“I’m sorry,” Nancy said, no louder than a whisper. James could tell that she meant it and immediately James found himself trusting Nancy with Anna’s care. Instinctively he knew that she would take the very best care of Anna.

“Thank you,” James replied honestly, looking up at her. Nancy didn’t know it, but by simply doing her job she’d saved Anna’s life and in doing so, saved James as well. “How’s she doing?”

“She’ll be fine. She has a broken leg, a few broken ribs, and a mild concussion. She’ll be glad you’re here. When she woke up before, she was so frantic. No one was here. I think she felt abandoned and alone,” Nancy explained, giving him a pat on the shoulder before leaving them.

Justin wandered in. “How’s our girl doing?” he had stopped at the florist downstairs and bought her the biggest bouquet of bright yellow daffodils he could find.

“She’ll be okay. I’m staying here. Can you call Joel and tell him I won’t be at training for the next few days? Thanks for coming with me. I know I was pretty out of it. Thanks.”

“Anytime,” Justin said and with a handshake and a smile, he was gone.

James sat staring at Anna. Her constant yet peaceful breathing calmed him. He wished she would wake up so he could see for himself that she was all right. He wanted to talk to her. He wanted to look after her, but he couldn’t bring himself to wake her. She needed her rest. Exhausted, James soon fell asleep with his fingers laced with hers.

***

Anna

For some reason Anna’s subconscious began to replay the accident, but this time Anna wasn’t driving the car. She was standing on the side of the road watching the car hit the ditch and flip. Anna could see herself walking up to the driver’s side door and looking through the window. She could see herself lying there unable to move, struggling to breathe; broken and bleeding, trying to scream but unable to form the words. Anna was watching it all, then with a jolt she was suddenly wide awake.

The pain was real. Anna tried to take a deep breath but her ribs ached. Touching her forehead, she found a patch of gauze. Anna looked down at her other hand. James was sitting in the chair next to the bed, his head resting gently on the bed, his hand firmly clasping hers. He’d come.

She looked around the room. It was already filled with beautiful bouquets of flowers. Every type imaginable filled the room. There were roses and daisies; orchids and lilies; carnations and sunflowers; as well as Justin’s daffodils. The room was a mass of colours and scents, which wafted through the air invading everything they landed on. In the corner of the room there was a small rectangular window with apricot curtains, through which the sun peeked mischievously. On the other side of the curtain was an old man. He appeared so sad, so lost, or alone. Maybe it was a combination of all three, Anna couldn’t tell. He had no flowers surrounding him, no cards, no get well balloons, he just lay there sleeping soundly, trying to hang onto what was left of his life.

Soon enough Anna had managed to make herself feel nauseated. She was remembering everything she’d put James through in the past twenty-four hours. And despite that he was here, spending a night in what had to be the most uncomfortable chair in the hospital, holding her hand. Anna tried to move but her legs were stiff and heavy. She couldn’t remember being put into a plaster cast, but there it was, wrapped around her leg. She wanted to sit up, but she couldn’t. Anna thought about waking James but decided against it. He looked so peaceful and beautiful that she didn’t have the heart to wake her sleeping prince.

***

James

After a while he began to stir. James sat up and winced. It only took him a few seconds to realise that what had happened wasn’t a nightmare. It was real. He still had Anna’s hand in his own, she hadn’t moved. He looked up at her, she looked so pale and weak, but she managed to conjure enough energy from somewhere to smile at him and say, “I’m sorry.” Those very simple words had used up what was left of her energy. She flopped her head back against the pillows and squeezed her eyes shut. She had never felt so defeated in all of her life, but now Anna was weak, vulnerable and useless.

James began to cry. It wasn’t a cry of sadness. It wasn’t a cry of grief. It was the cry of relief. The cry of knowing that no matter what happened next, everything would be okay. The cry that proved that he loved her. James shot up and smiled as he squeezed her hand gently. His tears were flowing freely over his cheeks and off his face. He didn’t seem to care who was watching or what they would say. Anna was safe and sound and that was all that mattered.

Nancy appeared a short time later. After checking all the machines that Anna was hooked up to, she looked over at James. He looked worse than Anna. He’d had only a few hours of restless sleep in the chair next to the bed and it was obvious that he was exhausted. “There’s a coffee machine just down the hall. You look like you need one,” Nancy suggested, pointing the way. Although he was reluctant to leave Anna’s side, he knew he needed the caffeine if he was going to be any use to Anna at all. With a quick kiss on the forehead, he disappeared down the corridor.

***

Anna

Nancy turned to Anna, whose eyes were closed. “You really are a lucky girl. That boy is head over heels. Did he tell you how he found you?” Nancy saw a spark in Anna's eyes as they snapped open with her words.

“How did he…find me?” Anna asked, gasping for air through her painful sobs. She wanted to know. She needed to know. She felt so guilty for leaving him the way she did, but she hoped and prayed that he hadn’t done anything stupid.

“That incredible young man of yours went on national television and asked everyone for their help. He asked if anyone had seen you, if anyone had heard from you. When we saw his pleas I phoned the hotline. Within a few minutes in he ran, through the doors to your bedside. He hasn’t moved all night. You should see the reporters that have flocked to the hospital. They’re blocking every exit downstairs. They’re dying to know how the fairy tale ends. It’s crazy. Anyone would think that it was James who ended up in hospital.” Nancy sat on the side of Anna’s bed. “That young man loves you very much. I can tell,” Nancy pronounced with a wink before she disappeared.

James wandered back, his face filled with anxious energy. He looked as though he’d spent the night sleeping in the gutter. Anna was beginning to regain some of her strength. The pain killers must have been wearing off as Anna’s movements triggered more and more pain. Her leg provided a constant dull ache. Her ribs gave her the feeling that a truck had hit her. “Hey.” She smiled at the sight of him.

“How are you doing?” James asked, sipping at his coffee.

“I’m doing okay. How ’bout you? How are you holding up?” Anna winced as she tried to pull herself upright.

“I’m good. Tired but good.” James was grinning as he put down his cup and helped her to sit up, adjusting her pillows.

“Baby, go home and get some sleep. I’m fine. Please. Go home and sleep. There’s nothing you can do here. I just need to get some rest,” Anna begged. As much as she wanted him to sleep and take care of himself, the truth was she didn’t want him to go. She needed him beside her. Not just now, but always.

“All right, all right I’ll go. But promise me, if you need anything, anything at all, you call me. I’ll be back in a few hours. Get some rest,” he surrendered, bumbling to his feet. He was just too exhausted to argue.

“Promise,” Anna called after him, as he walked out the door and towards the exit.

***

James

As he stepped out of the main doors, he barely managed two steps before being hounded by the press who had spent the night camping out on the hospital lawns to ensure that they were the first to get the details of the fairy tale’s ending. “Was it Anna? Is she okay?” Questions came firing at James from everywhere all at once. He had broken world records, been accused of being a drug cheat, but for the first time, his private life had become the focus of their curiosity. He was exposed and their story was the biggest in the country.