A North Carolina Autumn - Chapter 16: Chapter 16

When I finally wake up three hours later, it's nearing 6:00pm. It takes me a minute to remember everything, but when I see Rylie, still asleep in my arms, relief washes through me.
She's really okay.
Rylie's breathing is deep and even, her chest rising and falling softly with each breath. Tearing my eyes from her isn't easy, but as my phone vibrates softly on the nightstand next to me, I finally pull my gaze away. The message on my screen shows Jeremy's name.
J- Y'all busy tonight?
Me- Nope, just woke up from a much needed nap. What's up?
J-Down for a movie? We know Ry needs rest, but some of us are desperate to see her.
I laugh, knowing he's referring to Sam.
Me- We're in!
I shoot him our address and carefully slip out of bed and throw on a t-shirt before heading into the living room to clean up.
Putting the couch back in order is easier than I expected. Now that Rylie is home, I'm more than happy to put it away. I throw the blankets and sheets in the washer, as well as a few random clothes before pouring the soap in and starting the machine.
Next, I clean up the already mostly clean kitchen and living room, readying it for Jeremy and the others. By the time I finish that, nearly an hour has passed and Rylie still isn't awake.
Normally, that wouldn't worry me. She loved to sleep. And she was a deep sleeper. But considering how she'd woken up from a coma only a day ago, I can't help but start to worry.
Is it even possible to slip back into a coma after just waking up?
It was. I suddenly remember in Grey's Anatomy when Mark Sloane wakes up from his coma, and what happens after. I shake my head, not wanting to entertain that thought. I knew she was okay. I'd just go wake her up.
Light from the setting sun trickles into the room from the small opening in the curtains, bathing Rylie in a warm glow as she sleeps. She has one arm under the pillow, and the other clutches the grey comforter. Her bare shoulders peek out from beneath the blanket, her skin smooth and flawless.
As much as I don't want to wake her, I needed to make sure she could wake up. I sit carefully on the bed before gently shaking her shoulder. A breath of relief slips from my lips as she stirs.
"Hey," She says, smiling sleepily. "You okay?" She asks when she sees my face.
"Yeah, you just slept for a while longer than I expected you to." I laugh. "You might never sleep tonight."
"I feel like I could fall back asleep now and not wake up for another 14 hours."
"Yeah, but let's not do that because I was getting a little bit worried." I say with another laugh.
"Sorry, love. What time is it, anyway?"
"Almost 7:00pm." Would you be up for some guests? Jeremy, Sam, Emma and Ava want to come over for a movie. I told them yes, but I can tell them neverminded if you're not ready for company."
"I am more than up for that!" Rylie says happily. "When are they coming over?"
"Oh, that's soon! I gotta shower! I'd invite you to join me, but I don't think we have enough time." She grins.
"There's always enough time for that." I tease, raising an eyebrow.
"Not for what I want to do to you. We'd need at least an hour." Rylie smirks.
Both of my eyebrows shoot up, and she kisses me quickly before climbing out of bed, not bothering to take the sheet with her. As my eyes travel down her naked body, I bite my lip.
"Maybe we can tell them to come later..."
"Too late for that now, love. But don't worry," She whispers in my ear. "It'll give you more to look forward to later." Her voice is low and seducing, and I swallow hard as she heads into the bathroom.
"Not fair!" I call after her with a chuckle. I was so glad she was back.
Rylie and I eat a quick grilled cheese dinner before the others arrive, and I make Rylie grin by dipping my sandwich in the soup bite by bite instead of dunking the entire thing in and letting it soak like I normally did.
"So all it took for you to eat grilled cheese like a normal human, was for me to go in a coma for two weeks? If I had known that was all it would take, I would've done it much sooner!"
The laugh that leaves my mouth is accompanied by some soup and little bits of my sandwich. Both mine and Rylie's eyes widen as we stare down at the small mess, but it only makes me laugh harder, and she quickly joins in.
Five minutes later, I'm clutching my stomach and trying to catch my breath. "Please," I say, gasping slightly. "Don't go into any more comas." I plead. Rylie giggles before placing her hand over mine on the table.
"I won't."
"Even if it meant it would change things about me that you don't like." I tease.
"Even then." She agrees. "Because I love everything about you, even the way you eat grilled cheese. It's one of the things that makes you, you."
"Okay, no need to make me emotional." I say with a small smile before getting up to quickly kiss her. "I love you, Ry."
I take her dishes and mine to the sink and instruct her to sit on the couch while we wait for Jeremy and the others to arrive.
"What if I want to help? What if the thing I missed the most while I was in the coma was cleaning?" Rylie jokes from the couch.
"That's a lie." I laugh. "I was the thing you missed most."
"Well... yeah. I can't even argue with that." She giggles. Just as I finish drying the last bowl, the doorbell rings. "I got it!" I say, and laugh when Rylie slumps back against the couch.
"Hey," I grin as I open the door to our friends. They come into the apartment, and Sam instantly beelines towards Rylie after giving me the fastest hug I've ever received in my life. I hug Emma, Ava and then finally Jeremy. "I'm glad you wanted to do something. These last two weeks were so stressful, it will be nice to hang out with you guys without having to worry about if Rylie is going to wake up." I say softly.
"Oh, for sure. It's weird remembering that she's awake now." Jeremy laughs. We move over to the living room but the moment I slide next to Rylie on the couch, Jeremy pulls Ava to his side and starts speaking.
"First off, Rylie, we are all so glad to see you awake. Not knowing if you would be okay was the most terrifying thing I've ever felt, so please don't ever do that again." Jeremy says sternly, but I can hear the joking tone behind the fake sternness.
"I'm not planning on it." Rylie says with a laugh.
"Good. Now, second. We wanted to tell you sooner, but Rylie had to be the center of attention, yet again..." Jeremy winks at Rylie as we laugh. "I still don't know how I got so lucky, but Ava and I are engaged."
Pride and love covers Jeremy's face, and he beams at Ava as the rest of us congratulate them excitedly. As Ava shows off the ring, I suddenly glance at Rylie to find her eyes already on me. She looks away quickly, but not before I recognize the emotion there. I instantly know where her mind is. It's the same place mine had been in since our talk on the pier. Before that, even.
I remember the night it happened, and what I found in the hotel room. That thought brings on a whole new set of emotions, and I quickly slip my fingers between Rylie's, pulling her closer to my side.
She glances at me with a concerned look in her eyes, but I smile at her reassuringly. "Later." I whisper as Jeremy and Ava sit on the couch next to us.
We had a pretty big couch, but the six of us were still on the verge of being squished. I didn't mind, though. Not in the slightest.
Jeremy takes the remote from my outstretched hand and opens Disney+. "I have a movie in mind, but if y'all don't want to watch it, that's okay. I'll only be a little bit offended." He says jokingly.
"What movie?" Sam asks from Rylie's left.
"As long as it's nothing to do with Joey King, I'm good." Rylie says, and I laugh. We were not fans of Joey King.
"It's The Sorcerer's Apprentice." Jeremy states excitedly.
"That is a phenomenal movie." I say.
"I second that." Emma adds, and the others quickly agree.
"Great! I knew there was a reason I kept y'all around." Jeremy says, and Rylie leans over to punch his arm. "Ow! I'm kidding, geez! You've got a lot of good friendship qualities. Minus the punching." He apologizes and we laugh.
Jeremy presses play on the movie and I grin as it starts. This was one of my all time favorite movies, although I seemed to have a lot of those.
Rylie's hand slips into mine again and she lays her head on my shoulder as the movie plays.
Despite my love for this movie, I couldn't stop my mind from wandering back to Rylie's look. She had to be remembering the same thing I was. If the accident hadn't happened, we would be engaged right now.
I knew I wanted to propose. She did too. We'd both planned it out. I had no idea what to do now, but I was determined to figure it out.
When we get to Dillon's brother's house after lunch the next day, I can tell that Rylie is so excited to see her brothers and Harper. Judging by the boys' reactions, they're excited too. Kristen and Brad must've talked to them though, because they're much calmer than normal. When we open the door, they don't come running into her arms like they normally did. They run into mine though, which makes me smile.
"What, I don't get hugs?" Rylie teases the boys.
"Dad said to be gentle with you since you took such a long nap." August says.
"Oh," Rylie laughs. "Is that what we're calling it?" I can't stop my laugh but manage to cover it up with a cough
"Ry Ry, did you have any cool dreams while you were asleep?" Aiden asks as we move towards the living room
"I did! I dreamed that I was a super fast giraffe and I kidnapped you!" She rushes towards the small boy, scooping him into her arms.
"Rylie!" Kristen calls sternly from the couch." Put him down and sit. Please." Rye laughs before rolling her eyes. She doesn't set Aiden down, but still moves to the couch with him. The other two boys sit by her side, and August looks at me before patting the cushion next to him. I laugh before sitting and pulling the small boy onto my lap.
"Can I hold Harper?" Rylie asks Spencer. He pulls a fake pout onto his face before getting up and placing the baby in Rylie's arms.
"So you just want the attention of all the siblings, huh?" He teases.
"You can sit on my lap if you want, too." She grins.
"Nah, wouldn't want to test your energy after your long nap." He winks and the rest of us laugh.
Despite Rylie still being pretty tired, she plays nonstop with the boys and Harper. After spending nearly two weeks with her, the boys had fallen more in love with Harper. It was adorable to watch them play with her. They'd lay down on their stomachs in front of her, giggling and making faces, and laughing even harder at the faces and noises she'd make.
Rylie watches them with love on her face, and I can see how happy she is. I can also tell that she wants to chase them around and play with them like she normally does, but with each passing minute, I can see the exhaustion slipping back onto her face.
"You about ready to head back? It might be naptime." I tease. She grins before nodding.
"I think you're right." She laughs.
We say our goodbyes to her family, promising to come back in the next few days before slipping out the door and to the car.
"Thank you." Rylie says after a few minutes of driving. "I got so tired suddenly but didn't know how to slip away. I'm definitely ready for a nap." She grins.
"Oh, me too." I assure her before slipping my hand into hers.