His Touch

Chapter 66

"You should get some more sleep, princess." Dominic tells me softly.

I shake my head at him. "I feel like I've had too much rest, I feel restless."

Max walks into the hospital room with a canvas shopping bag. "Ellie!" He smiles at me. "You're awake."

"Maxy." I smile at him. "Help me, Dominic won't let me do anything. He keeps trying to get me to go back to sleep but I'm far from tired."

I can feel Dominic's green piercing eyes boring their way into me while Max raises an eyebrow at Dominic though looks somewhat amused. "How about you have some food and then we get you up for a walk?" Max suggests.

"Yes!" I say at the same time Dominic grumbles, "Absolutely not!"

Both Max and I turn to glare at Dominic. "Why the heck not?" I ask bitterly.

"Eloise, you need rest. The more rest you get the better it will be for your recovery." He says, sounding grumpy.

"Dom, you and I both know the doctor here and the doctor you consulted, suggested she go for short walks." Max says in a firm tone.

Dominic shakes his head and lets out a gruff of a sigh. "It's too soon, she's only just come out of surgery. She needs more rest."

I turn all my attention to Dominic and I can see the fear in his eyes, hidden behind his regular stone look on his face. "Max, can you give us a minute?"

"I'll be at the nurses station, there's a few hotties there I've been meaning to check out." Max says, he sets the canvas bag on the foot of my bed before walking from the room.

"Dominic." I say softly, but he doesn't reply nor does he look at me. "Dominic." I repeat as I grab his hand. "Look at me." I plead.

Dominic lets out a heavy sigh before turning his gaze to me, I watch him studying my face before he finally makes eye contact. "Eloise, it's too soon."

I shake my head. "I'm not going anywhere anytime soon, honey." With his hand I was holding I placed it above my heart. "I'm here, I'm alive, I'm ok, and I'm not going anywhere anytime soon." I told him. "I know this must have scared you. I don't even know how I would cope if the roles were reversed."

Dominic's gaze falls to his hand above my heart. He shakes his head. "I can't lose you Eloise." He says still fixed on his hand. "I came so close to losing you, and I won't risk losing you again." Dominic's eyes now meet mine again and all I can see on his face is complete sadness.

"I'm right here." I promise him, kissing his cheek lightly.

He leans his head forward to rest his forehead against mine and lets out a heavy breath. Dominic's eyes close and I can tell he's having trouble controlling his emotions right now.

"Hey." I reach my hand up to the back of his head and run my fingers through his hair. "Talk to me."

"I don't like seeing you like this. It's killing me to see you here in the hospital, and so hurt." Dominic tells me in a quiet voice. "I can't... I can't lose you too. I can't bear the thought of it." He confesses to me.

I shake my head. "Oh honey." I breathe out. "I know this can't be easy for you. It was hard enough to see Max in a similar situation, but if you were to be here in a case similar to this then I wouldn't be able to handle it either. I don't want you to worry though. I'm going to be just fine."

"I know." He whispers.

"Too? You said you can't lose me too?" I think out loud. "Dominic, who did you..." Then the memory comes flooding back. "Dominic, where's Pop's?"

Dominic's eyes open and his green eyes are now flooded with tears. He gives a small shake of his head in answer to my question.

"Oh, Dominic." I wrap both my arms around his neck and pull him into a tight hug, ignoring the small amount of pain in my chest at holding him so tightly. "I'm so sorry."

Dominic shakes his head in the crook of my neck. "I don't know why it's affecting me, we didn't have the best relationships. I hated him for at least half my life. He was an ass, a horrible father and a horrible man."

"That doesn't sound like the Pop's I met." I observe.

Dominic chuckles lightly. "He turned it around after I took over the family business." He shakes his head as if in complete disbelief.

"I'm sorry you lost him. I know that you don't understand why you're upset over it, but he was your father and at the end of the day he did love you and you did care about him even once upon a time." I say to him softly as I stroke his hair.

Dominic pulls his head back so his eyes can search my face. "Don't leave." He whispers.

"Never." I whisper with a small smile.

"Good." Dominic nods. Dipping his head down he presses his lips to mine in a tender kiss.

"Can I go for a walk now then?" I ask hopefully.

Dominic shakes his head. "Not yet. Just a few more hours of rest and then a short walk."

"Please." I pout. "Just a small walk then back to bed." I bargain.

Dominic shakes his head and sighs. "Fine."

I smile triumphantly. "Thank you." I kiss his cheek lightly.

A knock comes to the hospital room door shortly before it opens and Max pops his head in. "Can I come back in yet?"

I chuckle and nod. "Yeah come on in."

Max enters the room fully and slumps down in the chair next to the bed. "This blows. Heaps of hot nurses and none took the bait."

"Maybe that's a sign you should not hit on every female you lay your eyes on." I counter.

Max rolls his eyes. "You think I'm bad you should see..." His eyes dart up to Dominic before looking at me and shakes his head. "Sorry, habit." He says sheepishly.

Dominic grumbles and shakes his head. "Can we get this over and done with before I change my mind?"

Oy vey, this man.