“My sweet, Sacha. I don’t know if you can hear me, but if you can, please know that I’ll be right here by your side, waiting for you. I love you so much, sweetheart. So much. I need you with me, I need to hear your voice and see those beautiful eyes. I needyou, Sacha.”
The door opened, and the nurse came in, her smile apologetic. “I’m sorry, Mr. Galanos. We need to take Mr. Wilder in for his next CT scan.”
“Yes, of course.” Gio stood and kissed Sacha’s cheek, whispering, “I’ll be right here.” He sat in the silent room, hatinghow empty it felt. Now that he was alone, his exhaustion was getting the better of him. He texted Jack to let him know Sacha had been taken for a CT scan and that he was going to take a nap in the meantime.
As much as Gio didn’t want to sleep until Sacha woke, he knew what would happen if he didn’t at least try to rest. His body would fight against him, making things worse, and he needed to be there for Sacha.He must have slept deeply, because when he woke up, Sacha was back in the room and Jack was in the chair beside him.
“How long have I been out?” Gio asked, sitting up.
“A few hours. King and Leo are going to stop by, and they’re bringing dinner with them. Is that okay?”
“That’s very sweet of them.” Gio stood and walked to the small fridge. “Have there been any changes?”
Jack nodded. “The latest CT scan showed the swelling is going down.”
“Oh, thank goodness.” It was something, and Gio would take it.He opened the fridge to grab a bottle of water and frowned at the little decorative box inside. “What’s this?”
“Coconut flan.”
Gio stared at him. “Wait,thecoconut flan?”
“Yep,” Jack said with a chuckle. “Lucky brought it for Sacha.”
It was funny getting teary-eyed over flan, but it was more about the sentiment behind it than the dessert itself. Gio took a bottle of water with him and joined Jack at the table.
“You should get some sleep.”
“Maybe later,” Jack replied, looking almost as haggard as Ace.
Later that evening, a knock sounded at the door, and Leo poked his head in. Gio smiled warmly at him.
“Is it okay to come in?” Leo asked. “We brought dinner.”
“Of course. Thank you.” Gio chuckled when Leo hurried in and threw his arms around him, hugging Gio tight. Gio returned the embrace, his heart filled with joy at how comfortable Leo had become with him over the years. A lot of that had to do with Sacha. He and Fitz had become Leo’s closest and most protective big brothers.
Leo pulled back and went to stand by Sacha’s bed as Gio thanked King for dinner.
“How are you holding up?” King asked Gio. “I heard the swelling has gone down.”
“Yes. He’s due for another CT scan soon.”
King nodded. He met Gio’s gaze. “We’re going to find him,” King promised, his voice low and quiet. “There is nowhere on Earth where that bastard can hide.”
“Is there anything I can do? I hate feeling so helpless.”
“Just focus on your health and on Joker.”
“Thank you.” Gio made to turn but paused. “Don’t be so hard on Ace.”
King pressed his lips together. “He knows better.”
“He does,” Gio agreed. “But I also remember a time when you were in a similar place. Ace was there to hold you up and keep you from doing something you’d regret.”
King frowned. His gaze went to Leo, and he sighed. “You’re right.”
When Leo was shot and in the hospital, King had let his heartache and anger take over, and he’d been ready to take his pain out on Saint, who King had wrongly blamed. Ace was the one who got through to King and calmed him down.
Gio stood beside Leo, smiling as he told Sacha all about Chip and the rest of the pups, how he tried his best to cheer Chip up, but Sacha needed to wake up so he could see his best boy. Leo sniffed and wiped his cheek.
