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.

me a reassuring

her tone professional but warm. "His vitals are improving

a breath, letting them work, but my eyes never left

hard - fighting with everything he has left - just to come back to us, and for the

as she held on to me, breathless, her eyes wide with hope as we both

he...?" She trails off, seeing the doctor inject something up in to his arm through a long intimidating

hard, Amelia. He's

mouth, tears welling up in her eyes as she looked down at Daryl. "Oh, Thank God,"

the moment, as they offered us gentle smiles on their passing leaving just one more nurse

when he's awake and needs anything. When he wakes up, he will feel exhausted and will probably fall back over so don't be alarmed." The doctor turns to face us, peeling off his latex gloves

he nods and heads for the door with

silent room, but it

the sound now - pure

were both glued to the spot and scared to move

heard you, Vincent," she said softly. "You're the one who managed to pull him back." She tells me, as

emotion. "Nah he didn't need me. He did this himself. Daryl's always been

yet trembling with emotion. "He needed you here, Vincent. You're

believe her, but the guilt gnawed at me. Daryl was fighting for his life

back to him, watching his chest rise and fall in shallow breaths, the beeping of the machines now a strange

sound meant he was

It wasn't over.

Not yet.

as the silence settled between Amelia and me as we just took

felt thick and tense, like we were holding our collective breath, waiting

his eyelids, every groan, sent my heart racing with

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

she quietly slipped

emptier without her, but I didn't move from my spot. I stayed by Daryl's side, watching him, silently urging him to fight just a

still limp in mine, before it twitched again more deliberate

I whispered, leaning closer. "You can do

his fingers flexing against mine. "That's it! Keep doing what you're doing!" I state, longing for

dreaming, he slowly, very painfully, cracked open his eyelids

was unfocused, hazy, but it was enough for me. He was in there, coming

above a whisper now, my emotions swirling

to focus on me as he groaned this

faintest sound escaping them, but it was incoherent