Million Reasons

Chapter Seventy Two: Alive

Sean Roman was sleeping. Kayla found herself standing in the bedroom doorway, her doe brown eyes watching the raise and fall of his bare chest as he lay splayed out among her floral sheets without a care in the world. She enjoyed these moments, they were simple and perfect. It was rare that Sean would let his guard down. They had never discussed it but Kayla understood that the stability of their relationship was just as important to him as it was to her. The girls before her had left emotional scars that were carved so deep into his heart it was hard for him to believe that he was worthy of the kind of happiness they had. Kayla hated that, she despised the fact that Sean had been made to feel worthless, that he wasn't worth the effort. She spent every single day trying to alter that perception.

Kayla cradled her coffee cup to her chest, feeling the heat through the Chicago Fire Department shirt she was wearing as a nightdress. The sweet scent of the Nigerian coffee beans flooded her nostrils, making her sigh in contentment as she reviewed her sleeping lover, her gaze coming to linger on the jagged black stitches that marred his golden blond hair on the left side of his head.

"At least it'll make me look more interesting." he had told her with handsome smirk of his as he examined his war wound in the mirror attached to the wall in her bathroom. "At least until it heals."

His remark were flippant but she knew from the haunted look in his azure eyes that the events of that day would stick with him. When her and Gabby had arrived at the scene, it had been an unspoken agreement that she would treat Maggie. She could be objective with the other woman in a way she couldn't be with Sean. The urge to check over every inch of him had been overwhelming but she had managed to swallow it down and concentrate on taking care of Maggie. The beatings the two of them had taken were enough to warrant a trip to the hospital. It was only when they were alone together, huddled in one of the emergency rooms that they reached out for one another. Her fingers had threaded through Sean's as he lay there in the tall white bed, his expression stoic as he stared at the ceiling above him.

Despite his tough demeanor Sean had been scared, Kayla could tell from the way he squeezed her hand as Doctor Ethan Choi delivered his diagnosis. He had been lucky enough to walk away with bruised ribs and a severe concussion. He'd been exhausted by the time they made it to Kayla's apartment, he'd managed to force himself into the shower before climbing into bed along side of her and promptly falling asleep.

Kayla had spent the entire night curled up against his uninjured side, her head resting upon his muscular shoulder as she listened to his rhythmic breathing . She had come so close to losing him, it scared her just about as much as it scared him. She had felt it in the way he clung to her after they'd stepped inside the door to her apartment. He'd wrapped her up in his embrace, her entire body fitting perfectly against his. They had held onto each other for the longest time, Kayla inhaling his masculine scent, her hands slipping under his jacket and roving along his spine through the thin fabric of Sean's polyester blue shirt.

"I love you." she had whispered against his hallow of this throat.

It was the first time she had ever spoken those words out loud but she hadn't been able to hold it in any longer, not after what had happened. Sean had gripped her even tighter then, his hand running through her silky tresses before his thumb caressed the nape of her slender neck.

"I knew the moment I met you, you were the only one for me." he had murmured, his lips ghosting across her line of her jaw until they were eye to eye. She could see the very depths of his soul in those beautiful blue eyes of his, how long he too had waited to say those words and how right it felt.

Their kisses had been soft and languid as they moved to the bathroom, Kayla had helped to strip the clothes from Sean's battered body. She was under no illusions that he was unscathed from his battle earlier in the day but she hadn't expected the extent of the bruising that marred his athletic form. He had stood tall under his gaze, his chin jutted out, his head held high. Kayla had rolled her eyes at his assumption that she would reel back at the first sight of his injuries, causing Sean's shoulders to sag in relief as the tension began to roll out of him. It was a scar from his past, one that had never healed properly through the years. Kayla resented the women that had made him feel inadequate, he deserved so much better than that.

She had turned on the shower and gestured for him to step inside while she went to seek out the warmest, fluffiest towels that she could locate. He had spent a phenomenally long time in the bathroom, the shower running the entire time. She knew a thing or two about washing away the pains of the day. A nice hot shower had a way of absolving the trauma. He had finally vacated the wearing nothing but a fluffy blue towel with yellow cartoon ducks embroidered on it.

Kayla couldn't help but smile at that sight and he had returned it with a grin that had made her whole world light up before making his way to the bedroom. Already there was a mug of steaming hot chocolate on the nightstand he had come to claim as his own . He had climbed into bed alongside Kayla, wincing as he propped himself up against the head board before swigging his hot chocolate gratefully. It didn't take long for the hot milk or the warm sugary goodness to do it's work. A couple of minutes later he was out like a light

Kayla stepped back away from the doorway, closing the door quietly behind her. She placed her coffee cup down on the glossy black work surface in the kitchen before picking up her phone from where it was charging, unlocking it before bringing up a familiar contact. She paused for a moment, recounting Sean's version of events from the day before, she had come so close to losing him...

Yet she hadn't and she had one person to thank for that.

It only took her a few seconds to type out her message before she hit send.

Maggie, it read. Thank you.