A stabbing pain seemed to spread from your temples to the back of your neck, every nerve ending pounding with each squeeze of your heart, almost enough to pull a whimper from your lips. You could decipher that you were in a room with intense artificial lighting, the light attempting to pour through your eyelids, making the pain in your skull exponentially worse. As you shifted slightly on the uncomfortable surface below you, you could feel something tugging on both your ears, as well as your hand. Just as your fingertips brushed the skin on the dorsal plane of your hand, something large and warm closed around it.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Baby..." Kylo's baritone voice mumbled from beside you, his hand now rubbing yours gently, almost like he was scared to touch you. Seeming pleased that you had stopped attacking whatever was attached to the top of your hand, Kylo settled for interlacing your fingers together, rather than keeping it trapped within the confines of both of his.
You groaned, squeezing your eyelids tighter together, hoping to block out the light that seemed to grow brighter with every passing moment. Without thinking, you brought your free hand up to your ears, attempting to feel out what was hanging from them. Right as your fingertips brushed against the soft, flexible tubing, Kylo snatched up your hand, rubbing the pad of his thumb along your knuckles, his finger dipping within the hills and valleys of your hand.
"They didn't tell us that you could take that off yet, Kitten. Leave it on, please." Kylo whispered, his breath brushing against the back of your hand, his warm, plush lips pressing against your knuckles.
You couldn't deny the fact that your heart began to pick up its pace within the confines of your chest, hammering against your ribcage once his lips made contact with your skin. Surely, if there was a heart monitor nearby, it would be just as evident to him as it was to you.
"What happened?" you mumbled, barely able to manage a whisper. A deep, almost disgruntled sigh escaped Kylo's lips. You turned your head towards where you knew him to be sitting, opening your eyes just enough to look at him. Though the light emanating from the room nearly blinded you, you felt as if you had been struck by something else.
You could tell that Kylo had been holding in the stress of the situation, his massive shoulders hunched over, almost turning in on themselves as he sat next to you. His waves were tousled, like he had run his fingers through them so much, they had lost their previous shape. Kylo's eyes, once like warm honey, now deep and cold, calculating exactly what transpired. He continued to chew on the inside of his cheek, his chiseled jaw working out his internalized anxiety.
"Ummm...," Kylo sighed again, bringing the hand that was holding yours back up to his lips, keeping them perched against your knuckles before he continued, his lips moving against the skin, "how much do you remember?"
You squeezed his hand, bringing his gaze up to you, smiling softly at him.
"I remember grabbing a glass of champagne and giving the toast...," you frowned, trying to recall anything else from the rest of the night, but coming up empty handed, "I don't remember anything after that..."
Kylo simply nodded, keeping your hand locked in his, looking down at your interlaced fingers, his face hard and unreadable. You looked away, feeling a sense of guilt for not being able to remember everything that happened. Without thinking, you began to pick at some of the pilled up fabric on the hospital issued blanket, trying to calm your racing thoughts. A quick rap on the door pulled you out of drowning yourself in thought.
"Hello, it's Rey, the doctor. May I come in?" she asked, her voice nearly as cheery as the brilliant smile on her face. You simply nodded, sitting up straighter in your hospital bed.
"It's good to see you awake! You definitely had a lot of us worried! How are you feeling, dear?" Rey asked, her eyes trailing from the vital signs machine to the IV pump delivering fluids into your circulatory system.
"I have a slight headache, but other than that, I'm feeling alright." you said, giving her a small smile. She beamed brightly at both you and Kylo, nodding her head while you spoke. Rey was lean and tiny in stature, but definitely made up for it in her personality. She slid her bright yellow stethoscope from around her neck, careful not to tear down her line of carefully crafted buns that started at the crown of her head.
"Alrighty, I'm just going to take a quick listen to you again, is that okay?" she asked, the words rolling off of her tongue in a perfectly whimsical English accent. You nodded, resting your head against the pillow, attempting to relax again while she pressed the bell of her stethoscope to your chest. Briefly, you could feel Kylo tighten his grip on your hand, watching Rey as if she were crossing a line that you were blatantly unaware of.
As she moved the stethoscope bell from your chest to your stomach, another knock on the door pulled your attention away. Vicrul and Kaydel traipsed in, cheeks flushed and hair mussed, bags filled to the brim with Chinese takeout, smiling ear to ear as if they had been caught. You couldn't help the urge to roll your eyes at them.
"Well, you seem to be doing much better. I'm sure that once you get some food in your system, you will be perfect for discharge in the morning! If you need anything at all, please do not hesitate to call out to the nurses." Rey beamed, resting her delicate hand on your shoulder. You sat up in your bed, adjusting your pillow to rest behind your back.
"Do you happen to have my lab results? Anything abnormal? Possibly something that showed up in a toxicology screen?" you asked, watching Rey as she stepped back, looking over a clipboard she had tucked under her arm.
She began to chew on the inside of her cheek, almost as if she were unwilling to divulge the information.
"Actually, no. Besides your blood alcohol level, which was only slightly elevated, everything else was within normal limits." Rey said, glancing over the laboratory results printed in black and white in front of her. You furrowed your brow, shaking your head.
"May I?" you asked, holding out your hand, hoping to glance over the results yourself, to make sense of everything that transpired. Rey handed you the results, albeit hesitantly, settling for interlacing her hands in front of her.
As you glanced over the paperwork, the reasoning behind your syncopal episode seemed like a stretch, leaving you more perplexed than before. You handed the results back to Rey, giving her a sad smile, mumbling a small 'thank you' to her as she accepted them back.
"One more thing, your brother told me that you had a heart condition. Now, I know that you are a medical professional yourself, but have you seen a cardiologist before? If not, a colleague of mine is one of the best in the city, and I wouldn't mind to write you a referral to see him with your discharge paperwork." She added, also making it a point to look around at the others in the room, almost as if she knew that you would be noncompliant.
"I had one, but she retired, and I could just never work it around in my schedule to see someone. She monitored me over the years, but nothing of importance would ever show up on the Holter monitors. I feel that if I saw someone else, it would be just as inconclusive as before." you said with a shrug, reaching over to the over-the-bed table for a glass of water. Rey nodded as you took a drink, your mouth no longer feeling like the Sahara desert.
"I understand. I will make the referral anyway, that way, should you decide to see him, the option is there." She smiled, inching closer to the door. You nodded, setting the glass down and relaxing against the pillow against your back.
"Again, if you need anything, just ring out to the nurses and they will answer whatever they can, or call me, if need be. Other than that, get some rest and you'll be out of here in no time!" Rey said, smiling brightly at all of you, closing the door behind her as everyone thanked her.
Kylo, who had nearly burned holes in Rey with his gaze, seemed to relax in his seat, resting his head against the back of the chair, blowing another sigh between his lips. Vic and Kay found extra chairs around the room, bringing them closer to your bedside, setting out the takeout boxes on the over-bed table, stealing quick glances at each other.
"So, before we settle in to our meal, I need to get the hell out of this bed...No wonder patients hate staying at the hospital, it's like laying on a fucking rock slab..." you said, swinging your legs over the side, grabbing the IV pole and heading towards the bathroom. As soon as your grippy-socked feet hit the tiled floor, everyone was on their feet, reaching out towards you. You rolled your eyes at them, wheeling the IV pole in front of you as you walked towards the bathroom.
"For once, trust me, I've got this. I can rock a piss without all of you hovering. Now, eat, please." you said, turning on the light in the bathroom, pushing the IV pole inside. Kaydel and Kylo rolled their eyes, sitting back down in their chairs as Vicrul chuckled, holding his fist out, waiting for you to fist bump him. It was your turn to roll your eyes, knocking your knuckles against his before you closed the door behind you, ready to relieve yourself after having been out of it for God knows how long.
As you were carefully washing your hands, mindful of the plastic catheter taped in the back of your hand, you could hear chuckling coming from inside your room. The laughter seemed to grow in volume as you opened the door, Vic having shoved his chopsticks under his upper lip and making walrus noises, causing Kylo to shake his head as he picked up a piece of seasoned chicken.
"And for a moment, I thought you were laughing at my new choice of gown." you said, smirking at the group, gesturing to the green and blue hospital gown you now donned. Vicrul removed the chopsticks, going back to slurping noodles as Kaydel tried to defend the choice of outfit. Kylo, however, couldn't seem to take his eyes off of you. You were sure you looked a hot mess, makeup and hair nearly destroyed from the hours spent in the hospital, your frame draped in an oversized potato sack, large yellow socks on your feet, gathering at the ankles. To your surprise, he smirked, a small dimple making itself evident in his cheek, winking at you before he continued his assault on his meal.
A blush stained your cheeks as you made your way back to the bed, plugging in the IV pump and covering up your legs, sitting cross-legged, ready to devour whatever was placed in front of you. Kaydel fished her hand through the bag, nearly toppling her own food into the floor before Vic caught it with nearly lightning fast reflexes, managing not to spill even the smallest of rice grains. She placed the styrofoam box in front of you, smiling.
"Because we felt so bad about the whole ordeal, we got sushi too. Vic told me you weren't picky so I ordered some of the staff's favorites." Kay said, resting her hand on top of yours before turning back to Vicrul, grabbing her food from his lap. You opened the lid to find brilliantly crafted sushi rolls, topped with eccentric garnishes, your mouth beginning to water.
"Thanks, guys." you said, smiling, as you unwrapped your chopsticks.
"Just so you know, whatever you don't eat, I'll happily finish it for you." Vicrul chimed, mouth full of steak and noodles. Kaydel smacked his arm, earning a small chuckle from you and Kylo. The room grew quiet as the group continued to eat, clearly invested in the food in front of them. You were quick to pop the first piece in your mouth, hints of shrimp and spicy crab bouncing off of your tastebuds, the cream cheese stuffed inside seeming to melt in your mouth and mellow out the spice. The moan that reverberated in your chest couldn't be helped as you chewed. Everyone stopped to look at you.
"Holy fucking shit, this is good." you mumbled, readying your chopsticks for another piece as you swallowed the first. Snickers from your friends resounded throughout the room before you all seemed to dissolve into fits of laughter. Your heart swelled in your chest as you watched them, feeling nothing but love for all of them.
So this is what contentment feels like? Basking in the laughter of your loved ones, you thought.
Long after you finished your meals respectively, mindless chatter of moments from the gala before your syncopal episode and upcoming plans filled the room, you could feel your eyelids grow heavy once more, seeing Kaydel attempting to suppress a yawn out of the corner of your eye.
"As much as I have loved eating Chinese food and bullshitting with all of you, poor Kay is about to fall over in her chair. I think it's safe to say it has been an eventful night for all of us. Go home and get some sleep, please. I'm sure I'll see you guys tomorrow after I escape from this joint." you joked, smirking at your brother and your friend.
Kaydel and Vicrul were quick to put away their chairs, clearing the trash that had collected, Vic draping his tuxedo jacket over Kaydel's shoulders as she shivered.
"Oh, before I forget, when I took your gown home, I packed some of your lounge clothes and other things in a bag, it's sitting on the floor at the foot of your bed. Just for when you're ready to come home, figured you'd wanna be comfy." Kaydel said, smiling as she wrapped her arms around you, pressing her lips to the crown of your head.
"Thanks, Kay. You're a lifesaver." you said, squeezing her back. Right as she let go, Vic was quick to wrap you in his arms, almost crushing you to his chest.
"See you soon, Kid. Scare me like that again, I may have to whoop your ass. I love you." Vicrul whispered, eliciting a giggle from you. You pinched at his side, causing him to chuckle.
"I love you too. You can almost count on that." you mumbled, fluffing your pillow, attempting to get comfortable on your lumpy hospital mattress, watching as Vic and Kay filed out of the room.
You looked up at Kylo, taking in the dark circles under his eyes. Without another word, you scooted over in the bed, attempting to make room for him, though you were somewhat weary, since it was just big enough for you.
"Come here." you whispered, grabbing his hand, gently pulling him towards you. Kylo's eyebrow quirked up, the situation of sharing a small hospital bed with his hulking frame almost laughable.
"I'm fine, Princess." Kylo mumbled, resting his head against the back of his chair as he held your hand, his amber eyes scanning your face. You rolled your eyes, tugging on his arm with a little bit more conviction. Of course, that had little to no effect on him, his arm barely moving.
"Ky, just come here." you said, patting the bed beside you. Clearly sensing your determination to press the issue further, Kylo sighed, carefully taking off his shoes as he laid beside you in the hospital bed. Resting your head on his chest, listening to the strong drumming of his heart seemed to relax you, his scent filling your nostrils as he wrapped his arm around your shoulders, pressing his lips to the top of your head.
After a few moments of silence, right as you were about to fall asleep, Kylo shifted slightly, grumbling something unintelligible.
"You okay?" you asked, lifting your head up, peeking at him through your lashes.
"This bed is fucking uncomfortable...and small as shit, too." he mumbled, soon stilling after finding his actions of getting comfortable entirely fruitless.
A small chuckle escaped your lips.
"What's so funny, Baby?" he asked, running his fingertips up and down your arm.
"I don't believe the manufacturers of these hospital beds counted on some rudely large man trying to find comfort in them." you smirked, leaning up just enough to press your lips to his cheek. Kylo hummed, gently trapping your jaw in his free hand, his lips ghosting over yours.
"Laugh it up, Kitten. Once you're better, you'll pay for that comment." he whispered, finally pressing his lips to yours. A blush bloomed across your cheeks as you kissed him, only pulling away briefly to catch your breath. Kylo smirked, pressing his lips against yours in a brief, gentle kiss before releasing your jaw.
"Get some rest. Tomorrow, we're spending all day in my bed." he mumbled, resting his head against the pillow, his eyes drifting closed.
"Goodnight, Ky." you whispered, resting your head against his chest once more.
That night, your heart soared as you found a lullaby in Kylo's heartbeat, limbs tangled with his in your hospital bed. But still, three little words resounded in your mind.
I love you...