His Redemption (MxM)

Chapter 70

Luke

I didn't know how to feel as I stood in the middle of the semi busy lobby, with nurses walking up and down, hanging telescopes around their necks, holding paper clipped files.
It was very quiet, save for the small whispers of the kids and the loud, yet soothing voice of the person that brought me here

He looked different than the man i kind of come to know in the past week, even though I haven't really spent much time with him, right now he looked calm, almost like a parent, the way he was talking to the kids, the tenderness and gentleness in his voice, his eyes, and everything about him.

When he told me he'd bring me on a date, get closer to me, I did not expect this, I was half expecting him to take me somewhere expensive, to try and win me with money, even though I have a lot of that lying around, but this.... This blew me right out of the fucking window.

The whole place smelt like bleach, and cleaning chemicals, typical hospital smell.
When I looked back at where Adriano was sitting cross legged in the middle of the kids surrounding him, he looked up at me, and our eyes met, he smiled and something inside me... I can't even explain what seeing him like this does to me.

I mean I already figured out that Adriano is nice, too nice, but I never imagined this, him reading to sick kids, laughing with them, playing with them.
He nudged his head at me, inviting me inside, I hadn't left the door way since we got here, I've just been standing here, watching him.
Mostly because I'm still shocked that there's this side of him.
"Come on" he mouthed to me, patting the empty space beside him, I discreetly shook my head, I didn't want to interrupt his time with them, they seem to know him very well, all the kids called him by his name, and so did the nurses, I felt out of place here.

Not in a bad way, just... I really wasn't expecting this from him.
I felt a tug at my pants and when I looked down, it was a small girl, probably 4-5 years old, she was smiling up at me, I pressed my lips together and bent down her level.
"Do you want to come join us"? She asked, her small voice, gentle and soft.

My eyes moved from her and landed on Adriano and he was watching us with a small smile in his face, I looked back at her, I don't think they would want me there, with how comfortable they were with Adriano, they don't even know me, but I didn't want to outrightly tell her no, I might be a bad person, but I'm not that evil.

"What's your name little one"? I asked instead, and she scrunched her little nose up at me, moving from one foot to the other, her curls moving with the rest of her body

"Zoey" she muttered out, I smiled at her and sighed out

"Zoey, that's a very beautiful name" I commented and she smiled, a blush coating her cheeks, her skin was pale, actually I noticed that most of the kids here had pale skin like hers, and some even worse beanies, and it's not that hot this time of year, the few that didn't have beanies on, either had a few of their hair fall off, or had gone completely bald, so it didn't take me that long to realize that these kids were all suffering from the same condition, and it kind of broke my heart.
"I would love to join you guys, but..." I paused and let my eyes move from each of the other kids, until they landed on Adriano, he seemed to have his focus on just us, I looked away from him and back at Zoey, she was looking at me expectantly, her doe eyes almost accusing me of rejecting her kind gesture.

"Please" she whispered, and I couldn't help but bit my lips, and sigh out, God, saying no to a kid, Is the hardest shit out there.
After a while of just kneeling there in front of her, I decided to just fuck it and join them, I mean it's not like I would be doing anything, I'll probably just sit there and listen to Adriano read to them.

"Okay" I said with a heavy sigh, and I watched her whole face lit up, as she smiled brightly, showing her tiny teeth, that had a few missing spots, she squealed, and before I could even realize it, she wrapped her tiny hand around my large ones and started pulling me towards where Adriano and the other kids were, I followed her blindly, letting her think she was the one pulling me.