It’s been eight weeks since he woke up.

Well, that’s what everyone around Adrien has been saying.

A lot of things are still hazy in his mind, yet he has been making sense of more parts of his life already.

Slowly he was able to associate different things he could smell, feel, hear, and even taste to his past memories which helped him make more sense of who he was before…whatever happened to him.

All his nurses would always answer him the same way whenever he asked what made him this way.

"You survived a vehicular accident and because of your wounds and the pain you were in, it was best that you were placed in a medically-induced coma.”

At first, he thought the words were jargon. But when they continued to say it throughout the weeks and when he began recollecting more of his memories and knowledge acquired in the past years and months, it all made sense.

He has been going through physical rehabilitation – he had to learn how to walk and even hold on to something because his arms and legs felt like jelly. No strength or support whatsoever. There were even sessions in learning how to write. The feeling of holding a pen or pencil felt so foreign to him. He couldn’t even remember the strokes he had to make to write down certain letters.

Speech therapy helped him with how to say words. It seemed like his jaw couldn’t move at all and he could only create sounds from the base of his throat. Finally, after practicing and even massaging the muscles of his jaw and throat, he was able to say words distinctly even if they came out as raspy whispers. This still does not take away the fact that he runs out of breath fast.

Aside from that, eating therapy helped him learn how to chew and swallow again. Two weeks ago, they finally removed his NGT and it felt so liberating to have that tube out of his mouth which also went through his throat. He still is on a soft diet most of the time, but when he has solid food, it has to be cut into tiny pieces so that it would be easy for him to chew and swallow.

Eating has become his favorite thing to do ever since he was able to chew slowly and swallow carefully again. And he would always look forward to eating a chocolate croissant given by Doctor DC.

Doctor DC helped out a lot in helping him regain his memories.

It started when the aroma of the chocolate croissant she brought one morning made him stop. He couldn’t pinpoint how familiar the smell was to him.

He weirdly felt nostalgic and had déjà vu all of a sudden. He couldn’t remember exactly what but he knew, deep down, that the chocolate croissant was important to him.

And because of that, he suddenly felt this rush of determination to become better. To at least make more sense of his life and who he is, and to find answers to all these questions that have been running through his mind from the moment he opened his eyes in a hospital room.

He was thankful that Doctor DC was also very helpful to him even if he couldn’t recognize her in the first few weeks of being awake.

It helped that she brought different stuff to stimulate his senses.

The chocolate croissant helped him remember what he used to do as a new nurse (yes, he was surprised to recall that he was actually a nurse). He always made sure to wait in line at the bakery to grab two pieces of chocolate croissants for himself and Doctor DC, the person he has a huge crush on.

She brought food specially cooked by Ping one night for dinner and Adrien could exactly tell from the strong aroma of something tangy and spicy that it was Ping’s famous noodles. A wave of memories comes rushing through – from their dates at Ping’s restaurant to eating hot congee brought by the doctor when he was sick. And he also felt the feeling of jealousy when Doctor Couffaine suddenly joined them during a date because Doctor DC invited him to.

There was a con with regaining his memories related to his moments with Doctor DC. Some of his memories made him happy and excited and some…made him sad all over again.

“I’m happy to know that you’re getting better especially in recalling what we did together for the past year,” Doctor DC tells him one night after he showed recognition of the princess dress he designed and made for Manon for her birthday. The doctor sat beside him on his bed. She assisted him in moving to hang his legs over the bed in a seated position since he asked for it.

Adrien hummed in acknowledgment and silently watched her breathe out a sigh and flash him a tight-lipped smile.

“...But it’s also making me sad at the same time,” she continues in a hushed voice.

He knows what she means. When he was able to piece together almost all the events of the past months, he was surprised to realize that he went through a lot. Heck, he managed to plan a covert operation and even lost his job at one point.

“I made you go through a lot because of my selfishness. I apologize for everything you had to go through, Adrien. I am so sorry.”

“...I…I know,” he manages to whisper, showing her a small smile before placing a hand over hers that’s resting on her lap. He can’t grip her hand well, but he’s sure that she’s aware of how he meant his words.

It wasn’t only the hardship in their relationship that made him sad.

When Doctor DC brought his sketchbook and showed him the piece of paper of different clothes designs of a past patient, Roland, Adrien couldn’t help to choke up at the memory of how he did his best to take care of that patient until his last breath.

Regaining his memories have been both a blessing and a curse, but if he were to decide which of the two, it would be more of a blessing.

He’d rather continue the rest of his life knowing all the hurts and triumphs he has gone through than start afresh clueless.

And he’s happy that he’s not alone. He’s certain of that because of the people who would visit him. He has Nurses Nino and Nath who would keep him company and up to date with current affairs in the hospital. He has his fellow colleagues and doctors in the cardiology department who would monitor his progress. Even some of his patients, those who were allowed to go around the hospital, would make some time to visit him. His parents would visit most of the time, his mother being the most frequent one.

And of course, there is Doctor DC.

Adrien always enjoyed every moment he would wake up because it meant that he would wake up to see her in his room – whether she was keeping track of his vital signs, walking or cleaning up around his room, or just sitting on the chair by his bed.

She was the person he quickly grew to feel excited to see and he was glad to know that she always made time for him.

He’s more than happy to remember that he loves her dearly.

—---------

One late night, he woke with a start. It’s a night when he’s alone in his room.

He thought he was choking on water. He was sure that it was filling his lungs, making it difficult to breathe.

Adrien’s body jerked involuntarily and suddenly he was gasping for air. His eyes blinked profusely, adjusting to the dim night light connected to a power outlet on the wall.

He broke out in a cold sweat. He hated it when he woke up with the feeling that the ventilator is on him.

He knows that he’s been off it for weeks, but it still makes him anxious that one day he’ll wake up with it connected to it again. It made his chest feel so heavy and the machine just made him agitated or lethargic. Neither in between. It brought him a lot of nightmares and most of the time it made him disoriented. He wasn’t sure if in reality he still had the machine or if it was really taken away from him already.

Adrien then realized that whenever he saw Marinette, Doctor DC, then he knew that what he was seeing was real.

He ran a hand through his clothed chest and to his mouth. He breathes out a heavy sigh of relief when he doesn’t feel the ventilator on him.

Just a dream. It was just a dream.

God, he wanted to wash his face with cold water. It would help him gain more consciousness.

But the bathroom in his room is a few steps away.

That distance may be nothing for most, but for him, it feels like more than a mile away.

He’s been doing well in physical therapy. Well, that’s what he thinks. He can take five steps in a row. Five heavy steps.

In his head, he does his best to measure if five steps would be enough for him to go to the bathroom on his own. His back feels sore and he wants to get out of this bed immediately.

Even thinking of it was hard for him since his mind cannot handle a lot of thoughts running through it now. It actually becomes painful if he tries too hard.

He’s going to do it. He’s going to walk to the bathroom and he’s going to make it.

Thankfully, the nodes of the monitor are not connected to him tonight. There won’t be any alarm set off if he would get off his bed.

He presses a button on the remote beside him and it causes the top part of the bed to rise so that he’s in a seated position. Then with a grunt, he aids his leg as it moves to hang over the bed. At least it wasn’t that tiring to do it. He worked on the other leg and he could feel his feet touching the cold floor of the room. He grips tightly on the bed sheet and takes a few deep breaths in and out.

The door to the bathroom is right in front of him. A chair is situated right beside his bed and he grabs a hold of it to help himself get on his feet.

Groaning, he musters all his strength to get to his feet. He may have wobbled a bit, but he finally gains the right balance he needs to just take a step forward. Then another. And another.

His chest continues to heave up and down as he breathes heavily.

“Come on,” he gravelly mutters through gritted teeth.

Slowly, his right foot drags through the floor and plants itself a few inches away from his left. Next is his left, dragging through the floor as well. Eventually, he gets his footing and even uses the stuff he’s been practicing in physical therapy.

A rush of adrenaline and excitement runs through his veins. Even if he’s sweating from all the effort he’s placing, he’s too happy to care.

He hasn’t been able to walk on his own all these weeks and now he’s able to do it.

Yes, finally. He felt that he was getting better. It brought tears to his eyes.

And he eventually reached the door to his bathroom. He only needs to turn the knob and push it open and he can rest by sitting on the toilet before he can run some cold water from the faucet on his face.

The plan was simple.

But unfortunately, it was very hard for him.

Suddenly, as he pushes the bathroom door open and the lights switched on automatically, his legs buckled beneath him and he didn’t have anything to hold as he fell to the ground with a thud.

His face slams against the hard floor. His mouth opens to let out a silent cry due to the impact.

Adrien’s body hurt so bad and now he’s immobile. He can’t move another inch without feeling an ounce of pain and it’s like his whole body gave up all of a sudden. Just when he needed it the most.

That’s when he begins to cry. Before it was out of happiness, but now it’s out of frustration and hurt.

And the dreaded feeling of uselessness.

It’s a burden to be him and to take care of him. He can’t do anything and it made him degrade himself all this time. 

Get up…please, get up.

He planted his palms on the ground and tried to push himself up but all efforts were futile. His hands curled into fists and he wanted to pound the floor out of anger, but he couldn’t even raise them anymore.

Stupid, stupid! Get up. GET UP!

Hot, fat tears rolled down his face and he cried to himself. The silence in the bathroom was deafening and he hated that he was there now.

Why can’t you get up?!

He was overcome with a wave of self-pity and the only thing left to do was to wallow in it. How many hours would he have to stay here until the nurses check on him?

“Adrien?” A disembodied voice gasps from behind. “Oh, my God, Adrien.” The same carefully grabs a hold of his shoulders and props him up with a soft grunt. A wave of relief washes over him when he comes face to face with Marinette who is kneeling on the ground. Her brows are furrowed together deeply and she was clearly assessing his physical condition as she continued to move his legs before she tries to place his back against the bathroom wall.

“I’m sorry,” he mouths once her eyes land on his.

She shakes her head. “Don’t be sorry, but don’t also hesitate to always call for help. It’s better than injuring yourself.” Then she says under her breath, “Thank God I took the 24-hour shift today.”

He could only smile weakly at her. He sees that she’s wearing the white coat he made for her and her hair is still well-kept even if it’s the middle of the night.

“Did you walk to the bathroom all on your own? What were you trying to do here?”

Adrien couldn’t comprehend all her questions so he simply nods. I thought I could do it…I thought I could do something normal again.

I thought I could feel normal again.

Marinette purses her lips and scoots over to lean on the wall beside him. Still, she regarded him with worry in her eyes. “My instincts were right with checking on you this time of the night.”

She has been with him ever since. Every time he had a hard time in any of his therapy sessions, she was there to help him. When he had those days where he was just confused or disoriented, she would patiently stay with him until he found himself again.

He’s lucky to have her. And yet, he feels like such a heavy burden to her. She mentioned that she took the 24-hour shift today…how many more 24- or 36-hour shifts did she take for his sake?

He looked at her, his green eyes cloudy. “…Are you not tired?” He forced out with a raspy breath.

“Of?”

He turns quiet and realization instantly dawns on her face. She reaches over to cradle his face in her hands. “I will never get tired, Adrien. Never.”

His eyes were rimmed with tears, and his cheeks were even stained with those tears he let go of moments ago. He takes a deep breath. “It feels like…there is a huge void…in me.” He blinks and a fresh set of hot tears roll down his face. “I-I feel useless.”

Marinette leans in to capture his lips with hers. Her eyes close and she caresses his face as she pours her heart and soul into that delicate kiss she has reserved only for him. Even if he didn’t kiss her back, she made her lips linger in a way to make him realize that she felt otherwise.

It’s their first kiss after waking up. And that thought alone made Adrien shed more tears. His emotions are all over the place, but at least one thing is for certain: he can feel the love Marinette has for him through her kiss.

She retreats slowly and tenderly whispers against his lips, “I love you – a hundred, a thousand, no, a trillion percent. You are the bravest man I know, Adrien.”

It warmed his heart to hear those words and he couldn’t find it in him to reply. Instead, he broke into a quiet sob. Hearing her say it out loud was like music to his ears. He never realized that all the effort he placed to be someone significant to her would finally pay off.

Marinette delicately rubs her thumbs on his cheeks, wiping away the tears. “It took me some time to say those words, right?”

Adrien broke into a small smile, but his eyes were still misty.

“I love you, Adrien,” she whispers, “and I'm so so sorry that I'm telling you in this situation that you’re in. I wish this never happened. I wish I had told you while eating together at Ping's, walking beside each other in the gardens, or even visiting your apartment in the middle of the night–”

“W-Wow,” he breathes out, “Doctor DC loves me.”

This time, it’s Marinette who breaks into a sob. “Yes, I do, you idiotic, kind, and wonderful man. Yes, I love you so much.” She inhales sharply and confesses, “I…I was so scared. I was scared I would lose you just when I got you back. Your heart of gold fascinates and scares me. I know you have it for everyone around you, but maybe for me, there could be a part of that heart of yours that would soften with the thought of losing me. That's what my heart feels all the time when I'm around you…”

“...Really?” He whispered at length.

“Of course, Adrien,” she answered in a heartbeat. “I want to be with you. I don’t want to lose you again,” her voice cracks toward the end and she moves her hands to pull him close for an embrace. She cradles her head in the nape of his neck and murmurs, “You will never be alone, that’s my promise. I will never stop loving you. And it’s not a choice, it’s who I am. It’s my turn to lend you strength, Adrien. Please, let me.”

Adrien felt like his heart was about to burst out of his chest. He is in such a blissful state that he couldn’t find the right words to say. “I love you,” he manages to say. And thank you for loving me.

Those are the words he says before they fall into a comfortable shared silence. They stay in that embrace, their hearts beating in a united rhythm that only they could feel.

But it was in that silence that they said a lot to each other – more promises and words filled with unconditional affection that was more than enough to help Adrien gain back all the strength and courage he lost.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

I hope you enjoyed the two parts of chapter 30!

We are very near the end of this book. Thank you again, everyone (all my luvies), for your constant support.

Vote?
Comment?
Thank you ♡