Pitch black. Flashes of hospital lights and doctors and nurses talking to me and running along side the crash cart. One flashed a flashlight into my eyes. And then pitch black. That is what I remember from last night.

I opened my eyes. The room was pale all around.Blue walls,white tiled floor. My bed was by the only window in the room. The sky was filled with dark gray clouds rolling around and rain poured calmly.
I removed the oxygen mask and stiffly sat up. On either side of the beds were cards and a small vase of flowers.
"Sleeping beauty has finally awoken." I thought I was the only one in there;but I was wrong. I looked to my other side. A mysterious guy sat in the hospital bed next to me. He had a guitar in his hands.
"How are you feeling?" He air strummed his guitar. His hair hung off a little when he looked down. His arms were muscular, he was my age and so gorgeous.
I touched my head,"Um...better.Thanks"
His eyes finally met mine.They were bright green,with flexes of blue. He flashed a white smile. Making his tan skin even tanner. He had been something that made me smile in a long time,so I went with my gut.
"I'm sorry but do I know you?" I smiled in return. His smile grew,maybe he is just happy to have someone to talk to.
He held my gaze and keep smiling," No. No. Sorry.I'm Colin." He waved. I couldn't help but laugh. "I'm Elizabeth but you can call me Liz." I waved back.
He laughed too."So, Liz, what are you in for?"
I ran my hand through my hair,the ivy in my arm pinched me,"Ow. I always do that?"
"Always? How many times do you come here?" He asked cautiously. I looked at him as he put the guitar down next to him. "I've been here six times in this entire month. They don't know what's wrong yet. I blacked out last night," I shrugged,"And they want to do tests until they can figure it out. What about you?" Colin stretched is arms out. He had and ivy in his arm and wires going under his gown. "I fell and cut my chest open." He traced a line down of how long it was.I was 3/4this of torso. My jaw dropped open,"Excuse my language but damn. How many stitches?" He laughed and then smiled,
"Three staples and 75 stitches." I stared at his torso and pictured how amazing his body would be even with the cut." I laid my head back against my pillow. We sat in silence and pondered our new information.
"How long are you staying?" He was looking at me. "Um I think he said one-to-one n' half weeks."
He ran his hand through his short brown hair,"I got the same amount of time. Looks like I'll be seeing a lot of you." I couldn't help but blush. He noticed it and smiled,"I gotta be honest. I think you have a really pretty sm- OW!" He pulled his arm down and rubbed the area around his ivy."S**t that really does hurt." We laughed.

As the days passed we became closer friends. We traded meals:

"Colin I'll trade you the pudding cup for the jello cup?"
"Oh absolutely! What you don't like jello?" I tossed it at him and shook my head. "It reminds me of old people and brains." He chuckled and spooned some in his mouth making sure I was watching.I scrunched up my face at him.
"Hey serious question now." He said. I put some pudding in my mouth."Ask away."
He looked straight into my eyes,"Would you still like me if I was an old alien?" We both cracked up in laughter. "Of course I would Colin." I looked away. He was still staring at me. "So you do?" He spoke with what seemed like hope in his voice.
"You have feelings. For me." I turned to face him. He was playing with his blanket.
"I do,Colin, have feelings for you. I think I always have..." He looked at me and ran his hand through his hair. I figured out that he does that when he is nervous. "I feel the exact same way. Liz. You and I haven't known each other long, but you are now one of the most important people in my lives." I smiled at said,"I feel the same way."

We had late night conversations on the phone:

We had been reprimanded twice by the nurse in the hallway. She said,"It is 11:30 and patients are trying to sleep. You two need your rest as well. I don't want to here another word out this room."
My body felt tired by my mind wasn't. I looked out the window when my phone vibrated on the table beside me. A text.
"Looks like her date didn't go well." Colin's facial features illuminated from his phone.
"Don't make me laugh! We'll get in trouble." I typed back and looked at him.
"I just love seeing you smile."
"But it's completely dark in this room."
"Your phone lights up your face." I laughed to myself and gave him my cheesiest smile.
He gave back his cheesiest smile. But even his cheesiest smile was adorable.
I replied,"That's a hot smile. But I like hearing your voice." He winked at me.

And helped me when I had to take my tests:

"Okay I'm going to extract some fluid from your spine," the doctor said,"Colin can you bring her knees up to her chest and hold them there?"
Colin was kneeling beside me. He did as instructed. My back was bare,exposing my spine. I shut my eyes and bared for the worst. The doctor gave me a sedative for the pain. I remember the needle and the extreme pain that followed. I didn't scream, I wouldn't. Tears escaped from the corners of my eyes, and then it was done. "You did really good Liz," the doctor said as he left. I rolled back over, so I was flat on my back. Colin wiped away a tear,"you are so brave. really. I wouldn't have done what you just did." He stroked my hair.
"I'm not though. I was terrified." As I looked into his eyes they showed concern.I didn't want him feeling bad for me. I grabbed his hand,"Thank you. For helping me." He shifted a little. I hadn't realized that it was uncomfortable for him to sit like that. I pulled at his hand. "Hey don't sit like that. I don't want you getting worse than you already are." He smiled and stood up. "It's fine really. It's practically healed."

I had fallen hard for him. I guess in a way everything was going perfectly until the end of the first week. His doctor came to him telling him that he could go home the following day. He looked at me. And that's all I remember before blacking out.

I woke up by the smell of cologne. Not the strong kind but the pleasuring kind. I opened my eyes and looked up. Colin was sleeping peacefully next to me. He had one arm under me and the other on my waist. I shook his arm and whispered,"Colin." His eyes opened and he smiled down at me. "Hey sleeping beauty. How are you feeling?" I looked at his hand, so desperately wanting to hold it in mine. Instinctively I did and he didn't protest. He laced my fingers in his."Really good."
He looked at me,"you know you freaked me out when you passed out? I thought I lost you for good." I laid my head against his chest."Do you know what happened after?" He stroked my thumb with his."They took you away.After I got discharged I came back but they said I couldn't see you until today." I looked at him. "You came back for me?"
"Yeah, I did?"
He leaned in to kiss me, but I stopped him. "We shouldn't. I could be contagious." He sighed, "I just really want to kiss you."
"I know I do too." I put my head back on his chest. He kissed the top of my head.
Knock. Knock."Good to see you awake Liz." It was my doctor. I sat up,"Hey,any news?"
The doctor moved his eyes from me to Colin. "We figured out what has caused all of this."
"Really?What is it?"
"Cardiomyopathy." Colin and I looked at each other. The doctor smiled,"Or what I like to call Broken Heart Syndrome."
Colin stared at the doctor,"Does she still have it?" The doctor looked at his clipboard and shook his head smiling,"No.Not anymore." I couldn't help but smile and laugh.
He spoke again,"you will feel sore so I'm prescribing some Advil and a first date." He smiled at us.
"Excuse me?" I said.
"Well you see. We couldn't figure it out the first several times that you were admitted. But this time, it seemed to go away with the medication that was given and with the help of Colin."
I looked between the two of them,"What are you saying? That he cured me?"
Colin sat shocked just as I was.The doctor nodded. "You may leave later today."
He walked out leaving us alone.

Three ours later my dad came to give me clothes. He had already met Colin last week when he came to visit."Colin," he said shaking his hand,"how are those stitches?"
"Good, good. Getting them out next week."
"Sounds good. Do you need a ride home?"
"No, thank you but my car is outside."
I leaned against Colin."Dad can Colin come over for dinner tonight?" He smiled,"Of course.I mean I can't thank you enough for saving my daughter's life."
"Thank you,sir." My dad waved at him," No please, call me Ted."

My dad had also agreed to let Colin and I get chinese and take it to my house.
I came out of the bathroom with my clothes on and put the gown on the bed.
Colin hugged me from behind."Chinese will be ready in fifteen." I turned around carefully thinking of his stitches."Could I ask you something?"
"Yeah of course."
"Can I see your cut?" I wanted to see everything that he was. Including this cut. He started to unbutton his shirt. The cut went from sternum to his belly button. It was clean and sewn tightly. I traced along the sides of it with both hands on each side. He looked straight ahead and breathed."Am I hurting you?" I stopped
"No," he looked down at me."It feels good."
"You know I guess I can call you my prince.You saved my life." He moved closer,"I guess so." He leaned in a kissed me gently. He put his hands around my face. His kiss electrified me and made me want more.It was intense and sweet. We entwined our legs as he leaned deeper to kiss me. He pulled away leaving both of us breathing heavy. "I've wanted to do that since the day I met you." I pulled him to me and kissed him again. I wrapped one of my hands in his hair. "You have no idea." He kissed my temple as I buttoned up his shirt. "Liz,I love you."
I smiled,"I love you too Colin."