My Hired Boyfriend (Completed)

33. Bruised and Damaged But Alive

Hazel POV

             When I wake up, there is dull ache in my rib cage.

            Struggling to exhale slowly enough to stop the pain in my side, I glance around me to see that I am in a hospital room.

            Relief fills my body, flashbacks of running into Rick running through my mind.

            Rick.

            “Coda,” I croak, simultaneously glancing down in bewilderment to see him right beside me.

            Like a switch, Coda jumps at the sound of my voice, the wheel chair he is seated on flying back with a large crash as he leaps to his feet.

            His eyes brush past me, scanning the room warily, the hardness in them making me shudder.

            As if realizing that there was no danger, his gaze flickers back down to me, recognition flickering in his eyes.

            His eyes are red and dark circles surround his wide eyes, a busted lip half healed.

            Before I can even open my mouth to speak, he is suddenly right in front of me, his hands gently grasping my face.

            “It’s really you,” he murmurs, reassuring himself by resting his forehead against mine. The skin of his cheeks are discolored and littered with bruises, a cut on his cheekbone.

            My mind spins and I can only think about his close proximity. His heart beats frantically against the palm of my hands when I place them on his chest, and his body leans over the bed to reach me.

            His thumb brushes my cheek and he swallows hard. “I thought- I thought you were going to- You didn't wake up for so long-“

            He stops, closing his eyes and inhaling deeply.

            I grip the collar of his sweatshirt, reveling in his presence—something I have taken for granted, just the fact that he is alive a small miracle.

            “I couldn't leave. Who would annoy you then?” I ask, cracking a small smile, teasing him.

            He exhales a shaky laugh, brushing his nose against mine. “It’s hard to imagine.”

            He half sits on the edge of my bed and I start to worry about him, his wheelchair half lodged into the space between the chair and desk from his abruptness.

            “You should sit back down, I’m sure you’re hurt,” I say quietly, making no move to let go of him.

            “Yeah sure,” he nods absent mindingly, his eyes still closed. He holds my face firmly in his hands, his thumb briefly brushing my lip as we just stay like this for a few moments.

            When the door slams open to reveal Jeremy and a man in a white coat, Coda backs up but entwines our fingers together, making no indication of leaving.

            Jeremy’s eyes narrow at our entwined hands for a moment but only for a split second before lunging for me.

            I am in his arms before I can blink, my ribs and body protesting.

            He is shaking slightly, his chin resting on my forehead. “Don’t ever scare me like that again,” he mutters.

            Trying to form my words properly against the pain of his tight hug, I squeeze Coda’s hand tightly.