55: A strange Intruder

Pov: Bianca

Everyday was more confusing than the last. I had lost track of the exact dates and I slept more than I was conscious.

I roused awake to an unfamiliar room that smelled like antiseptic and menthol.

Someone was wiping the hair off my temple... It was Andre. I'd recognize his touch anywhere.

"Christ, baby," he whispered in that anguished voice he uses these days, "please be okay."

I struggled to keep my eyes open. My body felt like it had been run over by a truck and stuffed with painkillers. I was sluggish and groggy, numb and slower than usual. The painkillers must have knocked me out because I wasn't aware of what day or time it was.

"Go back to sleep, micetta."

I shook my head slowly, trying to look up at him. Trying to see his face, and when his tired face swam into focus, my heart did a sad little skip.

He looked like he had aged ten years since I last saw him. The scruff on his jaw was dark and he looked like he hadn't slept in days... I knew for sure that he hadn't be