"Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote: 'All are architects of fate... so look not mournfully into the past. It comes not back again.'" - Lucas Scott One Tree Hill

Song: Thousand years - Christina Perri

***
Three days after, Lexis was finally moved from the ICU to a private room. He was still unconscious and had been unconscious all three days.

Hera had spent every day by his side when she could and outside the ICU when she couldn't refusing to leave. She only left when the doctor threatened to bar her from coming unless she left, took a bath and ate before returning.

She finally left but quickly returned wanting to be by his side when he gets moved out of the ICU.

E and Jess were by her side through it all while Alexandria was being taken care of by E's family who had arrived in the succession of the three days.

E had called his father for advise, worried Hera would have a relapse. His father volunteered to come taking the next flight out of Togo while calling Liza to inform his wife Hannah, unable to reach her. Once Liza got across to her mother, they both took a flight straight to California with Liza arriving the day he was moved from the ICU, her mother arriving the third day and Elijah arriving the second.

Through the day's Hera had stayed by his side telling him stories about her years away from him, crying and pleading with him to get up.

The doctors regularly checked on her on Elijah's orders to make sure she was physically okay while he regularly checked on her mental health helping to make sure she was okay.

Jess was floored. If she wasn't aware and a witness to Hera and Lexis' love story she would have thrown Hera to the Vanderbilt's. Their love and dedication to Hera was everything the Blacks weren't.

They were the definition of a family that sticks together.

Checking his vitals after completing the move from the ICU to a private room, the doctor once more assures Hera that Lexis was no longer in the critical stage.

"Then why isn't he awake?" Hera asks.

"That is something that we will have to leave up to his will and fate," The doctor answers.

He signals for Maeve to follow him. She'd been busy taking care of his medical needs and the company. E volunteered to be an adviser telling her he'd step in should he be needed.

Maeve alternated from the company to the clinic and back again.

No one knew the full details of what had occurred in the room that caused Lexis to faint. All they knew from Maeve was there had been an argument and then he blacked out. The doctor ascertained that whatever he heard mixed with his not being properly checked up or treated when he recovered his memories were too much stress for him to handle shutting off.

                             One week later, Lexis had yet to wake up.

On the second day out of the ICU, late in the night, Hera walks into the room after returning from taking a shower at home and seeing Alexandria.

Weakly walking in with the strength drained from her, she seats next to him.

Sighing, she bends, laying the right side of her face in his palms and shuts her eyes.

"It's been nine days,"

"You're going to wake up right?"

"You don't plan upon leaving me again right?"

"I just saw our daughter. She asked me when she could see you. I couldn't answer, I don't want her to see you in this state,"

"Lexis, she just got you in her life, she can't lose you again,"

"I can't lose you again, I still need to tell you I love you,"

"So wake up. I need you, our daughter needs you," She says sniffling as tears fall down her cheeks onto his palms.

She silently cries.

She hears what sounds like a light voice and jerks her head up quickly, looking at him eyes filled with hope. 

His eyes were shut with no sign the voice was from him.

Was she imagining things?

"Lexis," She calls out but gets no reaction.

Sighing sadly, she bends her head sobbing uncontrollably praying and wishing that she could once more hear him call out to her.

She hears what something again but ignores it believing it's her imagination.

"Shakespeare," She hears clearly yet faint and immediately jerks her head up to the sight of Lexis eyes faintly opened, fluttering open and close.

"Alexander!" Hera screams jumping up and holding onto his hands.

"You came back, you came back to me," She cries half laughing half crying as his eyes flutter back shut.

"Lexis! Lexis!" She screams shaking him. She quickly runs out of the room and grabs a nurse who calls in a doctor. They all rush back and check on him, while Hera looks on with her palms stuck together in prayer and hope.

Once done, the doctor turns to her and smiles.

"Congratulations, he's gradually coming back to consciousness,"

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," Hera chants grabbing onto the doctors hands and half crying, half laughing as he pats her hands and leaves the room.

                                                                                ***

The next two days, Hera refuses to leave his side fearing his waking up and her not being by his side. He doesn't wake up or show any signs of waking up. Causing Hera's hope to begin to fall.

Having stopped by int he morning of the second day and seen Hera's state, Elijah calls E demanding he make sure she gets out of the four walls of the hospital  to get some air by the third day if Lexis doesn't wake up. 

By the third day, E stops by and succeeds in having her take a walk with him outside to get some fresh air. Throughout the walk they stay quiet. Each lost in their own thoughts. They stop by a fountain and sit down quietly.

"I'll process the divorce when I return to Nigeria once this is over,"

Hera nods silently.

They sit for a while, in silence.

Once they return to the hospital two hours later, he smiles and lightly ruffles her hair.

"You should smile, that way he'll wake up without worries,"

Hera gives a half smile and nods as she walks back inside while he leaves.

Once she arrives, she sees Maeve by the door smiling at her.

"He's awake," Maeve says.

Gasping, Hera immediately rushes in and pauses at the door at the sight of him seated laying down, with his eyes to the ceiling in thought a sad look on his face.

He was so deep in thought, he hadn't noticed her coming in.

"Lex...lexis?" She calls out.

He turns his attention towards her and thins his eyes.

Tears fall down Hera's eyes as she raises her hands, covering her lips she tilts her head to the side crying.

Wiping the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand and sniffling, she walks slowly towards him while he quietly watches her.

"I love you," She says stopping by his bed side.

His eyes dilate and contract.

"Excuse me?" He says lightly.

"Alexander I loved you five years ago and love you five years later. I have and will always love you and only you," She says fighting back tears.

Lexis lightly chuckles.

"I'm sorry but who are you?" He asks.

"What?" Hera says taken aback.

"I asked, who you were," He says a serious look on his face.

Hera glances at Maeve with a look of fear and confusion. Surely...surely he hadn't lost his memories?

She looks back at Lexis.

"You...you don't...you don't know who I am?" She asks refusing to believe it.

"Should I?" He asks raising an eyebrow.

"Yes!" Hera exclaims grabbing his hand in hers as he jerks back trying to retrieve his hands but she holds on tightly.

"Miss let me go,"

"I won't , never again," Hera says shaking her head.

"I let you go five years ago, I don't plan on making that mistake twice," She says determinedly.

His forehead furrows.

"Why?" He asks.

"Because you love me,"

"I don't even know you, how can I love you?" Lexis says sounding flabbergasted.

"That's okay, I'll remind you," Hera says refusing to let go.

"Five years ago, you fell in love with me, five years ago I betrayed you and left you on our wedding day. I then gave birth to our child and met you again five years later,"

"And I loved you five years later?"

"Yes, you did,"

"And you loved me?"

"I did and still do, I love you Alexander Black and I'm sorry it took five years to tell you just how much,"

"Then why did you leave?"

"Because I was stupid I made a deal with the devil I never should have made,"

"That's not true," He says.

"It's true, every word I said is true and I can prove it," Hera says determinedly.

Lexis shakes his head lighlty.

"Five years ago I fell in love with you, five years ago, you asked me to marry you.." He says.

Hera nods vigorously then pauses.

She never said she asked him to marry her!

"... five years ago we got separated," Lexis continues as Hera looks on suspiciously and hopefully.

"Five years later we met and you were married,"

"You...you ...you remember?" Hera says.

Lexis grins.

"I never forgot,"

"Alexander you evil queen!" Hera says smacking his chest.

"Ouch," Lexis says laughing placing his hands on his chest.

"I'm still a patient you know," He says to which Hera places her hands over her lips and cries.

"Now, why are you crying?" He says tiredly.

"Because you remembered me," She says to which he smiles.

"And I'll remember every single day from now on," He says pulling her to his chest and holding her in a light hug. As she cries against him.

Maeve grinning from ear to ear, shakes her head and walks out of the room.

***

Sike! lol