Chapter 51: Chapter 51

“Dafne!” Ian strode into the room a few minutes later, his voice filled with awe and disbelief. He stopped next to my bed and scanned my face as if quenching a great thirst, like he'd been deprived of water for a long time and had finally found a source. “I thought I would never—” He trailed off and grasped my hand. “You're awake,” he sighed, tightening his hold on me. “You're really awake.”

Speechless, I looked down at his hand over mine.

He noticed where I was looking and pulled back his hand. “Sorry, I just—” He shook his head and decided to veer the conversation in a different direction. “Comus left about an hour ago—I was downstairs talking to your grandmother on my cell phone when they told me about you. I already told her you're awake by the way,” he said, his emerald green eyes bright with happiness. “She spent two days here with you and had to come back to Buffy, so I stayed here.”

“What—what happened? Why am I here?” I asked, my voice a bit groggy.