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.

of them gave me a reassuring nod, though her

"His vitals are improving rapidly. This is a

allowing myself to catch a breath, letting

with everything he has left - just to come back to us, and for the first time since this nightmare began, I felt the crushing weight of anxiety lift just

to my side, lacing her arm around mine as she held on to me,

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

my face. "He's fighting hard, Amelia.

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

the nurses began to leave, seeming satisfied with his progress in the moment, as they offered us gentle smiles on their passing leaving just one more nurse behind with the doctor still in

the injection should help bring him over the last hurdle... it could take minutes or even hours... but just press the button again and the nurses will be with him 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

out, as he nods and heads for the door with the last nurse going out

beeping of the machines filled up the silent room, but it

the sound now

we were both glued to the

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

always been stronger than me. I just..." I swallowed, struggling to find

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

fighting for his life because of decisions I had made - decisions

fall in shallow breaths, the beeping of the machines

was still

It wasn't over.

Not yet.

settled between Amelia and me as we just took the

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

twitch of his eyelids, every groan, sent my heart racing

try to talk him round again?" she

slipped out of

stayed by Daryl's

eventually reached down for his hand, finding it to be still limp in mine, before it twitched again

"You can do this." I encourage, assuming he could hear me

against mine. "That's it! Keep doing what

slowly, very painfully, cracked open his eyelids just a

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

my emotions swirling as I felt in that moment like I could cry

on me as he groaned this

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