Chapter 352: The Moment in the Hospital Room
After I finally calmed Aeri down with a lot of effort, she stopped crying and her breathing became normal again. I stayed with her for a while, just holding her and brushing her hair until she felt better. Then I ordered some simple food for both of us from the hospital canteen. When the food arrived, we ate together quietly in the room.
The doctor had told her to take complete rest for three days. During that time, I decided to stay with Aeri the whole time and help her with everything. She looked too drained and weak to do anything by herself now.
I sat on the chair beside her bed with a plate of rice and some curry. I scooped up a spoonful of rice, blew on it gently to cool it down, and held it in front of her mouth.
"Here... aaa..." I said softly, bringing the spoon closer.
Aeri looked at the spoon and then at me, her cheeks turning pink. "I can eat by myself..." she said shyly, sitting up a little on the bed.
"No, you are tired and one of your hands has the glucose pipe," I replied in a straightforward tone. "Just let me help you."
"B-but... the nurses will also see..." she said, glancing nervously toward the nurse who was collecting the empty medicine bottles from the side table.
"So?" I said, raising my voice a little. "I love you, AER—"
Before I could finish saying it loudly, Aeri quickly flew her free hand up and covered my mouth, stopping me mid-sentence. Her eyes went wide and her face turned completely red.
The nurse glanced back at us, gave a small knowing smile, and then walked out of the room, closing the door softly behind her.
Aeri’s face stayed bright red. She was gritting her teeth, a mix of anger and embarrassment clear on her face. She slowly lowered her hand from my mouth and glared at me.
I just raised one eyebrow and held the spoon full of rice in front of her mouth again, waiting patiently.
She stared at the spoon for a second, still pouting, but finally opened her mouth and ate it. Even while chewing, she kept pouting, though her red cheeks showed she wasn’t really angry.
"Good girl," I said with a smile and gently patted her head.
She didn’t reply. Instead, she made a soft "Hmph!" sound and turned her face slightly away from me. I couldn’t help but chuckle quietly at how cute she looked.
I continued feeding her small bites of rice and curry, and ate my own food in between. We sat together in comfortable silence for a while. The only sounds were the soft clinking of the spoon and the steady beeping of the ECG machine in the background.
Aeri still looked a little embarrassed, but she slowly relaxed and let me feed her without complaining anymore. Every now and then she would glance at me with those shy eyes, her cheeks staying pink the whole time.
After a few more bites, I asked softly, "Is it okay? Not too hot?"
She nodded quietly and took another bite from the spoon. I smiled to myself, feeling glad that I could take care of her like this. Even though the situation with Sonny and her lost memories was still bothering me in the back of my mind, right now all that mattered was making sure Aeri felt safe, comfortable, and loved.
We kept eating together quietly, the evening light slowly fading outside the hospital window. For the next three days, I planned to stay right here by her side, helping her with everything she needed.
"You can go and sleep at home," Aeri said softly, coughing a little as she lay on the hospital bed at night. Her voice sounded tired but caring. The lights in the room had been dimmed, and only a small lamp near the bed was still on.
I was sitting on the chair right beside her, watching her closely. I raised one eyebrow and gave her a hard stare.
"No thanks, I am good here," I said, folding my arms across my chest and closing my eyes for a moment.
"But you will have work in the morning, right?" she asked, blinking her eyes with clear worry on her face.
"Took a week off. No worries," I replied in a flat and straightforward tone, not opening my eyes.
"Whaaa— Ezra..." she said, exaggerating her tone. Her mouth opened wide in surprise as she looked at me.
"And Jonathan granted the holiday, so you can now close your mouth and sleep," I said calmly. I leaned forward, gently closed her mouth with two fingers, and pulled the thin hospital sheet up to cover her chest properly.
"You are a stubborn idiot, Ezra! Bleh!" she said, sticking her tongue out at me playfully. Then she quickly pulled the blanket all the way over her head and hid inside it.
"Thanks," I said, looking at the lump under the sheets where she was hiding. I let out a long breath. "Because I am not budging from here."
"Yeah yeah, enjoy and get a back and neck pain," she mumbled from inside the blanket. I couldn’t see her face at all, only the shape of her body moving under the sheets.
"To small of a price to take care of my love," I replied softly, a small smile forming on my lips.
"Arghhhh... kwkjdd..." she made some frustrated, muffled sound and turned over to the other side, pulling the sheets even tighter around herself.
"Hehe..." I chuckled quietly and exhaled, leaning back in the chair and closing my eyes for a bit.
This back and neck pain is nothing compared to what I feel for her, I thought to myself. I didn’t mind sitting here all night if it meant I could stay close to Aeri and make sure she was safe.
Even though she was pretending to be annoyed, I knew she was secretly happy I was staying. I leaned forward slightly and whispered toward the blanket,
"Good night, Aeri. I’m right here if you need anything."
She didn’t reply, but I heard a small, soft "Hmph" from under the sheets. I smiled to myself and settled back into the chair, ready to spend the night watching over her.
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