|64| It beats for you

As the sun we always

Rise again.

~K.tolnoe

_______________

"WAKE UP" I hear Aaron yell

I gasp jolting awake,

"Are you okay?" The nurse asks making me look around the room in confusion,

"Dream" I whisper, my voice hoarse and throat dry as small memories of me waking up and falling back asleep from the past day settles into my mind.

She nods "you had a heart transplant, congratulations you don't have heart failure anymore" she smiles handing me a water cup,

"Aaron?" I choke out after attempting to swollen down a few sips of water before asking the question I'm scared to ask

She smiles "is right next to you in the other bed, he said before he went into the transplant surgery he wanted to wake up in the same room as you"

I look over to see a sleeping Aaron in the hospital bed,

"He's alright?" I ask crying

"More than alright...both of you are, we had a man in a coma before Aaron came in with you, and his family decided to give Aaron his heart since there wasn't a chance to save him...so his heart went to Aarons. both of you Guys had successful surgeries" she smiles checking my iv and blood pressure,

"Get some rest, I will be back to check on both of you later" she smiles

I'm alive.

He's alive.

It was a nightmare.

I take a deep breath in and then out

I put a hand gently over my heart and smile with tears streaming down my face

'My heart beats for you' Aaron said.

"Yes, it does" I whisper looking over at Aaron and remembering all the times he would say that not aware of my heart failure.

______________

"You alright sunshine?" Aaron whispers, his voice hoarse,

I close my eyes for a moment listening to his voice, reminding myself that he's alive,

"Sore...and so so happy you're Alive" I whisper back, on the cusp of tears

He reaches out and gently grabs my hand, his thumb slowly rubbing my fingers and hand in a calming manner,

"You're alive" I repeat to myself at his touch

He smiles slightly "I am sunshine, I am"

"Are you in pain?" I ask quietly

"Not when you look at me like that" he smiles lopsidedly

"You're still high on the drugs they gave you aren't you?" I laugh quietly

"Am not" he replies

My smile widens as I watch him look at me like I'm everything he could ever want, his eyes are bright and his hold on me is gentle and sweet,

"You should marry me sunshine" he whispers as he nods

I laugh "yeah?"

He nods "definitely...if you don't I think I might die" he sighs

"You're being a little dramatic" I grin

He shakes his head "no I'm not, I dream to see a ring on your finger I picked out, and my last name next to your first"

I desperately fail to hide my blush as he speaks,

"You're blushing...your blush and smile make my heart go crazy" he sighs, his eyes filled with love,

I full on beam at his confession, his eyes are brighter, more awake as he looks at my mouth, and his grin appears as he watches me closely,

"Beautiful Angel" he whispers

"I love you" I smile kissing his knuckles

His eyes crinkle at the corners of his eyes as his smile widens "I love you...my beautiful Vanessa"

A sob escapes my throat as I watch him,

Alive...

And breathing.

His face morphs into concern "what's wrong?" He asks

"I'm sorry, I just-I had a dream you died" I croak out

"I'm okay" he whispers

I nod still crying "you gave me your heart"

"I did...and I'd do it a Thousand more times because I love you, more than anything the world can offer, more than any amount of money I may make, and most definitely more than any singular person roaming the world" is his response

"Do you not get it, Vanessa? How deep my love runs, how all-consuming it is? How I can't go a day without so much as your voice, and your smile. You fuel my body to continue living, you are a gift from God...my gift that I will cherish for the rest of my days, don't ever think that I won't put you first, because I always will" he continues looking at me with a goofy smile that has me wanting to laugh because it's so cute.

I go from laughing one minute to crying...it's strange how life works, truly

"I don't even know how to respond to that" I sob, choking over the pain, the mere thought of losing him, the flash of panic that sets in at the realization that the nightmare I had could've been real...I could've woken up without him by my side,

I hear him shuffling around, but I'm sobbing too much to look up, my face is in my hands as I cry hard, the pain I've felt in the dream coming out.

I feel warm hands,

Big hands wrap around me, a body coming flush at my side, warm lips coming down on the top of my head, soft words being murmured into my hair,

"Aaron...your stitches you shouldn't move around" I whisper when I manage to calm down

"I don't give a damn about that" he replies

"Yeah because you're still a little high...when the drugs wear off you'll be screaming in pain" I sigh, lifting my head to look up at him, my palm coming to cup his face,

"I think I'll just stay here...with you by my side if it's fine by you" he kisses my cheek as he wipes my tears

I answer him by gently leaning my head on his shoulder, my hand threading through his fingers, intertwining ours together,

He breathes a sigh of relief at my weight on him, "don't cry okay? I'm okay, I'm alive, we will be okay" he reassures me

I nod as I start to doze off in his warm, wonderful presence,

"I think I'm going to close my eyes for a few seconds" I whisper

His warm chuckle warms my skin "sleep gorgeous, I'll be here"

_____________

"They're so cute together, I'm so happy they're both okay" I hear my mom let out a sigh of relief,

"I don't know about you princess but I think he's an idiot...he just went and gave his heart to her without calling us to make sure we're here In person before he goes to surgery" father huffs

"Relax your pants, Hunter, she wasn't going to stop her heart failure so it was convenient on your timeline" my mom replies and most likely slaps him from his small 'ow'

"Sorry...I just, what if we lost him? What would we do" my father whispers

There's the sound of a kiss and my mother mumbling "he loves her...I would give you one of my organs if you needed it, plus they're meant for each other, and no way was he gonna die, our son is stubborn"

"What you'd only give me one?" Father gasps dramatically

Mom snorts "oh hush...and yes you only get one you annoying old man, now come on let's get some coffee and come back a little later, maybe they'll be awake then"

I hear shuffling but I groan and mumble "been awake mom"

"Sweetheart!" Mom gasps running to my side

"How are you? Are you in pain? Do you need me to get a nurse? Some water? More blankets? Oh, you two look so cute laying together, and the way she's sorta smiling while you hold her" her replies are fast and back to back,

I huff out a laugh "I'm fine, and don't talk so loud I don't want to wake up Vanessa"

Mom just smiles "I can't wait for your wedding"

I roll my eyes "mom...we just got out of surgery and you're already talking about weddings?"

"Never too early to start planning, now you tell me what you guys want me to bring you to eat...this hospital food just won't do" she shakes her head starting to name some classic Russian dishes that sound mouthwatering right now

I smile "I'm sure we can only have soft foods for a while, but thanks for the offer"

"Hi Lillian" Vanessa whispers hoarsely as she shifts slightly at my side, she slightly moans from the shift

"Hi, sweetheart! Oh I'm so glad you're alright, we were worried sick"

"You okay?" I whisper in her ear

She huffs "hurts a little, and I'm very sore"

"Hey mom can you please get a nurse to give Vanessa some more pain meds or something, she's in a bit of pain"

She nods her head " of course I'll be right back" she rubs Vanessa's arm up and down twice and leaves the room,

My dad is quiet as he stands to the side of the room, he looks flushed and his brows constantly furrowed in worry

"You okay son?" He breathes out after clearing his throat

I nod slowly making sure to not move too much and smile as I give him the most honest answer "yeah...I'm the best I've ever been knowing Vanessa's alive and healthy"

My dad's eyes cloud as he looks over at Vanessa, his voice is slightly shaky as he quietly confesses to her "thank you for bringing the light back into my son's eyes, and for loving him the way he deserves to be, just thank you for making him happy"

Her eyes are watery and her smile shakily "I've never been happier than I have been to be able to love your son"

_____________

Time moves in slow yet fast blinks in the hospital, everyone's in a rush yet time seems to tick by slower and slower,

I watch as Vanessa reads another journal entry from her father as her head rests on my shoulder,

My eyes follow the ink smudged on the page as if tears were involved while writing or reading the entry, and I begin to read but feel as if I'm intruding on a private moment between her dad and her,

Instead, I let her read in peaceful silence and close my eyes remembering just over two weeks ago when I had my a moment with her dad...

| two weeks ago|

I breathe in a deep sigh as I quietly slip out of bed carefully to not wake up a beautiful sleeping Vanessa,

I write out a note to her so she doesn't panic when she wakes up, and kiss her gently on the forehead, whispering "I love you, my beautiful girl, I'll be back soon" before slipping out of the room,

Putting my coat on I make my way down to my car and begin a small road trip down to the cemetery,

The exact one Vanessa's parents are buried...

The drive is more peaceful than I'd thought, though it's barely 5 am so it makes sense,

Finally, when I make it to the quiet town where Vanessa used to live, I blow out a deep breath and walk out of the car toward my destination,

The air around is cold and causes waves of goosebumps to flow throughout my skin, the wind Making the already miserable weather more morbid,

Getting to the gravestone of Vanessa's father, I look at his name engraved, the words father, husband, and hero too all around. Cherished in not only our hearts but the life that lives around us all.

"Hello Mr. Adler, I'm your daughter's boyfriend, Aaron Huxley" I breathe out as I begin

"I wish we could've met...you and your wife so that I could see the very people who shaped the beautiful woman I love with my whole being so that I could thank you personally for raising such a kindhearted, loving person, that changed the horrible person I used to be"

"I know I'll never truly know if you would have liked me, if you would have given me the nod of approval to date your daughter, the unanswered question of whether I'm enough for her will always remain in the back of my head...but I'd like to hope that you'd give me your blessing..." I exhale and take a break in my speaking before clearing my throat and continuing

"That you'd see just the amount of love that I have for her, that I would stop at nothing to make her happy, to ensure she feels loved and safe"

I softly chuckle and take the black squared box out of my coat pocket "this is the part that will be difficult to talk to you about, because I guess the normal blessing asked from a parent is usually done in the confinement of the parent's home, with stress radiating off the man's body and the hope that the man would get the blessing"

"But I don't get that luxury...to fully know that you'd accept me in your daughter's life for eternity, and though I'll never get that answer, I'll still ask, If I can have your blessing to marry your daughter" I let out a shaky breath and I get on my knees at the grave and open the ring box,

"I chose to have the ring engraved it says 'always' on the inside of the band, I want her to have it in writing that I'll always choose her...love her, be her anchor and her safety, that I won't judge her, I'll provide in any way I can, and that my heart would forever beat for your daughter sir..." I whisper tears running down my cheeks at my truth

I chuckle and add "it also has a small little sun engraved next to the word because...she's always my sunshine, and I want her to know that she'll always be the light in my life, the bright beautiful ball of sunshine that gets rid of the darkness I sometimes feel"

"I love your daughter sir...and although this isn't the conventional way of asking for a blessing, I'm doing it anyway because I want you to know how thankful I am for your sacrifice, that you selflessly gave your heart to your wife to ensure your daughter remained with a mother, and I'm sorry the transplant didn't work on your end, that you lost your life at such a young age, but you can count on my words when I say you'll never be forgotten"

| end of memory |

"Listen to what he says here" Vanessa chuckles softly breaking my thoughts

I shift slightly and kiss the top of her head so she knows I'm listening

"He said, I hope a man will be able to give his heart fully to you, so you know you'll be the only one in his life, that he makes sure you are loved and chosen. that's what you did to me Aaron," she says, and I hear the smile in her voice

"Except I'm sure my dad didn't expect a man to quite literally give his heart to me" she lays her head back on my shoulder and laughs

"You're crazy you know that?" She whispers

I grin mischievously "of course I am...loving you makes me crazy in the best way possible"

And I end the rest of the sentence in my mind,

And I can't wait to marry you so I'm your crazy man for eternity.

Well, now you have some answers from the previous chapter! And we're getting to the happy ending you all want ;)

Great job to @genovieverose for being the first to quite literally fully guess the reasoning behind why I wrote the previous two chapters the way I did! I did indeed write those chapters to in a way get the ending I originally intended to have for this book!

This chapter was giving cute vibes...I was kinda giggling and shit-writing some parts. Also I so know this is probably not how transplants work but oh well.

Word count: 2468 (who do we appreciate😏)

(Shit now that I added that part after the numbers in not have that number anymore so the joke doesn't even make sense, ugh whatever)

See now after all my babbling the word count is actually: 2735