Chapter 110: The Hospital: Roman
I groggily opened my eyes with much effort. The pain in my side had lessened a tremendous amount from the last time I had been awake and my eyes had been open. I was glad about that. I blinked for a few moments before deciding against opening my eyes.
The bright sun was too blinding. My eyes couldn’t adjust as quickly to the light as I wanted them to, so I kept them shut. A laugh sounded from beside me that made me slam them open. When I came to, I saw Hannah.
Beautiful, gorgeous Hannah was staring down at me with a wide smile on her face and teary eyes.
"Were you crying?" That was the first thing I asked her as I took note of her face. She had two long parallel scratches on her cheeks, and her eyes, nose, and cheeks were red and puffy. But damn did she not look like a sight for sore eyes. Literally.
"Well, when your husband ends up with a gunshot wound at the beginning of the week and back in the same hospital bed two weeks later from almost bleeding out, I think a little crying is deserved."
Her eyebrows were raised. Her features were challenging me to argue with her, but there was a look in her eyes that told me she had barely slept or eaten, by the looks of it, while I was sleeping.
I could only grab her hand and give it a tight squeeze.
"How long was I out for?" I didn’t really want to know the answer, but I wanted to keep talking to her and let her know that I was alright. Besides feeling somewhat sleepy, there were no negative feelings attached to me.
I was just glad she was safe. I was glad she was with me now, and I was glad that nothing bad had happened to her. My own pain and injuries I could deal with. I could heal from those. I didn’t know what would become of me if anything bad happened to her.
"A few days," she said as I pulled her down onto the bed next to me. She took a seat there. "You’ve been in and out of consciousness throughout all of them. The doctor said you might still be and that it will take some time for you to heal properly."
I nodded along as she was speaking. I was listening to what she was saying and somehow not listening either. I could only stare at her and tell myself that this was real. She was with me, and she was safe.
My hand lifted up involuntarily. It ran along the scratch lines on her cheek.
I watched as Hannah closed her eyes automatically. Tears began falling from her eyes as she eyebrows knitted together.
There was frustration clear on her face. I wasn’t sure what to say that would make her believe that I really was okay. Well, maybe not okay, okay, but I was safe. I was safer knowing that she was safe and Bernard and Jared had been dealt with accordingly.
My mind flashed with images of Bernard’s lifeless eyes staring up at me, and a shiver ran through my spine. I then thought about Jared and Jessica and wondered, for a brief moment, what had happened to the two of them after I left them with Marcus.
Hannah must have noticed the concerned and concentrated look on my face because she began talking about the situation as soon as she did.
"Ed came by with backup after you–" She was cut off with a hug of air she let out when I pulled her down next to me and buried her face into her neck.
"I don’t want to talk about that just right now," I told her as I breathed in and out slowly. "Can we just... live for right now? I just want to live right now without any talk about the Auction House or Bernard or Jared. Please?"
I wasn’t sure if it was a reasonable request or a selfish one, but at that moment I didn’t care what it was. I needed to just hold Hannah and breathe.
I felt her nod into my neck as her arms came up to hold me cautiously, being mindful of the bruises and wound on my body.
"Okay," she whispered lightly. I felt her warm breath on my neck. It made the hairs on my neck stand up. "Okay, we can just live for a moment."
My skin tingled when she placed a kiss directly on that spot of my neck. I groaned lightly at the sensation, both wanting more and not wanting to do anything all at once. The frustration of not being able to move my body properly for the past few days slowly began to build up inside of me again.
Hannah giggled at my reaction and moved her lips away from ghosting over the skin of my neck so she was now looking down on my bare chest.
The weather was somewhat warm with a hint of a cool breeze. I felt it through the open window. Being shirtless wasn’t at all discomforting to me especially with the thick bandage around my waist.
I watched as Hannah carefully ran her hand over the bandage and over the bruises that were left uncovered over my skin. She pulled her hand away and searched for mine on the other side of my body where she entangled our fingers together.
"What’s the first thing you want to do when you get out of here?" I heard her soft voice ask me. I smiled down at her. It was a suggestive sort of smile. I hoped she could understand the meaning through my eyes.
Evidentially she did when she rolled her own eyes and slapped my chest lightly. "I’m serious Roman," she chastised me through her light laughing.
"Oh, so am I Hannah dearest." I pulled her closer to me. She gasped at the strength I used on her. "I’ve missed you."
A slight pout formed on her lips as she thought about all the ways we had been apart from one another. I knew this because those were the exact thoughts that were racing through my head at the time, and I knew the look on her face mirrored mine.
She nodded slowly as she stared down at me. She rested on her arm and leaned down to give me a soft kiss. I gratefully accepted her. Before I could deepen it in any sort of way, she pulled away from me. I frowned.
"You’re still injured, Mister," she told me as though she were scolding a child. "Don’t start getting any funny ideas."
I smirked down at her. "I always have funny ideas when I’m with you." I squeezed her hip and laughed when she squeaked in turn from the shock that ran through her.
"I for one would really like some ice cream," she said after a long pause.
I raised an eyebrow at her. "Ice cream?"
"Yeah," she nodded, "good, proper ice cream. Not from the tub but directly from the pipes of the ice cream shop. Maybe even frozen yogurt. It’s been a while since I’ve been able to properly go out in public without..."
I turned to see a considering look wash over her face and knew what she was thinking. I was grateful that she had stopped herself from going into that topic of discussion and tightened my jaw before continuing her sentence for her.
"We can go get ice cream." I thought over the idea. The realization dawned on me that I had never truly taken Hannah out for a proper date. We had done just about everything else together, but good old-fashioned domesticity was sorely lacking in our relationship.
I realized then with a shock to my system that I never really did many couple things with Hannah besides... Well...
A sudden urge washed over me to do those sorts of things—cooking and baking together, having lunch at the park, going out for ice cream, or watching a movie—things normal couples did that I never truly had any mind for before I met her.
"I want to take you out on a date," I said to the surprise of both of us.
Hannah laughed lightly as she sat up on her elbow and stared down at me with a raised eyebrow.
"A date?"
I nodded slowly first and then fast all at once as I thought over the idea out loud. "Yeah. I want to take you to dinner and drop you off at home, then have you invite me inside where we watch a movie with some good wine."
She smiled down at me. "That sounds awfully domestic of you, Roman."
I shrugged as I stared up at her. "Well, what do you say?" I was somewhat nervous about her response. "Will you be domestic with me, Hannah?"
