Chapter 41: Chapter 41

Hours pass by and I remain by my parents side, too scared to walk away from them again. Dad has been sleeping for hours, his chest rising and falling steadily. I rest my head on the mattress of Mum's bed and feel my own eyes grow heavy with sleep. The sky is beginning to darken outside and I breathe heavily, my body slumping against the mattress.

Now that I'm reunited with my parents, all of the weeks exhaustion and sleepless night catches up to me. With my hand in theirs, I drift away into a deep slumber.

I dream Woody and I are running through the forest. He's chasing me because I teased him about his dimple that's simply adorable. My laughter echoes through the trees and into the sky as he catches up close behind me.

"You won't catch me Cowboy, I'm faster than you." I giggle, throwing my head back and laughing. My dark hair tumbles past my shoulders and I finally feel free again. Woody's hands circle around my waist and he lifts me effortlessly, pinning me against his chest.

"What was that about you being faster than me?" Woody teases me, his lips in line with my ear. I squirm against him, our laughter blending together until we're rolling around on the floor. I breathe him in along with the fresh air, the grass and trees around me.

"Everything is okay now, isn't it?" I ask Woody, a wide smile on my face. He rolls me over so I'm lying flat on the floor. His hands pin my wrists above my head and he smirks down at me, his dark eyes twinkling with amusement.

"Yes Melvin, everything is okay now."

My heart expands at his words until it feels like it's ready to burst through my chest. Every fibre in my body relaxes in relief. I look up at Woody and admire his beauty, from his dishevelled hair to his sharp jawline, plump lips and chocolate brown eyes. When he smiles, the dimple that I love so much appears and it makes me want to stare at him for hours on end.

"I have something to tell you." I whisper, butterflies exploding in my stomach. Woody tilts his head at me, curiosity filling his eyes. He leans down so his mouth is hovering over mine and when he whispers, his warm breath fans over my bottom lip.

"What do you have to tell me?" Woody murmurs, his eyes trained on my lips. I lick them out of habit and watch as desire fills his features. My heart thuds against my chest as I practise saying the words in my mind first. Eventually, I decide to suck it up —

"I love you, Woody." I tell him, my breathing shaky. Woody doesn't respond but his eyes light up. I lean upwards and press my lips against his, kissing him softly. He allows me to take the lead and I gently push my tongue out, asking him for access to his mouth. As soon as our tongues glide against each other, Woody releases a low groan and takes control.

"Ruby..." Woody whispers, his voice husky and low down my ear.

"Ruby."

"Ruby!"

My eyes snap open and I gasp, bolting upright. I blink and find myself back in the hospital, wedged in between my parents bed. My eyes land on Mum first and she's propped up against the pillows, looking directly at me.

"Mum?" I whisper in shock, reaching out with my hand. She smiles at me as the tip of my fingers touch her cheek.

"Am I dreaming?" I ask her and she shakes her head, tears filling her brown eyes. She gestures for me to come closer and I laugh in complete shock, flinging my arms around her neck.

"Hi baby," Mum whispers, her voice shaking. I cling onto her tightly, both of our bodies trembling against each other.

"You're awake! Oh my god, I missed you so much. I'll never be naughty in school ever again and I'll be the most perfect child you've ever witnessed. Mark my words." I say quickly, blinking back tears. Mum laughs, stroking my back with her hand.

"You're already the perfect child, you don't need to change." Mum reassures me. Despite being awake, her body feels weak and fragile. Her voice trembles every time she speaks and I know she has a long way to go before she's back to being her usual self.

"Don't tell her that Emily, it wouldn't hurt to have her behave herself in school. It's a miracle if you ask me." Dad comments. I snap my head to him and narrow my eyes. Dad laughs, finding my reaction amusing. When I pull away from Mum, she frowns and reaches up, her fingers gently tracing over the fresh scar on my head.

"I'm okay, it doesn't hurt." I tell her, leaving out the part where Jasmine almost killed me. I decide to save that disturbing piece of information for another time. Mum's eyes fill with sadness and she sighs, stroking my cheek.

"I have so much to tell you." I murmur. Mum smiles and nods knowingly before turning towards Dad. He stretches out his arm and offers his hand for Mum to take. I sit back and watch as my parents reunite after their almost tragic death.

"Hi Muffin," Dad whispers, his thumb stroking across Mum's hand. She sniffles and reaches up with her free one to wipe at her eyes.

"We're alive." Mum responds, laughing and crying with relief. Dad nods, squeezing her hand tightly.

"I told you we'd make it. We didn't come this far to give up so easily." He tells her. Mum nods and turns towards me —

"Is your Uncle Tobias here?" Mum questions me. I nod and gesture at the door.

"He's waiting outside, I think." I tell her, standing up. I walk towards the door to go and get him when Dad stops me, signalling for me to come back. I scrunch my eyebrows in confusion but do as he says. Him and Mum give each other a knowing look before turning back and focusing their hard glare on me.

"What? Am I in trouble? Oh come on, you've only been conscious for a few hours!" I protest, my eyes widening. Dad raises a brow at me, pointing at the chair in between the two beds.

"Take a seat." He says firmly. I swallow and do as he says, feeling my leg bouncing up and down nervously.

"I definitely haven't missed this..." I mutter under my breath.

"Go easy on her, Jake." Mum says, her eyes filling with love as she looks at me. I smile sweetly at her, batting my eyelashes.

"Thanks Mummy but what have I done wrong?" I ask with a voice like butter wouldn't melt. Dad glares at me, his blue eyes darkening.

"We've only been gone for a month, Ruby." He says firmly, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Yes, I know..." I drawl out, feeling utterly confused. Hmm... I wonder whether they know about me being expelled from school. Damn you, Patrick.

"Who the hell is Woody and why do you love him?" Dad asks bluntly, his eyebrow raised high. I stare back at him and my mouth falls open. A shot of saliva springs to the back of my throat and I begin choking and spluttering, slapping my chest to regain composure. The entire time, my parents watch me almost choke to death.

"W-what?!" I respond back, acting completely oblivious.

"You were talking in your sleep, honey." Mum explains. My eyes widen further and I want the ground to open up and swallow me whole. I don't blush but I feel my cheeks burn with embarrassment. I remember the dream and confessing my love for Woody. I also clearly remember he didn't say it back... Damn him.

"I was sleeping, I have no clue what you're talking about." I say quietly, avoiding their gaze.

"Part of being the most perfect child ever is telling the truth." Dad scolds me.

"Jake." Mum warns him, giving him a side glare. Dad throws his hands up in the air, turning towards her.

"Our daughter is in love at the age of sixteen! We've been gone for a month and some idiot named Woody already has his claws into her! I'll kill him." Dad rants, growing increasingly angrier by the second. I begin panicking, my legs rapidly bouncing up and down.

"What kind of name is Woody anyway?!" Dad asks, sounding bewildered. I respond with the first thought that comes to mind.

"Jason Monroe. His name is Jason Monroe." I reveal quickly, holding my breath. Dad freezes and so does Mum, her eyes widening in surprise.

"What did you just say?" Dad breathes out, his blue eyes filled with confusion. I feel my throat dry out and my tongue grows heavy inside my mouth.

"He's the boy that Trish adopted years ago." I explain, sounding like a strangled cat. At the mention of my Mum's best friend, she winces and her breathing shudders.

"Sorry Mum." I tell her softly, reaching over to grab her hand. I squeeze it, finally knowing the secret that has brutally separated this family for over a decade.

"It's not your fault, honey." Mum whispers. I turn to look at Dad and he's speechless. I use his silence as a chance to win him over.

"Woody was the person who saved you both. We found you passed out in Peggy's old apartment and he taught me how to do CPR on you Dad." I tell him. The hard glare remains on his face and I know I have to up my game.

"Mum was practically dead. She wasn't moving and Woody did CPR on her for over twenty minutes until the ambulance arrived. The paramedic said she wouldn't be here if it wasn't for him breathing for her and keeping her heart pumping." I say quickly.

"He saved her life." I say quietly, dropping my eyes to the ground. Moments of silence pass in the room before Dad eventually speaks —

"Bring him to me."

I snap my head up to look at him but his face is expressionless. I swallow nervously and look at Mum, pleading with her silently for help. She gives me a reassuring smile and tilts her head towards the door.

"Go get him, it'll be okay." Mum smiles. I shakily stand up from my seat and begin heading for the door. Before I leave, I turn around hesitantly to find Dad watching me carefully, his eyes trained on my every move.

"I care about him," I tell him truthfully. Dad remains silent, his jaw clenched tightly. I close my eyes and turn back towards the door.

This is not going to go down well.

When I leave their hospital room, I notice Woody sitting on the row of chairs down the corridor. Upon noticing me, he stands up, running a hand through his hair. I feel sick to my stomach as I approach him, my legs trembling the entire time.

"Hey, what's wrong? Are your parents okay? You look pale." Woody comments, pulling me into his chest. I wrap my arms around him and bury my face into his chest.

"I'm okay." I reassure him. I feel him visibly relax and he places a kiss on the top of my head.

"You waited out here the entire time?" I question him. He nods and I breathe out a deep breath.

"You're amazing, Woody." I tell him. He chuckles and gently pries me away, looking down at me with concern.

"What's going on? You're kind of scaring me. You're never usually this nice to me." Woody says. I chew on my lower lip, feeling my stomach churn with nausea. I have no clue how the meeting between Woody and my parents is going to go. Dad has never been involved in my relationships before and that's partly because he's extremely over protective.

It didn't bother me until I met someone I actually cared about, Woody. I look up at him, searching his eyes.

"My parents want to meet you.”