VegasPete : Trading Faces

12. Healing

Vegas refused to leave Pete's side the entire time he was in the hospital. By some miracle, the four gunshot wounds hadn't killed him, but the doctors had to put him in a coma so he could heal properly.

Vegas stayed with him everyday and Macau had made himself at home in the hospital room as well. Since their father died, the main family was looking after Macau. Kinn made sure that Macau could stay with Vegas while he came to terms with their father's passing. He had told everyone that for the time being, Pete was being assigned as Macau's bodyguard.

Khun threw a fit about it, but Vegas appreciated Kinn's gesture. It meant he got to stay with Pete and his brother in the comfort of the hospital room, without the questions about loyalty that would arise if Pete was suddenly seen loitering around Vegas all the time.

When Pete left the ICU and was moved to his private hospital room, Vegas had been a bit overwhelmed. Once Porsche had managed to calm him down and Vegas had been able to speak to the doctor, he was a little more relaxed. Especially once he knew it was likely that Pete would make a full recovery. It wouldn't be a speedy recovery, but eventually he would be fine and Vegas could at least breathe knowing that.

Every day Vegas would sit and read to Pete, not knowing if he could hear him, but he couldn't stand the possibility of Pete being trapped in his own head and bored out of his mind.

Macau said he was crazy for chatting to him constantly, but Vegas usually just gave him a warning scowl and Macau would go back to playing a game on his phone in the corner of the room.

He knew Macau was worried about Pete as well, he just didn't show it in the same obvious way Vegas did.

On the rare occasions when Vegas would leave to go to the toilet or shower, sometimes he would come back to see Macau sat at his bedside talking to Pete. He would also make sure the curtains were always strategically arranged so that the sunlight was never directly on Pete's face, just in case he woke up.

It warmed his heart seeing Macau take care of him like this. He hoped that once Pete woke up, they would get to spend more time together, just the three of them, his two favourite people.

Vegas had decided that once Pete woke up, he was going to tell him how he felt. Watching Pete almost die was a reminder of how fleeting life could be, and how a single moment was enough to rip it all away. Vegas couldn't bear the thought of never getting the chance to tell Pete how he felt. So even though they were still switched, he decided that once Pete woke up, he would confess his feelings and hope for the best.

-

It had been around three weeks, things were settling down in the family now, but Pete was still asleep. Porsche had taken over the minor family, which Vegas hadn't completely processed yet.

He felt a bit like he'd been robbed, he'd been the heir for years after all. However when he saw how busy Porsche was, Vegas was glad he didn't have to worry about any of it and could stay with Pete instead.

Porsche was inexperienced, but Kinn was helping him. He said that once things have settled with Pete and Vegas was ready to have an in depth discussion, then they would talk about Vegas' role in the minor family going forward. But Porsche had made it clear that despite his new title, Vegas and Macau were still welcome in the minor family home.

Vegas appreciated the sentiment, but he had no idea what he wanted at the moment. All he wanted was for Pete to wake up. He would think about everything else later.

-

Vegas was sat alone with Pete one day when he heard a commotion outside the door.

Eventually, in bursts Tankhun. Vegas didn't have the mental strength to deal with his cousin right now. He wanted to shoo him away, but he thought that maybe Pete would like to hear from his friend, so he put on the happiest face he could manage and turned to face his cousin.