The CEO’s Unspoken Love (Eleanor and Derek) novel Chapter 208

Chapter 208

Eleanor POV

The snow fell heavier outside, darkening the room as afternoon approached. I turned on the small lamp beside Derek’s bed, creating

a circle of warm light that enclosed us like a cocoon. From my bag, I pulled out a collection of American poetry I’d purchased from

the hospital gift shop-another small addition to the growing stack of books I’d been reading to Derek.

This had become another part of my daily ritual. The doctors had mentioned that coma patients sometimes responded to familiar

voices and stories, so each day I read for Derek for hours, hoping some word or phrase might reach wherever Derek’s consciousness

had retreated.

Today I’d chosen E.E. Cummings, remembering once a night at the lake house when Derek had mentioned liking his work. We’d found an old anthology in his father’s study, and Derek had read a few poems aloud, his voice taking on a different quality than I’

ever heard before.

I cleared my throat and began to read, my voice soft but clear in the quiet room.

́i carry your heart with me(i carry it in my heart),” I read, the words catching slightly in my throat. “i am never without it(anywhere i go you go,my dear; and whatever is done by only me is your doing,my darling).”

The words seemed to float in the air between us, achingly appropriate. I continued reading, each line feeling like it had been written

specifically for us, for this moment.

́i fear no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want no world(for beautiful you are my world, my true) and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant and whatever a sun will always sing is you…”

My voice broke slightly, and I paused to collect myself before finishing the poem.

“here is the deepest secret nobody knows (here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows higher than soul can hope or mind can hide) and this is the wonder that’s keeping the stars apart…”

I took a deep breath before the final line: “i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)”

Closing the book, I placed it on the bedside table and sat in silence for a moment, letting the words settle around us. The poem captured exactly how I felt-that no matter how far away Derek seemed, he was still with me, still part of me. Distance, even the

unfathomable distance of his coma, couldn’t truly separate us.

The hospital corridor outside was quiet now-shift change, when the day nurses passed their notes to the evening staff. This was my favorite time of day, when interruptions were least likely and I could pretend we were alone together somewhere far from this

sterile room.

In these quiet moments, I often found myself speaking aloud about mundane things-the weather, hospital gossip, small

observations about the day. Today was no different.

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Chapter 208

“The tulips arrived at the hospital gift shop today.” I said, straightening his blanket. “Red ones, not quite as vibrant as what I would have stocked at Four Seasons, but pretty. Nancy-the night nurse with the red hair-told me her daughter got engaged last weekend.

She showed me pictures of the ring at least three times.”

My fingers absently traced patterns on the back of his hand as I spoke. I’d read somewhere that touch was important for coma

patients, that physical contact could provide an anchor to the world.

As the sky outside darkened completely, my thoughts turned inward, more personal. This too had become a ritual-these evening,

confessions when I allowed myself to voice the fears and hopes I kept hidden during daylight hours.

“I think about it all the time,” I said softly. “If I had answered your question immediately, would everything be different now? If hadn’t hesitated, would we have avoided the accident?” I closed my eyes, remembering the feel of his lips on mine in the car, the last kiss we’d shared before the crash. “I wanted to say yes. I was going to say yes-that I wanted to start over, to give us a real

chance.”

I imagined our future together, the possibilities that still waited if only he would wake up. A life where we chose each other deliberately, without family pressure or time limits. A life where we could discover who we really were together.

“When you open your eyes, I continued, “we’ll go to that Italian restaurant you kept recommending. Maybe we could get a cat, not just babysit Sunny. I’ve even thought that… if you wanted… we could have another wedding. A real one, this time. One we choose

for ourselves.”

The confession felt both terrifying and liberating. These were words I’d never have been brave enough to say if he could respond. But they were true, and somehow, I felt he needed to hear them.

“Sometimes I’m afraid, I admitted, my voice catching. The way the doctors look at me, the way your parents have started to talk about preparing for the long term… it scares me. But I promised I’d wait for you, and I will. I can’t believe you won’t wake up. I

won’t believe it.”

I squeezed his hand tighter, my vision blurring with unshed tears. “We wasted so much time with misunderstandings and running away. I won’t let any more time slip through my fingers. However long it takes, I’ll be right here waiting for you to come back to

The day’s emotional toll began to weigh on me. I rested my head on the edge of Derek’s bed, still holding his hand, my eyes growing

heavy.

I should rest for a bit, I murmured, stifling a yawn. “Today’s snow makes me especially sleepy…”

My breathing began to slow, my mind drifting toward sleep. In that hazy space between wakefulness and dreams, I felt something-a slight pressure against my palm, so faint I thought I’d imagined it.

My eyes flew open, suddenly alert. ‘Derek?”

I stared at our joined hands, hardly daring to breathe. For several heartbeats, nothing happened, and I began to think I’d dreamed it.

Then unmistakably-his index finger moved. Just a twitch, barely perceptible, but definitely real.

THEY

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My heart pounded against my ribs. ‘Derek? Can you hear me? If you can, please, move your finger again…”

Another moment passed, each second stretching into eternity-and then his finger moved again, the motion small but deliberate.

Tears spilled down my cheeks as joy and disbelief crashed over me in waves. I pressed the call button with trembling fingers, my

eyes never leaving our joined hands.

“Nurse! Please, come quickly!” My voice shook with emotion.

I leaned closer to Derek, squeezing his hand as tears fell freely onto the white hospital sheets. I’m ‘here, Derek. I’ve always been

here. Please come back to me…”

The finger moved once more, and in that tiny movement lived all my hopes for tomorrow.

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The CEO’s Unspoken Love