down in record time for her, but her face was all scrunched up and she shook her head as she repeated the process with the other one. “Thank you,” she gasped finally. She took another drink from the glass before setting it down on the small bedside table. “And thank you for all of your help, but I do have some questions.” While her tone expressed her gratitude, Sophie wore a hard expression. Her brows were dipped together and her emerald gaze shone with a cold shimmer not unlike the gemstones they resembled. She met Sara’s similarly clinical gaze with unwavering attention.

Lewis wasn’t entirely certain what sort of silent battle was going on between the two women, but Sara was the first to cave with a dip of her head. “That’s reasonable. If you’re feeling well enough, we should get you up and down the hall for something to eat. It should help the both of you perk up a bit more and we can talk then.”

Sophie pushed herself up further and curled her legs close. Lewis was watching her carefully and saw when her eyes rolled in her skull. She shook herself and blinked rapidly. “I…I think I’m going to need a hand,” she admitted.

Lewis reached out and curled an arm around her back. “Put your arm across my shoulders,” he instructed softly. Sophie looked like she wanted to protest, but he shook his head and she complied with a sigh. Her grip was loose, but it tightened to clench his shirt desperately as he slowly pulled her up. She stayed upright, but her legs were shaking and he was taking the brunt of her weight. He didn’t mind though. “I’ve got her,” he assured Sara when he caught her looking skeptical.

The woman pursed her lips and then merely turned and began leading them further through the house. It was once again a slow-going process to get himself and Sophie into the dining room, where he carefully lowered her into a chair. Sophie’s eyes were squeezed shut and while he wasn’t sure if she was in pain or just woozy, he kept a hand on her back until she reopened them and smiled fragilely. “I’m okay,” Sophie assured him. “Thank you.”

He reluctantly stepped back to give her a little space to breathe, but pulled out the chair beside her and sat down so he could grab her if she happened to topple over. For the moment, she seemed relatively stable, however.

Sara took a seat opposite them at the table and a moment later, Mitch entered with steaming bowls of stew for the four of them. Sophie and Lewis both thanked him as he handed them the food.

He shrugged and waved a hand. “Don’t mention it. It’s just something light; I imagine after today neither of you is going to feel up to a large meal. Just eat what you can.”

Silence stretched between the four of them for several minutes afterwards, with only the clinking of metal spoons against ceramic bowls to disturb the silence. The soup itself was quite tasty, but as Mitch had predicted, Lewis had very little appetite and could only bring himself to pick at it.

It was Sophie who finally broke the silence as she put her spoon down and folded her arms on the table. “What happened?” she inquired. “And who are you? If you found us after the accident, why weren’t we taken to a hospital?”

Mitch shook his head. “We didn’t find you. You were brought to us.”

“I don’t tend to ask too many questions when I’ve got a couple of patients who are unconscious and battered from a car wreck. We had no idea what sort of injuries the two of you might have had. Thankfully they were minor all things considered, but it looked worse initially,” Sara added.

As they spoke, a feeling of dread began to squeeze at Lewis’ gut. He exchanged a look with Sophie that indicated she was just as concerned. “Who was it?” he asked.

Mitch shrugged. “I don’t know them personally, but we’ve worked before helping people who want to avoid mainstream medical care. Are you two criminals or paranoids?”

Lewis shook his head. “Neither,” he replied. He glanced at Sophie again. She looked queasy, but he wasn’t sure if that was entirely fear-based or if her injuries were getting to her. Either way, it didn’t feel right that someone wanted them away from an official hospital where there would be paperwork and records of the admittance. It didn’t feel like Lemuria’s direct tendency since Lewis would expect them to have simply dealt with Sophie and himself among their own ranks, but it was still unnerving.

Lewis cleared his throat and shakily rose from the table. “Thank you for all of your help, it’s greatly appreciated. But Sophie and I were in a hurry before the accident. Would you mind allowing me the use of your phone? I’ll call a friend to pick us up and we’ll get out of your hair.”

Mitch stood up as well, but instead of offering to show Lewis to a phone, the man merely smiled grimly and shook his head. “I’m sorry, mate, but I’m afraid it’s not that simple. Your situation is far stickier. As I said, we’ve offered assistance to people who need it and don’t have access to more official healthcare routes, but that comes at a price. We work directly with a few organizations and one of them is particularly invested in the two of you. We don’t want to stir up any trouble, so I’m afraid you’re not allowed to leave.”