words. Rae has so many. x_x
Groggy was understandable. For Rae, it felt like he'd been asleep for way more than three days, because she spent much of that time worried and afraid that he'd never wake up. Her explanation was vague, she blamed that partially on exhaustion clouding her judgment, but also on the fact that she wasn't sure what he was ready to hear.
His response made her blink a couple times, then say, "Sorry. It's..." she sighed and breathed slowly. "One of them shot you." She was sure he remembered that much. "In the shoulder. They were going for Brandon, but you took the hit," she wet her lips. "Y-you remember that, right?" she asked, reaching up to dab at her eyes and sniffling. In her head, she'd pictured herself telling him how worried she'd been, how much he'd scared her, but...she didn't have it in her right then. All she cared about was the fact that he was alive. That he was awake.
When he apologized, she shook her head no. "Don't," she told him honestly. "I'm... it's..." she trailed off. She wasn't fine, it wasn't okay, so she couldn't say that. "You're alive. That's all that matters, Topher." That much, she could say with honesty. He hadn't left her. He'd kept his promise.
Truth be told, she wasn't sure she could leave, even if it was the right thing to do. She just... she didn't want to be away from him unless she had to. "I'm so glad..." she said, knowing that he'd know what she meant. "You came back to me. I'm so glad..." she repeated.
It took all she had not to stop him from sitting up, but somehow she managed. She felt his smile pressed against her lips, and she managed a weak one in return. Smiling was difficult when she was still so worried. She smoothed her thumb along his cheek and breathed a deep sigh. "I missed you," she muttered.
He explained himself and she nodded her head. "I... I know," she told him honestly. "I understand. I'd have done the same." For him, for April... if she'd been able to prevent any of the people who'd gotten hurt that day from what had happened to them she'd have done it. It probably would have been better. She'd have been able to heal right up from it. "Please stop apologizing. Yeah, I was upset, and yeah, I was scared, but..." she took his hand and brought it to her lips to kiss it. "You're here with me. You're alive. I can't be mad at you right now." She couldn't.
She nodded her head at his next question. "He's okay," she confirmed. "You saved his life." Her eyes were brimming with tears, both from relief and from still-present worry.