Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 77
Evan’s Ward – Continued
Ariana kept crying, hard enough that it genuinely scared him — sobbing that if she hadn’t fought for him, they’d be burying him by now. He reached for her face, murmuring soothing nonsense, but she didn’t stop.
He pushed himself up slightly, and a sharp pain lanced through his skull. He barely registered it.
My goldie’s here, he thought, crying her heart out over me. That’s the only thing that matters right now.
He wiped her tears, and new ones replaced them instantly.
“I almost ran mad,” she said, voice breaking. “I almost did. How DARE you sleep for that long.”
He kissed her tears away, slow and deliberate.
She hit him arm lightly.
He didn’t pull back. Instead, he pulled her closer, and when she tried to wriggle free, he held her tighter, refusing to let go.
A few seconds passed. Her resistance melted entirely, and she sank into him, still hiccuping softly against his chest.
“I’m back now,” he murmured into her hair. “I’m not leaving you again.”
“I missed you so much,” she whispered. “Your smell. Your touch. All of it.”
She wrapped her arms around him slowly, and he swayed her gently, holding on.
He didn’t remember much — the accident, the impact, then nothing at all — but he understood enough. He understood exactly what he’d put her through, and the guilt sat heavy in his chest.
I’m going to make every second of this up to her, he thought, breathing her in. Damn, I missed this. This scent. This body. This waist. This fucking hourglass. Her face.
He pulled back just enough to kiss her eyes, one and then the other, and noticed how pale she looked, how sick. His chest ached all over again. He trailed kisses in a slow, deliberate triangle across her face before pressing a final, soft peck to her lips.
He drew her up to sit beside him on the bed.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “For putting you through hell.”
“I missed you,” she said simply.
Their eyes locked, foreheads resting together, emotion swimming thick between them — until his gaze drifted down to her feet.
Bruised. Dirty. Like she’d been walking barefoot through streets for days.
“Did you bathe?” he asked.
“I haven’t done anything since you got here,” she admitted. “Four days ago. I haven’t eaten properly in three.”
His eyes widened. “Ariana—”
“You were THERE,” she snapped, “scaring me half to death!”
He sighed, taking her hands instead, rubbing them gently.
“I’ll eat now,” she said, softer. “Now that you’re awake.”
She told him everything — the accident, the surgery, the moment the doctor pronounced him dead and she’d refused to let them take him, staying with his body for hours until that single, miraculous finger movement, fighting the staff to recheck him, the faint pulse they found.
“They said you weren’t showing signs of waking,” she said. “I wasn’t myself through any of it. How was I supposed to eat or bathe?”
He pulled her into a hug, burying his face against her neck.
“I’m never leaving you again,” he said. “Thank you for fighting for me. I’ll always be your man.”
She nodded, pulling back to look at the bandage wrapped around his skull, touching it gently. He winced.
“Sorry,” she said quickly.
“Feels like someone’s hammering a nail straight into my head,” he admitted, “but I’ll be fine.”
Isabella entered then, a food package in hand, and froze at the sight of him awake.
“EVAN—” She rushed closer, beaming. “You’re awake. You’re actually awake!”
He smiled weakly. “Ariana’s been doing a lot, I hear.”
Isabella pulled out her phone, already dialing Aiden, and Evan took the flask from her, feeding Ariana himself despite his own exhaustion. She ate eagerly, finishing it entirely.
“BJ is really—” Ariana started.
Evan’s expression crumpled instantly. He bacame sad “How dare he leave. I missed his liveliness.” Evan muttered his eyes going red.
The doctors entered moments later, Aiden close behind, all of them stunned to find him alert. The doctor checked him over thoroughly — stable, though weak, the bleeding around the skull finally stopped. He prescribed rest, light food, and medication, instructing someone to follow him to collect the necessary prescriptions.
Aiden gave Evan a long, grateful look before leaving — thank you for fighting, for waking up — and Isabella teased Ariana lightly on her way out.
Once alone again, Ariana filled him in properly on everything — Megan, Vanessa, the full scope of it all.
“Everything’s finally falling into place,” he said, smiling faintly.
“You need to rest and recover first,” she said firmly. “Before you even think about releasing anything.”
He groaned, settling back against the pillow. “The Torres are your real parents. Your fake father stole you from them.” He glanced at her. “Do you feel anything toward them? A connection?”
“Yes,” she admitted. “Since the moment I saw them.”
He sighed, something thoughtful crossing his face. Good for Derek, he thought bitterly. I told him not to marry that woman.
Haley and Justin entered next, Haley gasping the second she saw him. “It’s true. You’re actually awake.”
Justin shook Evan’s hand, and Evan pulled Haley into a gentle hug, noting the dullness in her eyes, the way she’d thinned considerably.
“You have to be strong,” he murmured. “BJ’s up there now, a star in the sky, watching over you. I know he is.”
Haley nodded sadly. Ariana pulled her into her own hug. “Everything’s going to be okay. I promise.”
Haley managed a faint smile, returning the embrace.
—
