Comfort

I didn’t truly wake up. It was like floating between unconsciousness and apprehension. But I guess my breathing changed or maybe a limb twitched, because suddenly he was there. I felt the bed move and the sheet pull against my leg, but he fixed it and tucked me in tight. I felt the soft brush of his hand against my cheek and until he had moved it away, I didn’t notice the hair covering my face. I caught a whiff of his skin and realized I wasn’t home. It smelled like sanitized everything; a faint smell of bleach and under that, the specific smell of death and vomit. That’s when I tried to open my eyes. They were too heavy for me, and I was too lazy to fight against my body. But it was alright, I was safe. He told me so when he leaned over to kiss my eyelids. Hospital beds are meant for one, but that didn’t stop him from climbing in next to me. I melted into him and it didn’t matter how small the bed was. My soul reached out and cuddled again his. With his arms around me, I let myself sink back into the dark. I fell asleep to his heartbeat against my back and the faint beep, beep, beep of the monitor that proved mine was in step.