Strong light hit my face, waking me from my slumber. Slowly my eyes fluttered open. I blinked a few times, letting them adjust to the light. I lifted my head and looked around. At first I was confused as to where I was. Then I remembered that I was in the hospital. Memories flooded my mind as I looked at Tord who was still lying in the bed in front of me. His eyes were still closed and if it weren't for the sound of breathing I would have thought he was dead. This thought scared me, so I tried to get it out of head.

I noticed that I still held his right hand in my own though my grip was a lot tougher than yesterday. It was almost as if I feared he'd slip away completely the moment I dared to let go of him. I had no clue as to why I had this feeling, it was just.... there.

Some of the color had returned to his skin, indicating that he had gotten better over the course of the night. Now all he had to do was to wake up. However, I knew it could take some time until that happened.

Quite suddenly the door behind me opened, nearly making me shriek in surprise. When I glanced over my shoulders I saw a couple of people entering the room. From the white clothes they wore I knew they were nurses. At first they looked at me as if they hadn't expected anyone besides Tord to be in this room.

One of the nurses asked me who I was which just resulted in me staring at them with an disbelieving look on my face. Thankfully another one answered this question before telling me that I had to leave the room for a few minutes. The first thing that came to mind was to refuse but this could end in me having to be escorted out. That would lead to me not being able to get into the hospital at all. Then I couldn't be with Tord when he wakes up.

So I simply complied.

Before I let go of Tord's hand I felt him moving. Immediately I turned around to see his eyes open. Lazily he turned his head, meeting my gaze. He seemed to be confused since he furrowed his brows. "Edd?" It was nothing more than a hoarse whisper, but it sent a shiver down my spine. "You're awake." It sounded more like a question than a statement. Tears stung in the corners of my eyes. I had to hold back, or I'd start to cry and bawl like a child.

The nurses obviously noticed Tord's awakening too though I knew they still insisted on getting me to leave the room. Before I did that however, I said Tord that I'd be back as soon as the check-up was finished. He just nodded his head.

Then I left the room, letting the nurses do their job. As soon as I stood outside my stomach grumbled, making me realize I hadn't eaten for a while. I ignored it for the time being. Looking at the clock I realized it was almost 8am.

Then the door opened again. Quickly I rushed back into Tord's room while the nurses left for the next patient. Tord sat in the bed, looking at me. At that I completely lost my composure. I ran to him, immediately enveloping in a tight hug. Tears streamed down my face. I just couldn't help myself. The happiness I felt made it hard for me to stop crying. Fortunately Tord returned the hug, paying no mind to my breakdown. "I'm so happy you're awake."

Minutes passed by in which I just hugged Tord, burrowing my head into the crevice of his shoulder.

After a while I let go of him. He smiled sadly at me. That reminded me of the way he had stared at me yesterday before he had ran away. Like back then I saw the guilt and sadness in his bright gray eyes.

"Tord." I said, sounding rather serious. He still looked at me though I was unable to identify the expression on his face. I took a few deep breaths to calm me down. "Why didn't you tell me that you aren't alright?" Tord's eyes widened when I asked him this. My hands were on his shoulders to keep him from turning away. He broke eye contact, now staring down. It took no genius to figure out that he struggled finding an answer.

Suddenly he brought his hands up to mine. For a second I thought he'd shove me away like yesterday. Instead he asked me something. "Why do you even care about me? I don't understand how you could care for my wellbeing after everything I've done". His grip on my hands tightened as if they were the only thing holding him up right now. "I don't deserve help from someone as innocent and pure as you. I'm not worth it" he continued, his voice breaking a couple of times like he had to hold himself back. This situation reminded me of the day I found him. It made me realize that he hadn't gotten any better in the time he was with me. He had just pretended to be.

Though I felt a bit of anger and disappointment when I thought about it I couldn't do anything but smile at Tord, gripping his hands tightly. "Tord. I've said it multiple times before and I won't hesitate to say it again. You are my friend." I saw Tord biting his bottom lips as to not let anything slip past it. "How can you still see me as a friend after all I've done? After pushing you and your help away? After lying to you about nearly everything?"

"Because you're important to me. Because I know you long enough to know that you didn't mean any of the things you've said or done." I felt how Tord started shaking. Only seconds I saw tears running down his face. Instantly I hugged him. Tord mumbled incoherent things, his accent making it impossible for me to decipher his words. Though it didn't matter to me.

It took quite some time for Tord to calm down again but when he let go of me I saw what I hadn't seen in a really long time. A genuine smile on his face. "You don't know how happy I am to have someone like you as a friend", he said in-between sobs.

I returned the smile before telling him that he could come home with me as soon as the doctors said he was allowed to. "But", I said, "This time you gonna tell me when something's up, okay? I will be there for you and you can talk with me about everything." Without hesitation Tord nodded his head. He then lifted his right, scarred hand before closing it to a fist, with the exception of his pinky finger. For a few moments I was confused. "What? Don't remember the pinky promise?" A short giggle escaped my lips. Then I intertwined my pinky finger with his.

"I promise to tell you if something's wrong."

"And I promise to be there for you when you need me."