Page 66 of Beck

“Absolutely. Take a deep breath. You’re in expert hands,” Dr Stevens said.

“Take care ofmyhand for me, doctor,” Beck said as the medicine started working.

“Will do.” Dr Stevens winked at him, and Beck smiled before a wave of exhaustion flowed over him, his eyelids feeling heavier by the minute. He felt a sharp scratch and the pain in his hand stopped bothering him. He drifted, content in thinking about Kole and how amazing the guy was. He didn’t deserve him, but he wouldn’t be the one telling him that. No, he’d keep Kole for as long as possible.

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Chapter 20

Kole

When Beck came out of surgery, he was awake and very happy and smiley. It was amusing, to say the least. Kole sat by his side as he drifted off to sleep barely minutes after returning to the room, and he waited with bated breath for him to wake up again. Although the nurse had come out to say that everything was fine and he had nothing to worry about, it still didn’t alleviate his nerves that something might have gone wrong.

Thankfully, nothing did. And as he waited, which took Beck far too long to wake up for Kole’s liking, his stomach settled. He went through everything that had happened. After all, that’s what he always did in those situations. He couldn’t believe Andrew turned so much from what Kole had thought he was. If Kole had seen him in his rightful mind, there was no way he would’ve slept with him, even that one night, but a lot of people could put on a mask to make other people see them differently. After all, that’s what abusers do. They make it look like nothing’s wrong to the outside world; whereas inside things are completely different.

When Beck blinked his eyes for the first time since the surgery, Kole saw it because he was a creepy asshole like that, watching his face, tracing every mound, every valley, every dimple, every wrinkle while waiting for him.

“Hi,” he whispered, causing Beck to glance his way. He rolled his head a little and groaned, a completely groggy noise that most patients made, Kole assumed. “How are you feeling?”

“Absolutely wonderful,” Beck croaked, and Kole reached for the small cup of ice chips the nurse had brought in not that long before. Kole wet Beck’s lips with the ice shard before pushing it in so Beck could get some liquid, and then settled back into his perch, watching and waiting while Beck regained his equilibrium. It didn’t take him long.

Beck glanced down at his hand and said, “Is everything okay with it?”

Kole nodded. “Yeah, everything’s fine. We didn’t have to worry. They didn’t nick anything. It’s all perfect.”

“Did they say how long recovery might be?”

“No. Dr Stevens didn’t tell me anything else. He said that once you were more alert, he would be in to discuss the healing side of things. He said that he’d kept the pocket knife in case you wanted it as a treasure.”

Beck chuckled. “Maybe not a treasure, but it would help to use it as evidence against Andrew.”

Kole raised his eyebrows. “I hadn’t thought of that.”

“Fingers crossed it’ll help. Anyway, how are you doing? And how long have I been out?”

Kole smiled at him and brushed back some of the hair on his forehead. “You’ve been dozing for about an hour.”

“Still feels like I could sleep for a week. No, probably a month, actually.”

“And I will be right there beside you,” Kole said. “I feel exactly the same.”

“Why does everything happen all in one go?” Beck mused, closing his eyes again. “It would be nice if these things came one at a time rather than a dozen.”

“Well, they always say that things come in threes.”

“And have we had three?” Beck asked.

Kole pretended to think things through. “I think we’ve had our fair share. That’s more than enough, and it’s way more than three.” He smiled. “Why don’t you get some more sleep? The doctor will be in soon and I’ll wake you up then.”

“But I’ve already been asleep for so long,” Beck complained.

“Yes, but the more you sleep, the quicker you’ll heal. I’ll still be here when you wake up. Promise.”

Beck grumbled a bit more before succumbing to the sleep he so badly needed. The stress on his body must have been horrendous. Kole settled back in a seat, feeling much happier now Beck had roused, even for the short time that he’d been coherent. He picked up Beck’s phone, after receiving permission to use it earlier, and started shooting off messages, replying to all those friends who had sent messages to them. He had spoken to Ethan at one point, just to let him know what had happened, but he’d said, in no uncertain terms, that if anybody turned up at the hospital wanting to wait, he was going to physically escort them out himself. Beck had had enough and didn’t need anybody else coddling him. That was Kole’s job. He received several replies, and so it went on for several long minutes.

Susie, the nurse, bustled back in, checking the machines and writing on the notes. “He’s looking good. Don’t worry,” she whispered with a wink before leaving them alone again.

Kole dropped his hands on his lap and took a big inhale, letting it escape slowly. It went a long way to calming him. He hadn’t realised quite how concerned he had been until Susie had said that. He’d been worried, don’t get him wrong, but his entire body slumped in the chair, releasing all the invisible tension.

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