Submitting to My Best Friend's Dad-Chapter 950 : Awake and Alive

*Leo*

My eyes blinked open as a hazy hospital room appeared. I hadn’t been sure what was happening since the last thing I remember was feeling a bullet enter my body. At that thought, I winced as I tried to move my arm.

“Careful, Leo,” I heard a woman’s voice. “You got shot in the shoulder. You shouldn’t try to move it too much.”

Finally, my sight cleared up and I could see a nurse standing next to me with a clipboard in her hand.

“Bianca?” I croaked.

“She’s next to you,” the nurse spoke. “She hasn’t left your side since you got here.”

“Why am I here?” I asked, my voice rough as ever.

“I don’t know the details,” she said. “All I know is that you came in with a gunshot wound to your shoulder and a mild case of hypothermia. After surgery you were put into a medically induced coma to allow your temperature to rise at a slow, but safe rate.”

“Alright, then,” was all I managed to respond with, still feeling so confused.

“I’ll leave you two alone,” the nurse spoke in a kind voice. “If you need any pain medication for your shoulder, just press that button.”

The nurse pointed at the tan remote looking device that laid next to me on the bed.

“Thank you,” I replied.

I waited until the nurse left the room to turn my head to look at Bianca. Her hand was clasped around my wrist as her head laid on the edge of the bed. She was sitting in a chair with her back bent.

I frowned. That could not be a comfortable position for her. I wondered how long I had been here. How long she had been here.

She had purple circles underneath her closed eyes. I immediately felt awful for this whole situation.

Slowly, I lifted my hand and brushed the stray blond hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear.

“Bianca,” I whispered. “Wake up.”

Her heavy eyelids batted open a couple times before she realized I was awake.

“Leo!” she exclaimed, jumping out of her chair.

Tears had begun to stain her cheeks as she fell back into the chair. She took my hand in both of hers.

“Leo, I was so scared. You have no idea,” she sobbed.

“I’m so sorry for everything, Bianca,” I told her. “I had no idea he would follow me. I put your entire family in danger.”

She shook her head. “Stop. You had no way of knowing he would follow you all the way here.”

“Did anyone else get hurt?” I asked, worried.

“Taylor got shot in the leg, but he’s going to be alright,” she replied. “I was so worried about you, Leo. When I saw Michael shoot you, my whole world came crashing down around me.”

“What happened, exactly?” I questioned, the details still blurry. “The last thing I remember was getting shot. Honestly, I thought I was dead.”

“I thought you were too,” she sobbed. “I panicked and shot him.”

“You shot Michael?” I asked, shocked.

She nodded her head. “I didn’t kill him, though. He got away. Turns out my aim isn’t very good.”

I chuckled lightly and winced from the pain in my shoulder. “We’ll have to get you some target practice.”

“Don’t laugh, it will hurt your wound,” she replied, looking panicked.

“I’m all right,” I assured her. “Thanks to you. You saved my life, Bianca.”

“How could I not have? I love you, Leo. All I want is to be by your side again,” she admitted, kissing my forehead.

I was happy to hear her say those words. However, I hated that I dragged her family into my mess. Any of her family members could have died because of me.

“That’s all I want, as well, my love,” I agreed, smiling. “How long do I have to stay in here?” I asked, already itching to leave this incredibly uncomfortable hospital bed.

I never understood why hospital beds were so uncomfortable when they were meant for people to heal on. You’re more likely to leave with back problems the longer you were forced to sleep on them.

“The doctor said you’d have to stay a couple more days so he could monitor you outside of the coma,” she told me.

Shit. I was not going to last another couple of days inside this medical prison.

“Don’t worry,” she whispered. “I’ll sneak you in the good food.”

“Please,” I begged, playfully. “I hate Jello.”

She chuckled, wiping the dried streaks on her cheeks.

“Hey, I was scared, as well, you know,” I confessed.

“What do you mean?” she questioned, thoughtfully.

“I was so scared you were going to get hurt,” I told her. “I knew I couldn’t live in a world without you.”

She started to tear up again.

“No,” I dragged out the word. “I didn’t mean to make you cry again.”

“These are happy tears,” she said, convincing herself more than me.

“I’m never going to let this happen again,” I told her, meaning it. “I could have lost you. Both of you.”

My eyes glanced down to her stomach where our baby resided. Bianca’s hand moved to caress her stomach.

She looked up at me with a rather serious expression. Before she spoke, the door opened. Mia and Alessandro walked in.

“Hey, you two,” Mia greeted us quietly. “We heard you were awake.”

“Alessandro, man, I’m so sorry for bringing Michael here,” I started to apologize, but he cut me off.

“Leo, it’s not your fault,” he said. “This is a part of our job. We get through it and move on.”

I nodded my head, feeling grateful for his words. “You’re right.”

“We told the family about our business in the mafia,” he spoke to both Bianca and me.

Bianca sighed. “How did they take it?”

“Surprisingly well,” Alessandro replied. “Aunt Rosa claimed she knew all along.”

Bianca and Mia chuckled.

“Of course, she would say that,” Bianca said, shaking her head. “And my mom?”

“Lucia was concerned, but she said she just wants you to be happy,” Mia told Bianca.

A small smile appeared on Bianca’s face. She nodded, but didn’t say anything.

“As for Taylor, he is in a room down the hall and will be on his feet soon enough,” Alessandro informed us. “He’ll need some physical therapy, but other than that, he was lucky they could save his leg.”

“You both were lucky,” Mia said.

I nodded my head, agreeing. “It could have been a lot worse.”

“But it wasn’t,” Alessandro chimed in. “So, let’s get you healed up. Michael ran off, but I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw him again.”

I glanced over at Bianca. She stared at me for a moment before her eyes fell to her hand still in mine.

“For now, however,” Mia started to say. “I brought a change of clothes for you, Bianca. I know you haven’t left this room in days, so I thought you could use a fresh pair of clothes.”

“Thank you so much,” Bianca replied. “I really could.”

“I, also, brought a bunch of food for you guys,” Mia said, placing two brown paper bags down on the small round table in the corner of the room.

“Your mom insisted,” Mia chuckled. “She said you were eating for two and hospital food was not enough to nourish the both of you.”

Bianca rolled her eyes and smiled. “Well, thank her for me, please. I don’t have my cellphone to call her. I think I lost it during the war in the backyard.”

Mia nodded. “I kind of thought that was the case.”

She handed Bianca a white box. “I brought you a new one.”

Bianca stood up, keeping her hand firmly over mine, and hugged Mia with one arm. “Thank you, Mia. You’re the best.”

“I’m just looking out for you,” Mia told her. “It’s what family does.”

Bianca smiled and sat back down in the chair. Mia and Alessandro stayed for a few minutes longer before they said their goodbyes. I was grateful for Mia looking after Bianca the way she always had.

I felt incredibly stupid for how I had acted in the past about her sending Taylor to help protect Bianca. I should have realized Bianca’s safety was what mattered most, no matter what. But I had been so stubborn in thinking I was the only one that needed to protect her.

Perhaps, if I would have seen things differently before, Bianca would have never left. None of this would have happened. However, there was no point in dwelling on what could have or couldn’t have happened. All that was left to do now, was to heal and move on. Just like Alessandro said.

“I don’t know what the future looks like for us,” I confessed. “But the only two things that matter most to me now, are you and our baby.”

A wide smile spread across her face. “I was just thinking the same thing. When you are cleared to leave the hospital, I want to go home.”

“Home?” I asked, wanting to make sure what exactly she meant.

“With you,” she said, quickly. “I want to go home with you. Back to LA.”

I exhaled a huge sigh of relief. “I’m so happy to hear you say that. I love you so much, Bianca.”

“I love you so much, Leo,” she said, gently pressing her lips to mine.

“Why don’t you change,” I suggested, feeling bad that she was still wearing the same clothes from a few days ago.

She nodded easily. “I absolutely want to change my clothes.”

Bianca grabbed the pile of clothes Mia had given her and placed them down on the edge of the bed. Then, she started to shed her clothes right next to me. My eyes glanced over towards the door and back at her.

“I meant in the bathroom!” I exclaimed. “What if someone walks in and sees you naked?”

“I’m not leaving you,” she insisted.

“I can see the bathroom. It’s like two feet away from us,” I chuckled.

“So?” She shrugged. “That’s still too far away.”

It was my turn to roll my eyes playfully. “You’re too sweet.”

She bent down to kiss my forehead. “I know.”

I laughed. “Do you think we could dig into that food? I’m starving and it smells so good.”

Her face lit up. “I was hoping you were going to say that. My mouth has been watering ever since Mia and Alessandro brought it in here. I just didn’t want to eat in front of you if you weren’t hungry yet.”

“You don’t ever have to wait for me to eat,” I told her.

“I know, but I like eating with you,” she smiled, looking as innocent as ever.

“Come here,” I said in a loving tone of voice.

Bianca bent down over the bed and kissed me.

“I’ll love you forever,” I whispered on her lips.