Make Me Moan Mr Therapist.-Chapter 96: A vacation.

"There’s a difference between being able to stand and being able to walk," Gabe replied immediately, swallowing hard. "I can stand now, but not for too long—and definitely not walk."

He averted his gaze briefly, embarrassed. "And... I was just too excited. That made it easier in the moment."

"Oh, I see," Alex said softly, a warm, understanding smile spreading across his face. "That makes sense."

He shifted slightly on the bed, testing his body, then nodded to himself. "Anyway, I’m not hurting anywhere. I feel perfectly fine."

"Thank goodness," Gabe breathed out, relief washing over his face. His shoulders slumped as the tension finally eased. "I was so scared."

He lowered his head slightly, his voice softening. "Thank you," he added quietly.

Alex frowned. "For what?"

"For saving me, of course," Gabe replied, releasing a heavy sigh. "You got shot because of me."

Alex watched him carefully as Gabe’s thoughts spiraled inward.

No one has ever gotten shot because of me, Gabe thought bitterly. I’m always the one sacrificing myself for others. It’s never the other way around.

He clenched his fists lightly.

Even though you’re a Beta... you still chose to die for me.

No one has ever done something like that for me before.

"It’s nothing, Gabe," Alex said gently, his voice pulling him back to the present.

With an easy motion, Alex reached up and removed the oxygen tube from his nose.

"Huh?!"

Gabe’s eyes widened in alarm.

"You shouldn’t remove that!" he exclaimed, immediately slamming the emergency bell.

Within moments, two doctors and two nurses rushed into the ward, their expressions alert as they began examining Alex thoroughly—checking vitals, asking questions, reviewing monitors.

After what felt like an eternity, one of the doctors finally straightened.

"He’s perfectly fine now," the doctor said calmly. "Earlier, his condition was unstable, but right now..." He glanced at the chart again. "It’s almost as if he wasn’t shot at all—despite the bandaging on his chest."

The doctor nodded toward Alex. "He no longer needs the oxygen support. He’s breathing normally on his own."

"Oh, thank goodness," Gabe said, his knees nearly giving out in relief. "Thank you so much, doctors. We really appreciate everything."

"He can even be discharged tomorrow," the female doctor added with a small smile. "His healing rate is unusually fast. Just make sure he gets plenty of rest—no stress, no exertion."

Gabe nodded eagerly as the doctors and nurses exited once again, leaving the room quiet.

Alone again, Gabe turned back to Alex.

"Are you hungry?" he asked softly. "Should I ask Damien to bring some food?"

Alex shook his head lightly. "Not tonight. It’s already late."

He smiled faintly. "We can order food tomorrow."

Then his gaze softened. "I’m glad you’re finally free," he added. "Free from that monster of a husband."

"I’m glad too," Gabe replied, exhaling deeply. "I’ve annulled the marriage. I’m officially unmarried now."

"So... what’s next?" Alex asked, raising a brow with curiosity. "Do you plan to marry again?"

"Marriage?!" Gabe scoffed loudly. "Never!"

He waved his hand dismissively. "Not anytime soon. I want to stay single. I just want to enjoy my freedom... my life."

"I understand," Alex said simply.

Gabe nodded with a small smile, the weight on his heart finally feeling lighter.

✦✦✦

The next morning arrived swiftly.

Fred and Damien stood inside a flower shop, the air filled with the fresh, soothing scent of blooms. Sunlight streamed through the glass windows, warming their skin with the soft glow of early-morning vitamin D.

"What kind of flowers do you think we should get for those two?" Fred asked, lifting a bundle of red roses to inhale their fragrance. "Gabe told me Alex is being discharged today. Apparently, his healing was ridiculously fast."

Damien hummed thoughtfully.

I don’t need to be scared of him, Fred thought inwardly, a faint smile touching his lips. He doesn’t see me as some omega he’s searching for—just an alpha like himself.

I should act like one.

Then his thoughts took an unwelcome turn.

And I won’t lie... I didn’t exactly hate the sex.

What I hated was the drug. The consequences were terrible.

His gaze flickered—unintentionally—toward Damien’s trousers.

Fuck. What am I thinking?!

Fred immediately facepalmed and forced his eyes back to the flowers.

"We’ll go with roses and a couple of cards," Damien finally decided. "And we should grab food and drinks too. Gabe said they’re hungry—and honestly, so are we."

He glanced at Fred. "You haven’t eaten since last night."

"That’s true," Fred admitted. "Let’s do that."

They paid for the flowers and cards, stopped by a restaurant for takeout, and then headed straight to the hospital.

When they reached Alex’s ward and Fred pushed the door open—

Both he and Damien froze.

They swallowed hard.

Gabe was asleep on the narrow hospital bed, curled against Alex’s side, one arm loosely wrapped around him despite the limited space.

"You both are here," Alex said softly, swallowing hard. Even though he didn’t release Gabe, he held him tighter, pressing his head gently against Gabe’s chest. There was a quiet comfort in the closeness, a fragile reassurance neither of them wanted to break.

"Is it not hurting?" Damien asked, raising an eyebrow as he stepped closer, concern etched on his face.

"What?" Alex asked, tilting his head in confusion.

"Your chest, of course," Damien said with a scoff, gesturing toward the spot where the bullet had hit. "And you’re still letting him rest his head there?"

"Shhh!" Alex snapped, shooting Damien an annoyed glare. "Do you want to wake him up? He just slept this morning. He’s been looking over me all night."

"Oh, I see," Fred said with a scoff, shaking his head. Then he shouted, grinning. "Wake up, Gabe!!!"

Gabe stirred immediately, eyes blinking open, still groggy. "Are you planning to kill—?" he began, voice rough from sleep.

"Why you?!" Alex shot back, his tone sharp with playful irritation, though his grip on Gabe remained firm.

"Oh, Alex..." Gabe said, worry lining his voice. "Did I hurt you? I only agreed to sleep on your bed because you insisted yesterday. I was just telling you some stories and... I didn’t mean to doze off. You should have woken me up."

"It’s fine," Alex replied, his tone softening as he stroked Gabe’s arm gently. "You needed rest. Even if you weren’t physically injured, you still went through shock after everything that happened."

Alex finally turned his attention toward Damien, his eyebrows raised with hunger. "Anyway, what did you bring? I’m starving."

"Oh yeah," Damien said with a grin, stepping forward. He began arranging the dishes on the small table: golden, hot fried chicken, fluffy fried rice, aromatic jollof rice, pancakes stacked neatly, succulent shrimp, fresh vegetable salad topped with creamy mayonnaise, various fruit drinks, water, and at the end, a rich chocolate and strawberry cake that seemed almost too indulgent for a hospital room.

"What? Are we having a feast?" Gabe exclaimed, scoffing lightly as he surveyed the spread. "How are we supposed to finish all this?"

"Of course it’s a feast," Fred said, letting out a heavy sigh as he picked up a juicy piece of fruit. "After everything that happened last night, it’s okay for us to enjoy a little feast. At least we’re alive."

He held out the fruit toward Gabe. "Do you want some, or just water?"

"Just pass me the fried chicken, please," Gabe said, his voice tinged with excitement. Fred let out a soft chuckle before handing him a plump chicken leg and a cold bottle of juice.

Once Gabe took a bite, savoring the savory flavor, Damien raised an eyebrow as he chewed thoughtfully. "Now that everything is over, don’t you guys think we should plan something?"

"Plan what?" Alex asked, his voice curious, as he reached for a piece of shrimp.

You fool, Damien thought inwardly, facepalming with a mixture of exasperation and amusement. Do I have to plan everything for you two? Maybe I do after all, you failed once already.

Even if you’re not dating Gabe, at least you should build your relationship more. You can’t risk getting shot for him and still act like nothing happened.

Damien cleared his throat and smiled slyly. "How about... we go on a vacation?"

The words landed like a bomb. Gabe, Alex, and Fred all froze, their eyes widening in surprise.

"A vacation?!" Gabe exclaimed, nearly choking on his chicken. "Exactly what I need right now to be honest."

"Yes," Damien continued, spreading his hands in mock emphasis. "You three deserve it after everything. No stress, no danger, no bullets flying...just a few days where we can actually enjoy ourselves."

Fred blinked slowly, the idea not sitting well with him.

"Vacation?" Fred raised an eyebrow, followed by a scoff. "And why is that? We don’t need a vacation, please. Alex and Gabe just escaped a very big problem, and we should be grateful for that as it is."

"Of course we need it," Damien said excitedly, his hands gesturing animatedly. "We need a vacation—a proper one—where we can get away from the world, away from work, and just relax and have fun. That’s the best treatment we could give to ourselves right now. How about our house at the beach, Alex? The vacation house. It’s been so long since we’ve gone there, especially after Lucas and Romeo traveled out of the state."