Chapter 49 The Fragile Man
There were so many of them crowded around the small, air-conditioned room. I could barely think straight; see straight.
I was lying on a bed, with a couple of not-so-soft pillows under my head. A couple more were placed beneath my right leg to keep it propped up in order to avoid any sort of swelling.
My mind was a dizzy mess due to the fresh bout of throbbing ache in my ankle, the pain meds I’d been given after the surgery, the beeping monitors on my left, and the suffocating smell of Iodoform clogging my nostrils.
When I’d woken up minutes after being brought to the hospital, the doctor and nurses had checked my vitals, put me on an IV, and informed me of my injuries.
The orthopedic assigned to my case had then told me about the ORIF, and how they’d have to perform the procedure due to the severity of my fracture.
They’d asked for my consent over the same, made me sign a form, and then whisked me into the OR.
I don’t remember much of anything after that, only that I’d been transferred to a PACU room, and my vitals had again been administered before I’d been asked to rest.
I blinked, but still felt a bit out of it.
“Pequena?” came Av?’s voice.
I blinked a second time, and my vision finally decided to focus on him.
He smiled down at me, but his expression was one full of concern. “Eu estava com tanto medo; t?o... apavorado. Eu n?o sabia o que pensar, ou fazer, ou...” I was so scared; so...terrified. I didn't know what to think, or do, or...
I’m okay now, I signed.
My right arm was slightly numb because of the IV drip that was attached on the forearm, so I had to use my left hand to Sign things. The words that required both my hands for it, though, had to be spelled out instead.
“I wouldn’t say you’re okay,” Av? told me, then gave me a stern look.
“You still have weeks of recovery ahead of you.” He walked closer and sat in the chair next to my bed, then leaned in to place a kiss on my right brow.
“The doctor said I can take you home in a couple of hours. I’ve decided to let Remi handle the shop while you get better.
I want to be there for you when you need me. ”
I don’t know if it were his words, or simply the idea of going back home that made my chest heavy, and not in the way that was comfortable. But still, I gave him a faint nod, and then glanced around the room until my eyes landed on Myles.
He was standing near the far corner of the room. His hands were in his jeans pockets, and as he lifted his head, our gazes met, and the look on his face broke me, fucking shattered me.
It seemed like he was holding something in – holding himself together by some invisible thread.
“You know, Cruz almost shat his pants when he got Taron’s call earlier,” Daniel said to me, so I diverted my attention to him instead.
Cruz grunted his disapproval at Daniel’s joke, while the others all laughed.
Daniel gave me a pained smile. “I was out of my mind with worry, Carina,” he told me, then bent to kiss my forehead. “But I’m so relieved you’re okay.” He clicked his tongue. “I’m surprised I haven’t thrown a tantrum yet, despite all the stress I’ve been harboring for the last hour or so.”
I chuckled. I love you, I signed.
His eyes glimmered as he nodded at me. “And I you, pequena.” The way he said the term made me laugh a little, and as he stepped back, Cruz and the others walked over to me.
“I hope you know how strong you are, kid,” Cruz told me. “You went through the first half of this shit-storm; now you just gotta win over the other half.” He briefly placed a hand on the top of my head before stepping away.
“I was so fucking scared, babe,” Ash said as she sat next to me on the bed, then kissed me on the cheek. “You don’t ever get to do that to me again, you hear me?”
Sorry, I told her, but she shook her head.
“You don’t have to apologize; just…just be careful. I’ll come over to your place later, alright?”
Okay, I signed, then glanced at Myles again.
He was still standing near the damn corner, as if awaiting his turn or something. And I don’t know why, but that hurt me even more.
Remi and the others squeezed my hand, gave me more kisses, and promised to check in on me, and once they were done, I looked at Daniel and gestured very subtly at the PACU door.
He smirked and inclined his head, then clapped his hands with frightening enthusiasm.
“Alright, people, let’s clear the fuck out!” he hollered, and I was worried he’d get dragged out by a nurse before he could actually clear the room for me.
Av? glared at him. “I am going nowhere, thank you very much.”
Daniel raised a brow. “Oh, you are.” He looked at Cruz. “Be a dear and eliminate this fragile man from the room, please.”
I choked on a laugh, even though my head was still a mush, while the rest snickered freely.
Paul, Greg, Ash, and Dave waved at me before leaving the room, just as Cruz sighed and walked over to Av?. “Let’s go, Miguel.”
Av? tapped his cane on the white floor and shifted in the chair. “No, thank you.”
Cruz dragged a hand over his face. “Don’t force me to lift you, man, because you know I will if you continue to behave like this.”
Av?’s eyes widened. “I beg your pardon?”
“Just get your ass up and leave, Miguel,” Taron said. “Or I won’t hesitate one bit in helping Cruz on his offer.” He flashed his teeth at Av?.
“Hooligans,” Av? muttered. “Utter nuisances.”
I placed a hand over his, and when he looked at me, I signed, Please listen to Daniel. I need a moment with Myles.
Something flashed in his eyes at that, which pissed me off a little.
After the offer he’d made Myles, asking to pay him to break up with me, and Myles having refused him, Av? honestly had no right to act this way. I did understand where he was coming from, but it still didn’t mean he could get so damn bossy whenever he wanted to.
He tapped his cane on the floor again as he glanced between Myles and I. Then, with a huff, he got to his feet and let Remi and Simran walk him out of the room.
Cruz and Daniel were the last to leave, and once the door clicked shut behind them, I exhaled slowly and faced Myles.
Come here, I signed.
He finally moved from where he’d been standing, and dragged himself over to me.
Once he reached my bed, though, he fell on his knees, put an arm over my stomach, hid his face in the space between my breasts, and began…
crying. Sobbing, more like. His breaths hitched every other second; his shoulders shook against me.
His tears seeped through my hospital gown, and his voice was hoarse as he kept saying, “I’m so relieved, Rina.
I’m so fucking relieved. I’m sorry…I’m so, so sorry. ”
I swallowed and cupped the back of his head with my left hand before running my fingers through his hair.
“Rina…” Myles cried harder, and the sound of his agony reverberated around the chilly room, making my own tears fall.
“I was terrified,” he whispered, then held me tighter. “I was going crazy.” His shoulders shook again.
I tried to clear my blurry vision by blinking a few times, but stopped when it didn’t work.
The tip-tip-tap echo of my tears hitting the pillows merged with Myles’s sniffs, and it was a shared symphony of solace that I both relished and appreciated.
He pressed a long kiss on the swell of my left breast, then moved back a bit reluctantly.
I looked at him then, at the tears splattered on his beautiful face, and at the relief in his eyes.
Sit, I signed.
He rose, settled in the chair to my left, and swiped the sleeve of his hoodie over his cheeks.
I should have listened to you when you warned me, I told him. I should not have acted so foolishly.
He shook his head. “No.” He held my hand briefly and kissed my knuckles.
“I shouldn’t have made that stupid fucking comment.
It was careless and cruel of me. But despite that, I failed to stop you from entering the storeroom.
Hell, I all but let this happen to you because I was too bullheaded about keeping the damn bookshelf and pushing back the flooring process so that I could figure out a way to fix the shelf. ”
It was my turn to shake my head.
Stop it, I signed. Don’t do this to yourself. We could not have predicted any of this, but I’m still sorry I didn’t take your warning seriously.
I had to spell certain words very slowly, because I knew Myles still struggled to understand signed alphabets.
He sniffed and once again took my hand in his. This time, though, he held it between both of his and rubbed the pads of his thumbs over my fingers as he looked at me with slightly furrowed brows.
“Move in with me,” he said out of the blue, then squeezed my hand.
I sucked in a breath as I searched his face, and the honest eagerness I found there warmed something in my chest.
“I know it’s crazy of me to ask this of you,” he continued, “but I want you with me 24-fucking-7, Rina. I’m tired of stealing moments with you; tired of looking over my shoulder every time I kiss you or touch you.
” He swallowed. “You and I both know that after today, your grandfather won’t even let me step into your house, let alone work there.
And I can’t fucking have that; I can’t not see you every day.
It’ll drive me mad.” He sniffed again. “Also, I wanna be there for you while you heal. You guys keep telling me that what happened to you today isn’t my fault, and maybe it isn’t, but I still want to make sure I can help you however I can when it comes to your recovery.
I wanna be there for you from now on – for everything. ”
I brought our joint hands close and kissed the inside of his wrists.
He was right, wasn’t he? Once I went home, Av? would do everything in his power to keep Myles away from me.
And, with my initial hesitation towards going back there, paired with the way Av? has been behaving with Myles ever since he’s learnt about our relationship, my answer to Myles’s request was pretty much obvious.
Because the idea of getting to live with him – yeah, that sounded absolutely perfect to me.
I smiled as I pulled my hand away from his, and when he looked at me in silent anticipation, I let go of a steady breath and signed, Okay.
He grinned, then – an action so lovely that it brought a spark to his eyes.
“Yeah?” he asked.
Yes, I signed.
“You sure, right?”
I chuckled. Yes, silly, I told him.
He laughed, then bent to kiss me, and I cupped his jaw before kissing him back.
“For a second there I thought you’d say no,” he murmured against my lips. “That house holds so many memories, and for me to ask you to leave them all behind, to move in with me all of a sudden… It must’ve been–”
I stopped him with a kiss, and when he made a surprised sound against me, I moved back and signed, I want to be with you. I want to make new memories with you. Memories that aren’t tainted by a painful past full of loss and tragedy, but ones that are full of madness and love.
His expression softened. “Of course.” He pushed my hair away from my forehead. “I’ll give you anything you want, Rina. Everything I can give you, it’s yours. All you have to do is ask.”
What about that bracelet, then? I asked.
He chuckled and pulled a similar box out of his hoodie pocket. “This?” He then looked at it with a clenched jaw. “I was planning on returning it. This stupid piece of crap is what caused all of this.” He waved the box in my direction. “Come to think of it, I should prolly burn it. Damn it to hell.”
I clicked my tongue and wiggled my wrist in front of him, letting him know where I thought the bracelet should go.
He narrowed his eyes at me. “No.”
Yes, I signed.
“Nope.”
Yup.
He stared at me for a while, hoping I’d change my mind.
I didn’t, of course.
“Fine.” He sighed, then opened the box before pulling the bracelet out. He glared at it for a second too long, then gently fastened it around my left wrist. “There you go.”
The chain shone against the pale lights in the room, making the fluorite appear slightly muted.
Pretty, I signed, then admired the bracelet again. It complemented my skin tone quite well, and fit me just as perfectly, too.
“I’m glad you’re happy with it.” I was, but he didn’t seem to match my enthusiasm. So, I decided to move to a different topic.
How will we get my things from the house without Av? going ballistic on us? I asked him.
He grinned slowly. “We’re friends with a group of very determined and insanely intimidating individuals, remember? I think they’ll do a perfectly fine job of retrieving your stuff from the clutches of your hungry-for-blood grandfather.”
I laughed, and moaned softly when he leaned in and kissed me on the lips.
“That’s it; keep that smile on your face – always,” Myles said. “I never want it to dim. I never wanna see your tears; never wanna see you hurt. Once was enough to scar me, and I promise I’ll never, ever let it happen again.” He parted my lips and ran his tongue over the roof of my mouth.
I tangled my fingers in his hair and kissed him back – despite the dizziness in my head, the pulsing pain shooting through my leg, and the annoying beep-beep-beep of the monitor grating at my nerves.
Because none of it really mattered, not when it was just the two of us.