Do I Have the Right to Be Loved?

Chapter 24: Laughter Under Tension

The drive to the hospital was a strange mix of tension and lightness. Mickaël, as usual, tried to lighten the mood, throwing jokes around while keeping a protective eye on the two boys sitting in the back.

"Hey, if you keep fighting like that, I'll have to install cameras yo sell it as MMA sport!" he joked with a smile at the corner of his lips.

Despite his painful nose, Daniel let out a small laugh, while Thomas managed a faint smile, his cheek still tender. Jeanne couldn't help but glance worriedly at the boys, but she smiled at her father's attempts to ease the tension.

“Dad, you'd better focus on the road before you end up in the hospital too,” she said, rolling her eyes.

Mickaël burst out laughing, tapping the steering wheel lightly. “Yes, boss! But seriously, it's not every day you end up in the ER after a simple outing. You know, at your age, we just played ball without breaking anything…”

“Yeah, but we’re boxers, not soccer players!” Daniel retorted, rubbing his nose and grimacing slightly.

They finally arrived at the hospital, and the atmosphere became more serious. Daniel was quickly taken care of, while Thomas had his cheek examined. Fortunately, it was just a bruise. He was prescribed a cream and rejoined Mickaël and Jeanne in the waiting room, where they were waiting for Daniel to finish with the doctor.

Thomas sat next to Jeanne, who was nervously bouncing her leg. Feeling his presence close to her, she rested her head on his shoulder and gently took his hand in hers. Thomas wrapped an arm protectively around her shoulders and kissed her forehead.

"I'm really sorry, Jeanne," he whispered. "I didn’t mean to put you through all this..."

But before he could continue, Jeanne lifted her head, placing her hand on his chest. "Stop. It’s not so bad after all... Now, things are clear, and I have nothing left to hide from you. In fact, I should be the one apologizing. This is all my fault. I should have told you what was going on from the start. I love you."

Thomas smiled tenderly. "I love you too."

Mickaël, watching the scene, burst out laughing. “It’s crazy how many times you two say 'I love you.' Back in our day, we didn’t say it that much, and certainly not to everyone.”

Jeanne squinted her eyes in laughter. “We don’t say it to everyone, just to the ones we truly love!”

Finally, Daniel came out of the consultation room, a bandage on his nose. Thomas couldn’t help but stifle a laugh at the sight of him. Jeanne immediately stood up to check on him.

“Well, it’s broken,” Daniel said with a shrug.

Thomas smiled even more and laughed. “Sorry.”

Mickaël, ever the same, insisted that both boys stay over at Jeanne’s for the night. After some thought, they agreed, mostly to reassure Jeanne. They quickly texted their parents to let them know before heading back to her place.

Back at the house, Mickaël headed into the kitchen while the kids got ready to wash up. Thomas was the first to shower, while Jeanne rummaged through her brothers' closet for clothes for Daniel and Thomas. She prepared two old uniforms for the next day, along with underwear, sweatshirts, and joggers. Then, she joined Daniel, who was spinning absentmindedly on her desk chair.

She burst out laughing when she saw him. "This is the second time I’ve found you on this chair. Should I reserve it for you?"

He smiled and patted his thigh. "Come here!" She sat on his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck, then teased him, “Well, when I think about it, I’m going to have two boys in my room tonight!”