Chapter 23

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I help Dominic to clear up from our meal before we head down the elevator to the parking level. I checked my phone for the message that had come through just before we started eating. It's from Liam.

Hospital? Is everything ok?

I sigh and type back to him.

I'm fine, my it's my brother.

"Who's got you so invested in your phone?" Dominic asks as my phone goes off again.

Hope everything's ok. Here if you need anything.

I look up at Dominic as I slide my phone into the pocket of my jeans. "Just Liam, he wanted to grab lunch today but then I told him about Max so he was just checking in." I tell him.

Dominic looks confused for a second. "Liam?" I nod. "Is this the kid who has the crush on you that you're going to be going to school with?"

I laugh. "He doesn't have a crush on me. We're friends. And yes we'll be going to school together."

"Friends." Dominic laughs. "Sure." The elevator opens and Dominic steps out first.

"Don't you believe me?" I asked, offended at what he was insinuating.

Dominic turns back to me as we stand in the middle of the car lane. "Of course I believe you. I just don't believe that he wouldn't have a crush on you. You're quite the catch Ell, he'd either be stupid or gay to not have some level of a crush on you." He tells me in a serious voice. "So, is he stupid?"

"No." I say quickly, though I'd only known Liam for a few days he seemed to be quite smart.

"Gay?" Dominic raises and eyebrow.

I shake my head. "I... I don't know him well enough to answer that."

Dominic takes a step towards me, his hands grip my hips tightly. "Don't get offended, princess, you should be flattered that people like you." He tells me softly.

I sigh and shake my head. "Can we go see Max now?" I ask, desperate to get off this topic.

To be truthful I wasn't overly use to getting attention from males. Sure I've dated a couple times, but those never ended well. Most people tend to see me as some massive nerd which seems to be a turn off for a lot of people, or they don't notice me at all. I don't mind going by unnoticed, I actually tend to prefer it in most situations. I hate the spotlight being cast on me, I hate receiving too much attention.

The only attention I find myself liking is the attention of Max and Dominic, though each for their own reasons. Max's attention makes me feel like a kid again, his attention shows me his love for me and I adore it.

Dominic's attention though, it makes me feel alive. The way he looks at me with those compelling, burning, green eyes of his. The way his touch ignites me. The way he, now, calls me princess as a means of a term of endearment. The way he promises to keep me safe, as like the vow he'd made to my brother when Max didn't think he'd make it. The way he treats me as if I am something precious and incredible. Dominic's attention feeds my soul, makes me giddy and confident at the same time as shy.


It's now Sunday, the doctors are going to try to pull Max out of his sedation as they think he's made enough of an improvement that he'll be able to survive which came at a great relief to me. They'd taken him off his ventilator on Friday afternoon, it was frightening to watch as they waited for him to start breathing on his own but he did, I was so happy that I cried. 

Dominic and I haven't talked much since Thursday, we talk only when needed. He's been taking me to the hospital every day for the beginning of visiting hours, he heads off to work from there and then collects me at the end of visiting hours to take me home. I don't ask about his work, knowing I probably wouldn't get any answers at all or like the ones he'd give. I'd spend my days talking to Max, sometimes imagining what he'd say back to me. At night Dominic would sleep in my room with me, or we'd be up in his room, but there was nothing more than sleep between us since Thursday, it was comforting having him there with me through the nights. Oddly enough I haven't been having nightmares recently, I get the sense that it's because I feel safe when Dominic is around, as odd as that might be to feel safe in the arms of a Mafia boss.

When we arrived at the hospital today, Dominic stayed for the doctors debriefing on how things would go down today. He told me he had to go into work for a bit but would only be a few hours and should be back once Max has come out of his sedation.

I was now sitting at Max's side, holding his hand as the doctors began to wake him up from his sedation, they had told me it may take a few hours or so for him to wake-up and that he'd likely be confused and groggy when he came to.

My heart stopped when I felt his hand twitch for the first time. I held my breath as I waited. Every few minutes one of his hands would twitch, or his eyes would flutter behind his eyelids. By now my heart was pounding at almost a deafening level in my ears. 

It's a little after midday and I gasped when I found his eyes on me all of a sudden. "Max?" I whisper, not knowing if this was real or not.

"Ellie..." His voice is hoarse and dry.





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