Harley nodded and dropped to his butt in the chair. I could feel tension build as Zade opened his mouth to speak, but Levi caught him by the hand and tugged him out into the hallway. I'd never seen him look so determined, but he clearly wasn't taking any crap from Zade right then.
When the door to the hallway closed, the doctor began to explain the procedure for removing the breathing tube. It didn't sound pleasant. And it wasn't.
A nurse used a machine that reminded me of a portable vacuum to suck the spit out of the tube before it was pulled way too slowly free. No sooner than it was clear of my lips, I began to cough.
"It's okay," the doctor told Harley soothingly, "that's perfectly normal. As soon as he stops coughing, we'll get an oxygen mask on him and that will help."
I heard Harley murmur something and the doctor laughed. "He should be good as new in no time."
Just like he'd said, as soon as I quit coughing, the nurse slid an oxygen mask over my mouth and nose.
"Now," the doctor said, smiling at Harley again, "it's going to be a bit before he feels like talking much, so how about you go sit with him?"
As Harley approached the bed, I managed to lift the blanket just enough to get my point across and Harley hesitated, looking at the doctor nervously.
"It should be fine as long as you don't put any pressure on his chest," he said with a wink. "And just to be sure we're all on the same page, absolutely no shenanigans, okay?"
"Yes, sir," Harley agreed quickly, carefully sliding into the bed beside me and leaning back against the pillow. When I tried to reach for him, there was a searing pain in my back and Harley gently pressed my arm back down. "None of that!" He tucked his hand into mine and laid his head on the pillow next to mine. "If you can't behave I have to leave."
I squeezed his fingers and managed a small smile. Like I'd risk doing anything to make my Omega leave. Instead, I tilted my head far enough to draw in his comforting scent and closed my eyes, surrendering to the exhaustion that was pulling me back under.
