Shadows In Durango

Chapter 119

***** Vincent's POV*****

At first, I thought I was fully imagining it...

That my mind, desperate for any slight sign of life, was playing tricks on me...

But no- the faintest twitch of his fingers in mine was real!

My gasp caught up in my throat, and I held still, afraid to move, afraid to break whatever fragile connection had just been sparked.

"Daryl?!" My voice barely escaped as a whisper, my heart thudding loudly in my ears.

For a moment, there was nothing. The machines kept their steady rhythm, the silence closing in on me again. I gripped his hand tighter, willing him to give me another sign, anything to show me that he was still in there, fighting to come back. Then, just as I was about to lose hope, his eyelids fluttered. It was so small, so quick, that I almost missed it, but it was definitely there.

A flicker of life!

My heart sprung up into my throat next, and I stood up so fast that the chair tipped over behind me with a loud clatter.

"Daryl? Daryl, can you hear me? Whatever you're doing, keep doing it! It's working!" I leaned over the bed, my face inches from his, my hand still gripping his tightly.

"C'mon, man, give me something else..." I plead, not wanting the momentous moment to die out.

His brow furrowed ever so slightly, and I watched, holding my breath as his chest hitched, a faint groan escaping his lips next.

He's responding! He's finally waking up!

The machines around him beeped a little faster, reacting to his movements and sudden change in demeanour, and I felt a surge of hope crash through me like a tidal wave.

I reached for the call button beside the bed, smashing it with more force than necessary as I called for a nurse - pressing it again and again as if that would make them move faster outside.

Dropping it, I rush to the room door, opening it and seeing a half asleep Amelia looking up at me - suddenly startled.

"What's going on Vincent?!" Amelia stammers, leaning forward and dreading to hear any more bad news.

The rush of nurses come speeding down the hallway, as I motion for them all to hurry up...

"He's waking up!" I shouted, my voice shaking with a mix of relief and disbelief all at the same time. "He's waking up, come quick!"

Within moments, the room was a flurry of activity. Nurses rushed in, checking his vitals, adjusting the machines before a doctor arrived shortly after.

them gave me a reassuring nod, though her expression

stable," she said, her tone professional but warm. "His vitals are improving rapidly.

stepped back, allowing myself to catch a breath, letting them work, but my eyes never left

to come back to us, and for the first time since this nightmare began, I felt

to my side, lacing her arm around mine as she held on to me, breathless, her eyes wide with hope as we both stood back to watch the

off, seeing the doctor inject something up in to his arm through a

a shaky smile breaking out across my face. "He's fighting hard, Amelia. He's coming back to us." I state

in her eyes as she looked down at Daryl. "Oh, Thank

they offered us gentle smiles on their

take minutes or even hours... but just press the button again and the nurses will be with him when he's awake and needs

breathes out, as he nods and heads for the

room, but it

the sound now

me, as though we were both glued to the spot and scared

one who managed to pull him

with emotion. "Nah he didn't need me. He did this himself. Daryl's always been stronger than me. I just..." I swallowed,

with emotion. "He needed you here, Vincent. You're family to him more than you

for his life because of decisions I had made - decisions that led him straight into a

breaths, the beeping of the machines now a strange sort of comfort knowing that they were helping to

he was still

It wasn't over.

Not yet.

and me as we just took the

in the room felt thick and tense, like we were holding our collective breath, waiting for Daryl to make

of his eyelids, every groan,

the silence, her voice soft. "I think... I think I'll go and get some air, I feel a little nauseous in here, maybe you can try to talk him round again?" she said, her voice thick with exhaustion. She gave me a gentle pat on the arm. "You stay here. He'll want to see your face when he wakes

she quietly slipped

but I didn't move from my spot. I stayed

still limp

man," I whispered, leaning closer. "You

"That's it! Keep doing what you're doing!" I state, longing

I was stuck dreaming, he slowly, very painfully, cracked open his eyelids just a

enough for me. He was in

now, my emotions swirling as

eyes shifted, trying to focus on me as he groaned this time, trying to adjust

it was incoherent words that I couldn't begin to make