Chapter 160: You’re Really Here
Kayden
"Rhys," I croaked again, running my fingers across the warm line of his jaw. "You’re really here. I had a dream, and Julius, he... he was there and..." My voice started shaking as I spoke.
"Calm down, Softie. Julius is no longer here. You are in a hospital, and I am here with you. Also, Leo is here, and you are safe," Rhys murmured, leaning into my touch, his eyes never leaving mine as if he were afraid I might vanish in the blink of an eye.
I chuckled and placed my other hand to cup his face. "I missed hearing you call me softie." I truly missed hearing him call me that, and now that we were together, I was never going away ever again.
"Rhys..." I murmured as I tried to sit up, but a sharp, agonizing bolt of lightning shot through my side.
I gasped, my back arching off the mattress as the air was punched out of me.
"If I were you, I wouldn’t try that again," Leo warned as he adjusted the IV in my hand. "You have a broken rib and a bruised spleen. If you move like that again, you are going to rupture something, you idiot!"
I collapsed back against the pillows and chuckled. "Oh, hello. Good to see you again, Leo."
Leo rolled his eyes but said nothing as he replaced the IV bag. "Just stay calm. Rhys is not disappearing, so you will get your boring romantic moment."
"I missed hearing you complain in my ears like this."
"You talk as if you’ve been in a coma for a thousand years when it’s been..." He paused, checking his wristwatch. "Only four hours."
I chuckled again.
Typical Leo. Always hoping to have the last word.
I turned my attention back to Rhys, whose blue eyes had brightened as he was still staring at me. I spread my arms after Leo adjusted the IV bag.
"Rhys... hug me, please... just hug me."
"Of course," Rhys responded and leaned closer, sliding one arm beneath my neck and the other around my shoulders, pulling me into the heat of his chest. He was mindful of my ribs, but he held me tight enough that I could feel the thrum of his heartbeat against mine.
"I missed your smell so much," he inhaled deeply.
I buried my face in the crook of his neck, breathing in the thick scent of pine. "I missed you too," I whispered against his neck.
The door to the room pushed open, and I pulled away from him to see Rhoda, Gabriella, and Miller walking in.
"Kayden! Oh, thank the heavens!" Rhoda shouted excitedly.
"Mum..." I muttered.
"My poor baby," Rhoda sniffled as she reached out, slightly pushing Rhys out of the way, and wrapped her hands around me. "Look at you," Rhoda muttered, pulling back to cup my face with her hands, her eyes searching mine. "You gave me such a scare, honey. How are you feeling now? Are you still in pain?"
"I’m... I’m okay, Mum," I managed to say, and a small, genuine smile tugged at my bruised lip.
Gabriella stood on the other side, squeezing my hand with a quiet, grounding strength. "We’ve been waiting for you to wake up, Kayden. You’re a fighter, just like we knew you were, and I am glad that you are looking better now."
Behind them, Miller shuffled in, looking like he’d been through a war zone himself. He looked at me, his face splitting into a wide, relieved grin. "Hey, man. Glad to see you back among the living. Rhys almost tore down the whole Langose City because..."
Rhys let out a scoff before he could finish. "Oh, let’s not lie now, Miller. I didn’t do any of that, and you know..."
"I think he is telling the truth," Leo chimed in.
"Oh goodness. Not you too," Rhys groaned.
We all burst into laughter, seeing how he was crashing out.
"It’s alright to admit it," I added.
Rhys’s blue eyes met mine, and instead of frowning, he just smiled. "Fine. I’ll admit it because you said so."
I winked at him.
He gave me a questioning look.
I didn’t know why I was acting like that. Maybe it was because we had been apart for too long or because I really missed him, but at that moment, I just wanted his mouth around my cock.
I was damn horny at that moment, and it was such an embarrassing situation for me since everyone was around. A little more, and I would release my pheromones, and Miller, who had no idea what I was, would figure it out in the blink of an eye.
"Leo," Rhys’s voice brought me out of my thoughts. His eyes were no longer on me; they were fixed on Leo now. "Is he really okay now? Tell me the truth."
Leo looked up from the screen, his expression unreadable. He checked the monitors, then looked at me.
"The neuro-botanical drip has stabilized the cortical swelling," Leo stated.
Whatever those words meant, I only understood "stabilized" out of everything.
"His vitals have returned to a baseline that I’m satisfied with," he continued with a smile. "The splenic hematoma shows no signs of expansion, and the respiratory rate is no longer labored. There is nothing to worry about as long as he doesn’t get too excited..." His eyes left Rhys and met mine, as if he could understand what was happening with me.
Does he know that I was horny?
I blinked and looked away from him immediately. After all, he was an enigma. If there was anyone who could smell my early state, it was him.
Leo cleared his throat as he spoke up again. "He’s recovering faster than the projections. It seems everything will be fine."
Rhoda let out a long, shaky sigh of relief, her hand lingering on my cheek with a warmth that made my chest tighten for a different reason this time. "Great," she whispered, her eyes shining. "When I saw him in the ER hours ago, he looked like a complete mess. I’m just so glad he’s finally back with us." She turned her gaze to Leo, her brow furrowing. "Can he eat anything yet?"