Healing Gabriel (BoyxBoy)

❖ Chapter Forty-Five ❖

Healing Gabriel: Chapter Forty-Five

xEvan's POVx

 

      

      The clock across the wall read nine in the morning when I woke up. I wasn't alone, though. Nurse Nina was there, having already opened the window's blinds and was now setting out my designated breakfast, which consisted of the finest cuisine the hospital had to offer: shitty scrambled egg whites and soggy wheat toast. "That stuff smells nasty," I told her through a tired yawn, not bothering to lift my head from my lumpy pillow.

      "I made sure to grab you some jelly this time," she responded, situating the pullout tray above my lap. "Also, you may want to eat quickly. That Gabriel of yours is here, has been since eight, waiting for you to wake up. I told him that you have to eat first."

      That got my attention. I pushed myself up in the uncomfortable hospital bed, a slightly difficult task considering my arms were terribly sore from all the IVs in them, and removed the cover from my plate. I took a small bite of the soggy toast and pursed my lips. "It tastes like shit," I complained, feeling queasy from the steam's scent.

      "Go ahead, whine all you want. Gabriel will just have to wait even longer."

      I gave her an annoyed look which she responded to with a cheery grin. After I shoveled the last bits of watery egg whites down my throat, she gave a satisfied nod of her head and left the room. Hopefully to get Gabriel; maybe he could better my already shitty morning. He always smelled so good, and probably tasted much better than the hospital's excuse for 'breakfast.'

      And of course, he did. I practically sensed him before he was even fully inside my room; my ears were prone to decipher each of his lightweight footsteps, my nose trained to recognize his clean, slightly lemony scent.

      "Hey," I greeted him, trying not to pass out from the relief I felt at the sight of him. "You're here early."

      "I would've been here earlier if you had waken up sooner. Can you believe they don't let visitors in unless the patient's awake? That's so stupid."

      I couldn't help the smile on my face; Gabriel always looked so beautiful in the morning, it was crazy. "It is so stupid. You look beautiful, by the way. Did you sleep okay last night? Any nightmares?"

      He took a few steps deeper into the room, close enough for me to notice the natural pinkness his cheeks held while he brushed his fingertips along the curves of my feet beneath the thin blanket. That damned bruise was still there, outlining the edge of his face, but it didn't hinder his beauty any less. "No, and no."

      "No you didn't sleep okay, and no you didn't have nightmares? That doesn't make sense," I told him. He was looking down, simply touching my toes before shrugging.

      "I missed you too much to sleep soundfully, I guess. Not even the nightmares could distract me from thinking about you."

      "Come here," I prompted him. He looked up, the sunlight hitting his eyes just right, making them look nearly baby blue. He didn't hesitate to climb into the bed, situating himself closely to my left side so that we were shoulder to shoulder. "I missed you, too. I used to sleep through the night with no problem, but you wouldn't believe me if I told you the number of times I've woken up at 2AM wondering if you feel as empty as I do--if you miss me as much as I miss you. Um. That all sounded a lot less sappier in my head." I glanced down at my lap, trying to will the embarrassing blush on my cheeks away. I hadn't meant to sound so needy--the words had just stumbled out of nowhere, lathered in truth.