get you.”
A spark of joy lit Bull’s body at the mention of Ben’s name and his protectiveness. It was the lifeline he needed.
“Don’t you dare die. I promised him I would bring you back. If you make me break that man’s heart, I swear, I’m going to have them bring you back just so I can kill you myself.”
A sound rumbled through Bull’s pained body. Maybe a laugh. Nothing felt or sounded right. In himself or the unexpected fear he sensed in Aidan’s tone.
Between the two medics and Aidan, they raised his limp body off the chair and onto the gurney, strapping him to the frame and bracing his head and neck.
He couldn’t speak or move. With the little give he had in the restraints, he reached for Aidan’s hand and squeezed as much as he could.
That hazel stare immediately met his gaze. “Don’t you fucking dare.” He leaned in closer, those hazel eyes piercing deep into Bull’s stubborn mind. “Fight. Be that stubborn control freak I know you can be. Because Ben is waiting for you.”
Bull closed his eyes and willed his mind to fill with images of Ben—that beaming smile, those striking green eyes filled with life and happiness.
Every vision shot another thump to his heart, breathing life into his body.
He had survived this hell. He damn sure wouldn’t quit now.
Finally knowing he would keep his promise, Bull relaxed. Or maybe it was the tiny prick of a needle at his arm that eased the tension stiffening his body.
Peace settled in him as images of life and joy filled his head and blackness took over.
Thump, thump.
The steady pulse under his palm was enough to keep Ben sane.
Barely.
Thump, thump.
He had occasionally nodded off during the last five days in the hospital, stealing a few minutes of sleep here and there. He was likely sleep deprived. That would explain his shaking hands and the skip of his own heartbeat.
The nursing team had even set up a chair for him. Then again, he hadn’t left them with much of a choice. Gabriel was right. The word no was powerful. After shaking his head and stomping his foot each and every time the nurses tried pulling him away, they had negotiated a truce. The nurses would stop arguing with him as long as he ate something. He could do that. He would do anything—except leave—as long as Gabriel came back to him.
Thump, thump.
He would stay awake however long was needed. Gabriel had to pull through. He had to. The doctors had said it was up to him now, and Aidan had insisted Gabriel was too stubborn to give in.
Natalie and their father visited often, but Natalie needed to stay busy to keep the worry at bay. Thankfully, she didn’t complain about manning the store on her own. Rachel refused to leave the hospital for lengthy stretches of time, but she couldn’t be in the room.
Ben understood. Seeing Gabriel this vulnerable was unbearable.
Most times, Ben refused to leave Gabriel’s side. He had to be near. He had to rest his palm against the side of Gabriel’s neck and feel his pulse. Each thump against his palm was the proof of life he needed to stay hopeful. Other times—like now—he squeezed into the small space next to Gabriel on the hospital bed.
He pushed his nose closer to Gabriel’s neck, seeking the warmth that always radiated from his body like a personal heater. It took every prayer and ounce of strength buried deep in his heart to remain steady…strong. The way he knew Gabriel wanted him to be.
Thump, thump, thump.
Ben gasped.
He jerked back. With his palm pressed against the side of Gabriel’s neck, he watched for a twitch or shift in his sleeping form. Ben slowly sat up on the bed, never breaking visual contact or moving his hand from the side of Gabriel’s neck, waiting for another skip in his pulse.
Thump, thump…thump.
Hope was a fickle thing. Maybe he was hallucinating. The doctors had weaned Gabriel off the meds and had said he would ease out of the coma when his body was ready. As if the bandages on his face and around his torso and wrists weren’t enough, Gabriel had required surgery to a broken knee and jaw. He was being held together with more metal, braces, stitches, and taped gauze than Ben thought he would ever see on a single person.
Keeping his hand firmly planted against the side of Gabriel’s neck, Ben carefully ran the fingers of his other hand through Gabriel’s hair,