-UndoubtedlyYours-

-Chapter♛♚OneHundredTwentyNine-

✧A SUCCESSFUL SURGERY✧

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***

"Alfie...?"
"Y-yeah?...Rhea?" A smile formed instantly as she decided to take the time to allow him a few moments with just her before getting a Healer involved.

"It's me. Just me...How are you feeling?"
"Like I've been cut open." He teased, and she sighed down to sit beside him, which caused him to loll his head to the side to face her, a loopy smile placating over his face.

"How did it go?" He asked, and Rhea's smile hadn't diminished as she had gotten the flyaways from his hair. She'd offered to brush it before night fell, hopefully, she would remember.
"It went better than expected. No complications...Healers said they never had it any easier."
"They're jesting, or being overly kind to my wife." He drawled onward, but Rhea knew that he was not the jealous type in this matter. Instead, she simply leaned forward to tip her forehead to his. "Your heart rate was perfect the entire time, and we didn't have to administer any more tonics...You were the perfect patient."
"Did they find some...Er—What were they called again?"
"Clusters. And yes, six were removed. They're testing now to see which were harmful, if any." Six.
Six foreign clusters were in his body, it enacted a shiver that he couldn't from coming.

Of course, Rhea had caught that.

"You did wonderfully."
"I shouldn't be the one getting praise, love. Weren't you there in the operating room?"
"I was, and I did get my own praise. I even removed one...But besides that, I brought dinner—Whenever your appetite returns, we'll eat." He frowned, looking over to the bag before taking a glance at the clock.

"It's seven?"
"Just about."
"But my—I slept the whole day?"
"That is the point, your pain tolerance will be more equipped now...I should get the Healer." She had claimed, but he had latched to her wrist with such speed, she jumped.

"S-sorry...No, stay. Just for a bit longer." He didn't want the results yet, that much was clear. Even this early into stage two, removing the clusters wouldn't guarantee that the entire disease would be vacant.

It was simply avoiding the unavoidable, given how his body had responded. This was a positive set point, one that Rhea knew that Healer would speak of.

"You have my undivided attention, Alphard...What is it?"
"I'm not sure. I feel like I've missed you these past few days with how much I've been sleeping. We've missed a whole day."
"It's alright, I promise I haven't been sitting here. I don't think I could stomach just twirling my hair and watching your chest fall. I might drive myself into a panic." His eyes flared as he instantly disagreed, but her smile had already suggested that she had a full day's work.

Given that she was heavily exhausted.

"You need to rest, Rhea."
"I know. But it's like you said, we haven't spoken in a bit...But tomorrow I'll come in for my break and—"
"No, I want you to take tomorrow off." It was then that Rhea's back straightened at the mere thought. "Alfie—"
"Love, you're running yourself into the ground. My surgery was this morning, then you followed it with another shift? The hospital cannot be cruel to understand that you need it." It was true, she could feel herself wanting to skip dinner just to get into bed faster.

"I can't take off anymore at the moment, but I get the weekend and Friday off. That's three whole days to recharge!"
"Yes, but we'll be speaking to lawyers and Orion about business-related bullshit. You won't have time to rest...When was the last time you painted or read for enjoyment?" After a moment of thought, she shrugged. Rhea couldn't pinpoint the last time she relaxed, not when she was still recovering, at the very least.