The Bonds We Keep

A Breath of Fresh Air

Estella's POV

The soft hum of voices trickled down the hall, and I recognized them easily—Jasper's warm, hushed tone and Beckett's more serious, practical one. Ace was probably there too, chiming in with his usual jokes and observations. They were most likely talking about me, which had basically become their favorite activity. I swear, even though it was meant to make me feel "supported," the hovering could be a bit much sometimes.

After a quick glance at the clock on my nightstand, I decided it was as good a time as any to get up. But the tangle of IV lines and the nasal tube tethered me, making everything a little more awkward. I took a deep breath and gingerly peeled myself from the blankets, adjusting the pillow behind me.

"Morning, El," Beckett said, his voice soft but encouraging as he peeked into my room.I raised an eyebrow. "Stalking me already? How very unlike you."He smiled, rolling his eyes. "Yeah, just can't stay away. But don't flatter yourself too much; I'm just here to check your vitals."

"Fun." I made an exaggerated face but let him come over to where I was sitting. I was about 75 percent sure I'd had enough of being poked and prodded to last a lifetime, but then again, that's what family's for, right?

Jasper strolled in next, carrying a breakfast tray with a modest bowl of oatmeal, some fruit, and, of course, tea. The fact that Jasper cooked everything was a total blessing. Even if I couldn't eat much right now, it was the thought that counted."Oatmeal," I said dryly. "Thrilling."

Jasper chuckled, setting the tray on my nightstand. "Well, oatmeal's about as thrilling as it gets in the 'recovery' department. But I made sure to add just the right amount of honey and cinnamon. Doctor-approved." He shot Beckett a teasing look, who just rolled his eyes again."I am surrounded by chefs, yet somehow I get oatmeal," I muttered, though I couldn't help the small grin slipping onto my face.

Ace slid in, leaning casually against the doorway. "Oatmeal's good for you, Ella. Builds character.""Oh, right," I said, crossing my arms with a smirk. "And since when are you an expert on 'character building'?"Ace laughed. "Touché."

Beckett leaned over, glancing at my vitals, his gaze trained on the monitor with that familiar look of concentration. It was a little like having a hawk watch over you—not necessarily comforting, but at least I knew he was taking all of this seriously."So..." he started, looking up at me, "I have a bit of news."

I raised an eyebrow. "Let me guess—someone has invented an even more uncomfortable way of doing my feeding? Or we've upgraded to double IVs?"He laughed. "Not quite. Actually, you're doing pretty well on all your counts. If we can try out some solid food and you keep it down, I might actually be able to remove the NG tube."The look of surprise—and a little excitement—must've been obvious, because Beckett grinned as if he'd finally managed to crack my sarcasm shell.

"Seriously?" I asked, trying to hide the smile creeping onto my face. "No strings attached?""Well, I wouldn't say no strings, but I'd say pretty close," he replied. "Of course, this is all dependent on you actually eating something that doesn't go through a tube, which is why..." he paused and nodded toward Jasper, who had a slightly mischievous look in his eyes."...we thought we'd do something fun," Jasper finished for him. "Something we haven't done in a while. Beck's cleared you for an outing."