This Is Us - Chapter 79: Chapter 79

*LUCA POV*
I stood in the shower and let the boiling hot water run over my sore muscles from the past five days spent sleeping in the most uncomfortable positions. I closed my eyes and tilted my head down, taking in the steam and letting the water run down my hair as I tried to relax.
But nothing about having one of my husbands in a medically induced coma for four days called for relaxation. I cupped the water in my large hands and splashed it on my face, trying to bring some kind of life back to my pale face since he's going to wake up pretty soon and his first question is probably going to be why do I look like I've just been hit by a truck.
Every day I spent with him asleep, I had learned a few new things about him. Like I had been able to study his face for the very first time without worrying as to if he would wake up and catch me. I could now tell you that my Matthias has a little scar right below his smooth chin but I have no idea where it came from.
When the sunlight comes in through the large wall sized windows and hit him just right around 3 pm, you can see this light dusting of freckles over his nose and just slightly shredded to his cheeks. His soft silky hair is textured with tiny waves to it if you twist it and some light brown parts are so light that you could mistake them for blonde.
My love also has one tiny little birthmark behind his right ear in the shape of a crescent moon which I found interesting. I learned that he must use some kind of facewash at home that makes his skin super soft because his cheeks were getting a little dry against my lips everytime I kissed them in hopes he would magically wake up like in a fairy princess movie.
Since the coma was medically induced, I knew he wouldn't wake up until the doctors cleared his surgical scar and saw him getting better. I also knew that if he was awake during that time, the doctors explained to me that he would be in so much pain that he would wish he was dead.
But now that's it's been five days, I wanted nothing more than to see his beautiful eyes staring into my soul like he often did when he was just enamored with the way I moved or laughing about something I did. And god did I miss that beautiful laugh more than anything. Okay, I missed his smile too but that was beside the point.
I can only hope now that he's not mad at me when he wakes up for signing off on the paperwork that put him to sleep. The babies are now three weeks old and Thomas told me this morning that our little Nakoa gave him the biggest smile when he went to cuddle him and I would have cried had I not run out of tears ages ago. I wanted to be with all my precious little babies again and even my Jaydean who would forever stay my baby girl no matter how old she was and I know Novalee will be the same way.
But Matthias comes first. He's not the only one who comes first since he shares the top spot with Thomas, but he will always come first in my life. I owe my life to him after all.
I finally turned off the shower water and grabbed my light blue towel, patting my face dry first before going through my hair and the rest of my body. I hung my towel to dry once I finished and rolled on my navy blue sweatpants and matching Adidas hoodie. Thomas had been thoughtful enough to go out of his way to buy me cozy hospital outfits that I could mix and match each day and I greatly appreciated it.
I walked out into the hospital room after combing my hair back and bit my lower lip when I found Matthias was still asleep. I was kind of hoping that after a long shower he would wake up in that time and greet me once I came out, but that idea was just a dream at that.
The doctors were weaning him off the medications they drugged him on and said it would be at least five or six hours before I'd meet my husband again. And even then, there could be some things wrong with him, like he could be paralyzed in a limb or he might not remember speech correctly.
Cooper picked his head up when he saw me before going back to his nap, which he was doing a lot of these days since I didn't want to leave Matthias' side for more than a half hour max. At least once a day though Jamie would come by with one or two children from his tribe and take Cooper for a long walk to the park for me. The kids would go nuts with him and play with him until all three were exhausted before Jamie brought him back to me.
After going on a run with Jamie and his eldest child this morning, Coop was alert but relaxed as he laid on his dog bed in the corner of the room and played with his chewing sticks. He tilted his head a bit as if he was asking if I needed him and I shook my head, letting him continue playing.
I went back to Matthias and sat down on a stool next to his hospital bed. Pulling up the blankets from him to make sure he was well covered even though he hadn't moved an inch since I left. I gently reached forward and grabbed his loose hand in mine, giving it a tight squeeze and kissing the tops of his knuckles.
I perched like that for several minutes with his hand in mine and held it close to my chest so he could feel my broken heart beating for him.
Maybe if he could feel how much I missed him, it would make him come back sooner. But how could I make him feel my love, my appreciation, my desires, without his sight? He couldn't see the way I looked at him with nervous anticipation, knowing every breath he takes is another breath closer to seeing him awake again. Could he smell the red roses sitting in a small vase on the nightstand that I changed when there was the slightest hint of brown?
Probably not.
I carefully let the back of his hand touch my cheek as I closed my eyes and imagined he was awake and doing it himself.
"Wise men say...only fools jump in, but I can't help...falling in love with you,"
I found myself singing over the quiet hum of his monitors with my eyes still squeezed shut. Taking my time to sing every lyric of the memorized song right.
"Shall I stay? Would it be a sin? If I can't help, falling in love...with you?"
For a few moments, it's as if time stops and so does the monitors as it's just Matthias and I together at last. I missed him so much that I felt like I was going crazy without him.
"Like a river flows, straight into the sea, darling so it goes...some things are meant to be,"
I paused, kissing his hand again and mumbling the words into his hand.
"So take my hand...take my whole life too,"
There's a sudden squeeze on my hand and I freeze, opening my eyes to meet his halfway opened ones.
"Please...finish..." he mutters in a raspy breath and I try to regain all the air I had lost.
"For I can't help, falling in love with you. For I can't help, falling in love...with you,"
I giggled the last with you and he smiled before I leaped up to kiss his slightly chapped lips.
"I didn't know you could sing baby," He mumbled as I kissed him all over until he pushed me away.
"Luca? What's wrong with you? I was only out for a few hours," He coughs and the tears return to my eyes out of pure joy.
"It's been more than a few hours Matthias. You were in critical condition and you were asleep for five days," I told him and he gasped.
"Five days? Holy shit, that must have been so hard on you and Thomas. Are you guys okay? How are the babies? Is Jaydean okay?" He asked, worrying about everyone else first before worrying about himself.
"Everyones going to be just fine now that your back," I cried as I held his fluffy cheeks in my hands and he laughed.
"Mmm, I have to talk to Thomas too," He muttered and I pulled out my phone before deciding otherwise.
"Why don't you wake up a little bit and let the drugs kick in so you're not in a lot of pain when you talk to him. You know he hates it when we're in pain and he can't do anything to help us,"
"Mhm, that sounds like a good idea, you know. I'm starting to think you two might not be the biggest idiots in the world after all," He says sarcastically and I kissed his forehead.
"Of course not, you would never marry true idiots,"