The Spare (18+ Only) - Noblesse Oblige #1

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Sixteen

"You promised you wouldn't sneak off anywhere again, wife", Leo said in a deceptively purring whisper against her lips.

It had already been over an hour since Isis had broken down upon seeing Leo. They had let her cry for as long as she wanted without saying a word, and, when she was done, called a nurse to take a look at her hand. Ezekiel, one of Leo's bodyguards, had slipped into the nearest bathroom and returned with a neatly folded wad of tissues for Isis to wipe her face and blow her nose on. Once she had gotten settled, Levi had announced that he would be going for food for all of them, since Isis had announced that she wanted to wait for Behati to wake up before she went anywhere.

Now she and Levi were sitting in the waiting room directly across the hall from Behati's hospital room. It was a comfortable medium-sized room with soft dark green couches and armchairs. A rectangular dark brown coffee table was in the direct center of the room, upon which an array of glossy magazines was arranged. Square short bookshelves in the same modern design and color as the coffee table were placed between armchairs and couches to double as end tables. At each corner, beige lamps provided a soft glow to light up the room. The two large windows were in the wall facing the door and covered in beige drapes that contrasted beautifully against the earth-toned walls of the room, and an ivory carpet muted the footsteps of any moving about within.

Leo was sitting on the end of one of the couches, his left arm resting on the armrest on his left. Beside him, Isis was reclining on her back with her head in his lap; her arms gently rubbing her over abdomen repeatedly. He was absentmindedly running his fingers through her hair, which he had promptly loosened from the sloppy bun that she'd thrown it in while she had been in the limousine. He pressed a kiss to her lips again and pulled back just a little, his words hanging in the air between them. He watched from half-closed lids as a flush of guilt suffused her face.

"I was worried", she said weakly. "I'm sorry, Leo. I didn't think it through properly."

"No, you didn't", he agreed, his tone still gentle despite the anger she could sense in him. She understood why he was angry, and so was willing to accept any censure he wanted to dole out. Why torture her by holding it in?

"You're angry at me", she said. "If you want to yell at me, I won't break, you know."

"I don't want to yell at you", he replied, hand still playing with her golden-blonde tresses. "Do you know why I'm mad?" She frowned. Why ask a question with such an obvious answer?

"Because I ran off on my own without telling anyone properly, right?"

"And?"

"And...it was inconsiderate of me to make all of you worry?"

"Indeed it was." He waited for her to say something else. Isis chewed on her bottom lip.

"I put myself and our child in danger, and I broke a promise to you in the process?"

"All of those are correct, wife", he drawled. She turned onto her side and studied him. He stared right back.

"I'm very sorry."

"I know."

"Okay." There was a beat of silence before Isis spoke again. "Is Father mad too?"

"No, just worried. He could never be mad at you, I think."

"Oh."

"We're going home as soon as the queen wakes up."

"Of course."