In Her Sleep

Risking It All

"Say yes...please say yes.."

Caleb chants those words for the umpteenth time since he left his house. His mind is overrun with thoughts of Layla, it's a wonder he was able to focus at all in the emergency room. For someone who would totally get immensed once he found himself there, today was a bit different. He used up every moment he wasn't busy to squeeze in a few thoughts of her. He smiles to himself as he empties the bottle of water he has been taking and lazily leans back on his office sofa. His eyes roam the place he usually retires to every time he knocks off.

It's quiet this time of the night as usual, the one thing he really appreciates about it. After all the chaos in the E.R, being here in his office feels like a soft massage on his tired senses.

The place is dimly lit with the only light coming from the lamp on his desk. A few of his case files are scattered on a table before him and he just looks at them with no strength to even lift a finger to put them in order. He is exhausted. It's been one hell of an afternoon with so many emergency cases coming through. Being a trauma surgeon in the E.R has always been thrilling but it can also be exhausting, so much that sometimes he ends up spending days in his office that is now like his second house. He would have done the same even today but no matter how tired he is, his mind is ready to make the trip back home.

"Home..."

He chuckles to himself, he has never thought of his house being a home before. Sure it's got everything he ever wanted and needs but he has never thought of it as a home until now.

Many things are changing with him and in his life and he couldn't be happier.

He closes his eyes just to rest them a bit and her face pops up right before him.

"Hey you." He smiles at the image of the girl that has turned his world upside down. A thought of her being in his house waiting for him to get home makes him sigh in contentment. He didn't even realize how much he wanted this until the time he said goodbye to her. Just the look on her face was enough for him to start praying that she says yes to his offer. What he would give to have that same face to see him off and welcome him back everyday of his busy life.

He was used to being alone in the empty house but a taste of her presence in there with him has left him wanting more. She may have been there just a few hours but he has already fallen in love with the idea.

"You do know I have a wife and kids right? And right now Janice is not very happy"

A very familiar voice brings him out of his thoughts before looking their way from his seat.

"She'll live." He answers as he aims at his office bin before throwing in the empty bottle.

"Yes!" He exclaims as the bottle falls right in.

"Tell me why we are meeting from here again?"

Darren his best friend and business partner asks as he slumps in the seat opposite him. He too looks worn out making Caleb regret bringing him all the way out here. But unfortunately for him this meeting can't be avoided.

"I'll be quick I promise."

"You are the boss." Darren gives him a gesture to go ahead while he leans back in his seat.

"There is someone I would like to send to you at the company."

"By someone, you mean a new employee?"

Darren sits up and faces him with an unhappy look.

"Yes."

"Then no."

Darren goes right back to leaning back on his seat and relaxes.

"What do you mean no?"

"That is one place you know you can't interfere."

His friend gives him a pointed look and Caleb sighs.

"Am not asking you to just hand the job to them. You can do your thing if you want which am sure she will definitely impress you of course."

"She?"

Darren sits up surprised and ready to hear his answer but Caleb just hands him a file. His friend takes it reluctantly and flips a few pages. At first he does it slowly but with every new page he turns, his face lights up and he flips through the rest quickly. When he reaches the end he looks up with a smile on his face.

"Damn! And just where did you find her."

Caleb puffs up with pride when he sees the looks on his friend's face. It takes a lot to impress Darren but then again the person he is referring to him is altogether very impressive.

"She is kind of my new housemate." He replies. It's wishful thinking on his part considering she hasn't even said yes yet. But a guy can dream right?

"Wait, what! You are getting a housemate as in you asked her to move in? With you? Like really?"

Darren's surprised look reminds Caleb of how absurd this sounded to him too not so long ago and he just rubs his neck.

"Ooh Wait till Janice hears about this." Darren exclaims making Caleb sit up immediately.

"No you can't, not just yet please." He pleads with him but he can tell his pleas are falling on deaf ears.

"Nope, you owe me big and this is my ticket to my freedom."

Darren waves his finger at him and he sighs.

"So much for keeping her to myself." He mumbles with a hint of faked bitterness. Darren and his wife have been pushing him to get out more and enjoy life, get a girlfriend. So this news will definitely make them happy, especially Janice who already calls his future girlfriend her sister.

"She is a beauty though. But wait a minute is she...."

He sees his friend look closer at the papers in his hands and their wide eyes make him get ready for them to blow up. And when Caleb just keeps quiet it follows right after.

"You've got to be kidding me. This is your new housemate?"

"Please...please, please tell me she's not.

Darren looks at him questioningly but Caleb just gets up and walks over to his office window quietly and looks at the many lights shining below. He understands Darren's concerns. Even he himself thought about them deeply but this is Layla. If he could give up everything just to have her he would. Just like the lights below are shining in the darkness, she is his own light in his life that has been filled with darkness for a long time. Never has he been serious about risking it all than now, just for her.

"Caleb?"

He turns back and meets his friend's bewildered face and smiles.

"Am a big boy, I can take care of myself."

But Darren just runs his hand through his own hair in frustration and messes it up.

"I know you are a big boy, but Simon is not. And he will come at you with everything he's got, which is a lot incase you have forgotten."

"Whose side are you on anyway?" He looks at his friend with raised eyebrows.

"You are a dummy if you even have to ask me that."

"Are you sure this is what you want?"

"You know me, you wouldn't be here if I wasn't." Caleb replies as a matter of fact.

They sit quietly with neither talking.

"Aren't they supposed to be like getting married or should have been married by now?"

Darren is the first to speak.

"Were supposed to be getting married." Caleb corrects him.

"Were?" Darren frowns at him.

"You know he is a jerk. I don't even know how she ended up with him."

"What? They broke up?"

"Sort of."

"And you just happened to be passing by and she fell into your laps, is that it?"

"Nope, I happened to be taking care of her when she was in a coma and he was gone having fun while she was barely holding on to life." There is venom in his voice and he feels himself ready to beat the hell out of his rival for treating her like that.

"Jesus! She is your patient!"

Darren is practically shouting.

"Keep it down, will you?" Caleb smirks but Darren is not playing and he sighs.

"I know you couldn't care less about your company, but your career man. Are you just going to throw it away just like that?"

Darren gives him a serious look."

"No...But if it comes down to it, it will be worth it."

Darren just looks at him open mouthed.

"You are being serious?"

"I think I found her." He smiles at his friend who just stares right back at him.

"You are really being serious huh?"

There is unbelief on his friend's face and he smiles.

"Finally..." Caleb can't hide the happiness he is feeling and he sees Darren walk over and hold out his hand.

"Congratulations then. About time too!" Darren exclaims and they both laugh.

"Well if there is nothing more please let me go and make my wife happy with this news."

"You are shameless." Caleb retorts.

"Of course anything for my Janice." Darren grins as he walks towards the door.

"And hey, find out why Simon really wants her." Caleb calls out to him.

"What.. besides the fact that she is one beautiful girl?"

A glare from him is enough to send Darren slipping through his office door.

"Yeah, besides the fact that she is one hell of a beautiful girl." He replies with a smirk as he picks up his car keys and heads to the place he can finally call home.