They waited for Bella all day with no sign of waking. Soon her family left to return home leaving Zane alone in the room.
Mary Ann had brought him some food and stayed with Bella as he went to shower and change into more comfortable cloths.
Afterward he ate his meal.
"Thank you for everything you do Mary Ann. I can never repay you for what you do." Zane said.
"You are like my son, so everything I do is done with love. Do you need anything else?" She asked.
"No, I just need her to wake up." Zane took Bella hand in his.
"She will, you two were made for each other. Have a little faith. I'll bring you breakfast in the morning. Try to get some sleep." Mary Ann patted his sholders then left.
Zane took a deep breath, "Bella my love, please wake up soon."
He then closed his eyes and feel into a light dreamless sleep.
Bella could feel the hand holding hers and wanted to wake up and see her beast but her eyes just would not work so she fell back to sleep.
◇◇◇♡♡♡◇◇◇
Bert and Ben were sitting at the table drinking coffee.
"Bella has been through hell. How can such a sweet kind hearted girl handle all this." Bert said.
"I don't know but her life needs to take a turn for the better soon. We need to do everything we can for her." Ben stated.
"Do you think we need to get her away from Zane?" Bret asked.
"NO! Zane is really in love with her. He is planning a big proposal. A fairy tale proposal light she reads about in her books. You don't do something like that if it's not true love." Betty said walking into the kitchen.
"But since she meet that man look what has happened." Bret said.
"I think that we are to blame. Me and Babs used her so we could party and play. Ben after mom died you cut your self off not spending any time with her. You were her best friend when you were little doing everything together and then nothing. Bert was the only one who got close to her and did things for her." Betty said.
"Your right. We need to be there from now on." Ben said.
They agreed that they would support their little sister from now on.
◇◇◇♡♡♡◇◇◇
Zane woke in the morning to Mary Ann shaking him.
"Zane, wake up and eat something. I also brought you a change of cloths."
Zane stretched and then kissed Bella hand.
He ate the food but really did not taste anything. After that he opened up her book to read.
◇◇◇♡♡♡◇◇◇ THUMBLING
There was once a poor peasant who sat in the evening by the hearth and poked the fire, and his wife sat and span.
Then said he, "How sad it is that we have no children! With us all is so quiet, and in other houses it is noisy and lively."
"Yes," replied the wife, and sighed, "even if we had only one, and it were quite small, and only as big as a thumb, I should be quite satisfied, and we would still love it with all our hearts."
Now it so happened that their wish was granted and a child was given them, but although it was perfect in all its limbs, it was no longer than a thumb.
Then said they, "It is as we wished it to be, and it shall be our dear child;" and because of its size, they called it Thumbling.
They did not let it want for food, but the child did not grow taller, but remained as it had been at the first, nevertheless it looked sensibly out of its eyes, and soon showed itself to be a wise and nimble creature, for everything it did turned out well.
One day the peasant was getting ready to go into the forest to cut wood, when he said as if to himself, "How I wish that there was any one who would bring the cart to me!"
"Oh, father," cried Thumbling, "I will soon bring the cart; rely on that; it shall be in the forest at the appointed time."
The man smiled and said, "How can that be done; you are far too small to lead the horse by the reins?"
"That's of no consequence, father, if my mother will only harness it, I will sit in the horse's ear, and call out to him how he is to go."
"Well," answered the man, "for once we will try it."
When the time came, the mother harnessed the horse, and placed Thumbling in its ear, and then the little creature cried, "Gee up, gee up!"
Then it went quite properly as if with its master, and the cart went the right way into the forest.
It so happened that just as he was turning a corner, and the little one was crying, "Gee up," two strange men came towards him.
"My word!" said one of them. "What is this? There is a cart coming, and a driver is calling to the horse, and still he is not to be seen!"
"That can't be right," said the other, "we will follow the cart and see where it stops."
The cart, however, drove right into the forest, and exactly to the place where the wood had been cut.
When Thumbling saw his father, he cried to him, "See, father, here I am with the cart; now take me down."
The father got hold of the horse with his left hand, and with the right took his little son out of the ear.
◇◇◇♡♡♡◇◇◇
Zane paused and took Bella's hand then she gave his hand a squeeze. His eyes lite up.
"Bella, are you awake?" He asked.
She squeezed his hand again. He then pressed the button for the nurse.
It took some time to get Bella unhooked and checked out. Zane called Ben to let him know and everyone rushed to the hospital.
Bella sat in bed as everyone was asking her questions at once. She felt loved.