Whisper✅

Chapter Seven

Four days, six hours, and twenty-three minutes...that's how long it's been since what went down with my brother, who was now behind bars with the rest of my family. It was all thanks to the conversation the 911 operator got when I called before confronting my brother. So now, here I was, staring at the cold marble stone slab before me. A cigarette dangled from my lips, a bad habit I had quit long ago but came back with a roaring vengeance at the sign of stress. I just stood there motionless staring blankly at the slab before me, how did I let it come to this?

"Leo?" A soft voice called out to me.

I looked over my shoulder to see a woman that broke me yet stood by my side within these last few days, Aley's mother.

"Hi," I breathed out a puff of smoke as I continued to glare down at the slab.

"You need to rest, honey." She scolded me as any mother would. "When was the last time you slept?"

"Five days ago," I answered softly.

She moved to sit down on the stone slab before me, the pathetic thing shouldn't pass for an outdoors hospital bench.

"He'll wake up." She promised me. "He just needs more time, my son's a strong man just like his soulmate." She was looking up at me as she spoke, her small frame wrapped in a light sweater to keep from the cold air inside the hospital. "But when he wakes up he shouldn't be waking to a soulmate who's like a walking zombie."

I gave an emotionless chuckle. "You're probably right but I can't bring myself to sleep knowing all of this could have been avoided."

She stood from the stone-slabbed bench to walk up to me and wrap her tiny arms around me as she spoke. "You need to stop beating yourself up for this. You did your best and none of us were expecting you brother to sneak in through the back of the coffee shop and threaten Aley away from everyone. This is not your fault."

I tossed away the finished cigarette with a nod before hugging the woman who held me. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." She told me. "Now get back in there."

I smiled weakly as I let her go, pushing myself back into the building that smelled of bleach and death. The elevator button was pressed in a swift moment as I shifted from one foot to another waiting for the doors to open and once they did it was all the way up to the third floor. Stepping out, I mindlessly walked to room 305 where I stopped short as I watched doctors run into the room in a panic. I froze for a moment before running after them but what made me freeze in the doorway wasn't a limp dead body like I was expecting, it was my soulmate sitting up in bed with a dazed look over his beautiful features as doctors surrounded him asking him hundreds of questions or checking his vitals.

Steel blue eyes met mine as they looked around the room in a frantic rush, only to relax when they landed on me. His mouth opened only to close shut and repeat the process before letting out a thick sob. His arms were outstretched, reaching for me and making little grabby hands like a toddler would do when wanting to be picked up. That's what snapped me out of my frozen state, I moved like lightning rushing to my boyfriend. I grabbed his face in between my hands as his arms went around me before I slammed my lips against his own.

"Dammit, I thought you were dead." I breathed out, smothering him in kisses, both of us crying our hearts out. "Never scare me like that again but thank god you're alive."

He dug his fisted hands into my back pulling me closer, I found myself sitting on the edge of the hospital bed, the upper half of my body hovering over him as we vigorously kissed one another.

"We'll come back in a few minutes to continue the checkup." One of the doctors said before turning to one of the nurses. "Go tell the rest of the family that he's awake."

I was in a daze, staring down at the only thing my mind could focus on.

"Leo." Aley's voice cracked.

"Shh, baby we did it," I told him. "We don't have to worry about my family ever again. You're safe now, we're safe now."

His sobs got louder as he buried his face in my chest, repeating the same phrase. "I love you."

"I love you, too, baby." I smiled down at him,moving away slightly to take a small object from my pocket. "So, I promised myself that the moment you woke I would give this to you." He was still buried in my chest. "Baby, look at me."

Aley's bloodshot eyes looked up at me, ignoring what I held out to him. I just smiled at him before looking back down at my outstretched hand, making him finally look down at what I was wanting to show him.

"Oh," He hiccupped.

"A good 'oh' I'm hoping." I grinned at him.

He nodded swiftly.

"Good." My grin widened as I moved off the bed to kneel beside the bed. "Aley Abernathy, would you do me the honors of marrying me and becoming Mr. Aley Scotts?"

A squeal left my lover's lips as he nearly screamed out. "Yes!"

I chuckled softly, sliding the thick silver band around his ring finger, a diamond embedded into the top of the thick band showing our engagement. A moment of silence passed as he pulled me to my feet to kiss him full on the lips before he pulled back to admire the band.

"It's beautiful." His eyes were shining as he looked up at me, tears still evident in his eyes as I reached up to wipe them away. "I love you."

"I love you, too." I was barely able to finish the sentence before the clapping and cheering of family ensued. How long were they standing there?

I spun on them with a grin. "You guys saw all that?"

Aley's father started me down with his own grin. "Got it all on tape, too." His wife hit him in the process as he waved his phone around to show off the evidence.