The Teacher's Pet | Slowburn MJ FanFic

• | Chapter Sixty-Seven | •

| Some Days Later...

~ The familiar space was eerily quiet despite the beeping monitor that tracked Michael's heart rate and vitals. Back in the ICU, the room had a strong smell of anesthetic and unsavory hospital food, and the cold air felt crisper than usual. Riley sat close to his bedside, her head lying on his chest facing toward the foot of the bed and their fingers intertwined. She listened to his steady heartbeat and rhythmic breathing for a sense of comfort until she heard something else that made her heart skip.

"Ry." The dryness in his voice was evident.

Riley's eyes widened and she quickly sat up, a relieved smile surfacing upon her face when his beautiful brown eyes met hers and he gently squeezed her hand. "You're awake." She brought her free hand up to his face and gently stroked his smooth skin.

"Yeah..." he struggled to say and she quickly grabbed a jug of water to help soothe his dry throat. He gratefully took several sips through a plastic straw, then smiled at her. "How are you?"

"Much better since you're up. What about you? Do you need anything?"

His smile widened at her concern and he slowly shook his head. "I'm good for now; I'm glad you're here. How are the others? They're okay?"

She nodded as she ran her fingers through his unruly hair. He closed his eyes briefly as he enjoyed the soft strokes against his scalp. "Yeah, they're good. They miss you, though. Everyone misses you, including your little groupies."

He laughed softly at this before cringing from the pain that emerged from his wounds. "Maybe I shouldn't laugh so much." He sighed before smiling again. "Anyway, forget about them. You're the only one I have eyes for."

She leaned down and kissed his cheek, earning a playful scowl from him. "What?"

"I'm pretty sure my lips are in perfect condition." He said, this time making her laugh. "C'mere, girl." He finally disconnected their hands to cup the back of her head and pulled her into a deep, sensual kiss. She didn't object and gently placed her hand on his chest, just mere inches short from one of the injuries.

The kiss slowly became more passionate as they both became immersed in each other's affection. His tongue gracefully stroked hers in a loving manner and incited a quiet moan from her as his warm breath filled her lungs with his love. Eventually, he slowly pulled away and gently rubbed her bottom lip with his thumb that had become slightly swollen his occasional lip biting.

A smile slowly stretched across her dazed face. "I'm glad you're doing okay. I was scared that he took you from me."

Michael shook his head, profoundly staring deep into her eyes. "I could never leave you or the baby. How is little Casanova, anyway?" He glanced down and could see a small bump through her cashmere sweater. He reached over and lovingly placed his hand on her stomach.

"He's fine." She assured, smiling wider from the way he gently caressed her stomach.

"Good. That's really good." He started to adjust his position on the bed by sitting up, but grimaced from the pain shooting through his shoulder and chest. Riley gently placed her hands on both arms and shook her head as she made him lay back down.

"Don't overexert yourself. Give your body time to heal." She said and he deeply sighed, then coughed from the dry air irritating his throat. She glanced over at the jug and realized it was suddenly empty. "I'll be back. I'm gonna get you some more water."

He nodded as she grabbed the jug and pushed the curtains aside. She noticed it was eerily deserted and quieter than usual as she glanced around the room. The nurses were nowhere to be found as she passed the desk and walked through the automatic doors to go to the water fountain in the hall.