Look After You

The Servant

     There was a knock at the door that stopped him from dwelling on that thought for too long. Three of them, if he was being exact. God, he hoped that wasn't the doctor outside. He wasn't sure how he'd act around him with barely any nicotine in his blood, but he'd hate to find out the hard way. Either way, he couldn't just tell him to come back later. Not after everything he did for him these past few days. All he could do was lean back in his bed and tell him to come in. Those painkillers that he was very lucky to be on didn't feel like they were working anymore because Ryan had an awful migraine

     The door clicked open. Creaking followed by footsteps, light clacks against plain tile that stopped once they were right in front of Ryan's bed. A suit that hugged a tiny body, unkempt and scruffy from the disheveled tie down to the one untied leather shoe. Blonde hair that hadn't seemed to have been brushed in days, wild tufts all over a small head. Grey eyes, stained cheeks, tiny frown.

     Ryan thought he'd never see Kyle again.

     After sticking his child in the ICU, he was positive that his strained relationship with the servant would sever completely. All of those missed calls on Bo's phone came back to him with just one look at his face, just one look in eyes that were staring straight through him. He must've been so worried. He could see him now, dialing the same number 15 times, unaware of the true danger that Bo was in but knowing in his heart that something was wrong with his king. For so long, all Ryan wanted to be was face to face with Kyle. Now that his wish had been granted, the only thing that he wanted was for him to look away.

     "What are you doing here?" Ryan asked.

     Kyle's mouth quivered. Ryan felt his headache getting worse.

     "Actually, no, don't tell me. You don't have to. I know what you're here to say, so let me just save you the trouble, alright?" He huffed. "You were right about me. There. Happy now? You were right about me being dangerous. Yeah, he told me what you said about me. He told me all about that argument, but I know that you were just waiting to say that one in person. You were counting down the days until you could pull me aside and tell me that I'm a threat to your king. Well, here it is, Kyle. The day has arrived! Was this talk everything you thought it would be and more?"

     Ryan didn't give him a chance to respond. His face felt too hot and too full to stop now.

     "I know that I'm a magnet for trouble, I've known it since day one. I've known it since I was born! I don't need you to tell me that. I don't need you to tell me that he could've died or that this is all my fault. I know all of that already! Do you think I don't know that none of this would've happened if it weren't for me? You think I don't already hate myself for this?"

     Ryan sucked in a breath. He could hear the birds outside the window fly away.

     "Do you want me to say sorry or something? Fine. I'm sorry that I stayed in his life. I'm sorry that I didn't put up more of a fight before Bo got brought into this whole thing. I didn't know that things would play out like this. I didn't even know that I was going to be held for ransom. The guards, the police, you. You all just think that you know everything about what happened! You all think that I wanted Bo to get hurt, that I'm some supervillain that doesn't deserve to see him. If you knew what I went through in that cabin, you'd feel like a jackass and take everything back!"

     It was getting hard to breathe again. He couldn't understand why until he felt a dry sob unclog itself from his airway.

     "B-But you don't, so you won't. That's fine, I don't give a shit how you feel about me. I just... I just don't want to hear you brag about how right you were. Not now, not after everything I've been through." He brought fingers to his temple in an attempt to push his migraine away. "I-If that's all you came here for, then get the hell out of my room. Now."

     Ryan waited for Kyle to leave.

     With shaky breaths and trembling shoulders, he waited for him to budge from his spot. One second, two seconds, ten. It was almost like he hadn't heard his demand at all. He was ready to repeat it, louder and angrier so that everyone in the hospital could hear his words, but he stopped when he noticed the servant's face twitch.

     "Bo's out of the ICU."