Page 103 of By Blade, I Love
“What about Positano? There will definitely be a sea view there.”
He grinned. “Sounds like you’re into my idea.”
“Come on. You’re so hot, I’ll fuck you anywhere.”
He grabbed my thigh and gave it a pat. “Attagirl.”
We fell into silence again, his hand on my thigh, and then I noticed the light start to increase in the room as the sun rose higher in the sky. That meant we’d been up for over a day, but I didn’t feel tired at all. Maybe it was because of that nap I’d taken in the waiting room. Or maybe it was because I wouldn’t be able to relax until Leo woke up.
Leo started to stir. First, it was his hand, and then he repositioned his body. It looked like he tried to roll over, but because of the breathing tube, he couldn’t turn more than a few inches. His heart rate spiked, and the monitor started to beep.
Wolfe was just about to go retrieve a nurse when the medical team entered the room. A doctor was with them, and they removed the tube from his throat so he could breathe on his own. Leo was overwhelmed at first, probably because he didn’t remember anything except being shot.
They got him comfortable and lifted the bed slightly, did a quick assessment of him and checked his oxygen levels. He was clearly in pain with every breath he took, and his hand automatically went to his chest like he could feel the damage right away.
“Morphine’s coming, Leonardo,” the doctor said as he gripped his shoulder.
Once everything was done, they left the room.
Leo turned his head slightly toward us, and he looked at me. He didn’t blink, just stared, taking in the sight of me at his bedside.
Wolfe silently left his chair and walked out of the room to give us privacy.
The chair I was sitting in was against the wall and a good distance away from the bed. I pulled it to his bedside so he wouldn’t have to strain himself to talk loud enough for me to hear.
I’d been waiting for this moment all night, and now that it was here, I didn’t know what to say. I wanted to grab his hand, but something stopped me from doing it. I just felt this overwhelming awkwardness between us. Did I thank him for what he did? Did I not acknowledge it at all?
He continued to stare at me, not as if he was waiting for me to speak, but as if he was surprised I was there at all. “I—I didn’t expect to see you here.”
The guilt rushed over me like a tidal wave. I felt bad for everything I’d said to him. I felt bad for the way I’d treated him, the way I’d broken his nose with the gun. “You’re my brother,” I said quietly. “I’ll always be here.”
He continued to stare at me with slight disbelief before his gaze softened in emotion. Tears welled in his eyes until they shone with the reflection of the fluorescent lights overhead. He started to move his hand, but his fingers only moved a couple inches before they came to a stop.
I lowered the railing that was between us and placed my hand on his.
He inhaled a deep breath at my touch, winced in pain, and then let it out before he winced again. “I’m sorry.”
I didn’t want to hold on to it any longer. If my father had seen what my brother did for me, I believe he wouldn’t want me to hold on to it either. He would want us to have each other. “I know.”
The moisture in his eyes turned to tears and dripped down his cheeks. “I’ll never forgive myself.”
“I know.” I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself either if I’d done the same. “And I guess that’s punishment enough.”
Another round of tears streaked down his cheeks before he brought himself to calm again. It probably hurt to cry with the damage to his chest and the burn of the tube that had just been removed from his throat. “What happened?”
“You were shot in the chest,” I said. “You have a collapsed lung that was repaired. You’ll be in the hospital for a while. It’s going to be a long recovery.”
“Okay,” he whispered. “I’ll live?”
“You’ll live.”
“The last thing I remember is being hit in the chest, and then it was dark. Just assumed I was dead.”
“I’m surprised you made it too.”
“Maybe Dad had something to do with that,” he whispered. “Maybe he wanted me to come back, so I can continue to look after you.”
“Or maybe he sent you back because he was going to kill you if you stayed.”
