Chapter 69: Chapter 69

WRITER'S POV

"Welcome back, princess." Avatia heard the deep voice. She turned around to see the man who said it, and it caused her heart to leap a bit. The voice continuously echoed in her head, causing it to spin. All the portraits in the hall kept flashing before her eyes. Her head was pounding and she began hyperventilating. It was all too much for her. The voice in her head, the paintings, the face of the guy before her, all the people in the room and their hushed, voices it was too much. She pressed her palms on her temple to suppress the pain but nothing was working. She began to feel dizzy and the room started spinning. She heard the people around her call her name but it didn't feel real. Things began to become blurry and her attempted steps faltered.

Beads of sweat started rolling down her face and the heat was becoming unbearable. What was happening? 'Avatia....' she heard before everything became black.

****

"How is she, doctor?" Dresden asked the moment the doctor stepped out of the hospital room.

The doctor looked up from the hospital file he was holding. "Can we talk in my office?"

Dresden hated the idea, but when he looked through the glass door and saw Avatia's unconscious body, it tugged at his heart, making him feel so guilty. The same feeling of dé java gripping him again. He nodded and followed the doctor.

When both men sat down, the doctor spoke. "Going through her hospital records, I know she's suffering from a post-traumatic stress disorder which led to amnesia. We checked her vital signs and her blood pressure which seemed to have skyrocketed a little too much. Something must have triggered it. Or maybe someone. It's dangerous for her. I don't know why she reacted that way, but she's fine now, everything is good. I only hope, her condition gets better and that she regains her memory quickly so certain things won't affect her health and trigger certain emotions. Plus I suggest you take her for counseling. I have prescribed some medication for her and she'll be able to leave by tomorrow."

Dresden low-key felt attacked. He knew she reacted that way because of him.

Maybe he wasn't supposed to surprise her that way. For crying out loud, the girl saw a painting of herself. Maybe he went overboard.

"I don't know what's going through your mind, Mr. Vaughn, but as I said, she'll be fine. You can sort out the bills at the finance station." The doctor said and started typing on his MacBook.

Dresden stood up. "Can I go see her?"

The doctor nodded with a kind smile. "Sure. But be careful not to wake her up. Let her wake up on her own...and don't worry, it won't take long for that to happen."

He nodded and left. The doctor's words played through his mind. Avatia had to regain her memories soon so that certain situations would not send her back to the hospital. And of course, the guy already had the best idea of what to do.

He walked to her room but stopped at the door to talk to Draya.

"What did the doctor say?" She asked with a racy heart. If anything happened to Avatia, aunt Grace would kill her. The poor girl was so scared.

Dresden placed both hands on her shoulder. "It's nothing to worry about. She was just shocked, that's all. She'll be discharged tomorrow. Go to the hotel and rest. The drivers out front, waiting for you."

"But..."

"No buts Miss Burke. Go have some rest. You just flew in today, you need sleep. I'll watch over Avatia. I promise." Dresden told her with a small smile. After all, the girl had done her best to help him.

She nodded and surprising both of them, she hugged him. "Thank you, Dresden." And with that, she walked away, yawning and feeling exhausted all of a sudden. She felt bad that her makeup was a waste, but on the bright side, she had already taken a few pictures. Oh, Draya would always be Draya.

Dresden watched her till she was gone before he got into Avatia's room. There she was, sleeping like an angel, he thought. Only angels didn't have scars in their hearts like she did, which was his fault. He felt bad for her condition and wished Leo was still alive so he could kill him all over again. He pulled a chair closer to her bed and sat, staring at her beautiful face which her blonde hair had covered. He gently pushed it aside and admired it with a smile. She was beautiful. Perfect actually. He had missed her every single day. He took her free hand and brought it close to his nose, inhaling her vanilla smell. Gawd, he had missed holding her warm soft hands. Only that now, it was a little cold. He placed his lips on her hand, a soft kiss that lingered longer than planned. "I'm glad you're here, princess. The world seemed cold and lonely without you. I missed you every single day. I missed your sweet voice, the flip of your golden hair, those piercing blue eyes, soft rosy lips...I missed every single part of you." He whispered with his eyes closed and her hand still near his lips. "I missed you."

"Wh-who are you?"

He heard a soft voice and felt her pulling her hand away from his. He adjusted in his seat, ecstatic that she was finally awake.

"Who are you?" She asked again. "Where's my friend, Draya? What am I doing here?"

Of course, the question broke his heart. She didn't remember him. What was he

expecting? That she was going to wake up and just remember who he was and what they shared? For crying out loud, the girl could not even remember her mother. "Shh...everything's fine. Draya left to get some rest. And as to why you're here? It's because you fainted at the gallery. Remember?"

She tried to remember what happened but it was a blurry mess in her head. "Hardly."

Dresden felt bad that she had problems remembering things. "It's fine. I'm here for you."

"And who are you?" She asked quizzically.

Dresden smiled nervously. "Dresden Vaughn. But you once called me Mr. Black. Or you can just call me Dre. I'm okay with any."

"I'm sorry I don't remember much but are you the guy we came to see? The Uhh...mafia guy?" She asked in a low tone.

He nodded. "I've been dying to see you again."

All this was confusing Avatia. Her mother said he was a cruel and cold man. But the guy before her was so gentle and loving and had this amazing accent. "Why are you being kind to me?"

Dresden did not expect the question, but as the saying goes, one step at a time.

And he was going to do just that. One step at a fucking time. "Because I care deeply for you. I'm glad you're awake. You look beautiful. More beautiful actually.'

That caused Avatia to blush and tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear. "Thank you. And thank you for the private jet, the free ride, and the luxurious room."

He just smiled and nodded.

"Say 'you're welcome' or something polite." She teased.

He chuckled. "Old habits never die, princess. You're still my manners teacher."

She smiled at how handsome he was, especially when he chuckled. But what did he mean by 'still my manners teacher'? "Why would you say that."

Dresden felt bad that she couldn't remember all they shared, but he was going to make her remember all the good times. "When I first saw you, I was a jerk. A big one." He said and watched her giggle. "I wouldn't say 'sorry, 'thank you and stuff. In a nutshell. "

"You were a big jerk," Avatia added and both laughed.

This was going on well, Dreidan thought with a smile as both continued talking about the past. "You even called me Mr. Black because of my shitty personality."

Avatia burst out laughing. "Oh boy, you must have been an arse."

"Believe me, I was. But all that changed when you came around with your fierce mouth. Everyone feared me except for you. You even added cream and more sugar to my coffee! I still remember how furious you were when I got you fired from ADAM'S, that's when I noticed the amazing shades of your eye when you roll them."

"I worked in a place called ADAM'S?"

Dresden nodded. "Yupppp. I tell you what, how about I take you there when you're out of this crappie hospital room and feeling much better. We can continue catching up over a cup of black coffee for me and caramel for you." He suggested, noticing that she was already sleepy.

She tried to suppress a yawn. "I would love that, Dre. No, Mr. Black." He chuckled at her cuteness. "Good night, princess."

"Good night Mr. Black."

Dresden smiled. He'd been doing that a lot lately. That was the effect of having Avatia around. She brought smiles. "And just so you know, I'll watch over you all night long." And he meant it.

I'm doing my happy dance. Honestly, the idea in this chapter came from my best friend. Bitch I love this chapter and I love you even more.

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