Let Me In Your Heart Again | Hardzello♡

Chapter 48

And so 6 days flew by.
Just one more day, and then the doctors will wake Ben from his artificial sleep.
It's only seven in the morning, but Joe is wide awake already. Today Ben's father is coming to visit him. The ginger quickly takes a shower, preparing to leave. Once he's done with his shower, he walks over to Ben. 'I'm going to the hotel real quick, babe. Then I'll get some clean clothes and some other stuff for when you wake up tomorrow. But don't worry, you won't be alone for long. The nurse will be right here to feed and wash you.' He says before giving Ben a kiss on the head. He looks around and giggles softly. 'Apparently I'm not very good at flower maintenance Benny. They are all withered, except for that one rose. But yeah, I really have to go now. I want to be back in time before your father arrives. Just a little longer, sweetheart, then I can stare into your green eyes again.' He runs his hand through Ben's hair, giving him one last kiss before leaving the room.

*****

When he returns from the hotel, Joe sees the delivery guy from before sitting in the waiting room.
As soon as the man sees Joe, he gets up.
The ginger walks over to him and holds out his hand to the man. 'Hi, Mr Jones.' He says politely. Somehow he's nervous. This is practically his father-in-law standing in front of him. What if he blames Joe for what happened to Ben?
Mr Jones smiles and shakes Joe's hand. 'Hi Joe, good to see you again. You know, Ben told me a lot about you during our conversation.' He says.
Joe scratches the back of his head. 'Uhm yes about that conversation. I've heard kind of everything. Ben talked about the past, and I was quite concerned. I actually wanted to come along, but he convinced me he could do it on his own. So we called each other so I could hear if everything was going well. I- I'm sorry.' He stammers, looking at the ground.
'Oh I don't blame you. I used to screw up many times before, so there was a reason to be concerned. I'm glad you care so much about Ben. And that you called me. I am very grateful to you for that.' Mr. Jones says.
Joe looks at him slightly surprised, and smiles a little.
'Can we go to him already?' Mr. Jones asks impatiently.
Joe checks his watch. 'I think the nurse is almost done feeding and washing. We will have to wait a little longer.'

About five minutes later, the nurse comes out of the room.
Joe gets up. 'We can go in.' He says.
Mr. Jones nods and gets up. He's about to open the door to the room when Joe stops him.
'Before we go in, I - I want to say I'm sorry sir.' The boy says softly.
Mr. Jones turns around and sees how much Joe is doing his best to blink away the tears in his eyes. 'Hey, for starters, call me Peter. I'm done with all that formal stuff. And second, this is not your fault. Not at all. In fact, I've never seen Ben so happy in a relationship. He should be glad you're here and take such good care of him.' Peter says with a reassuring smile.
'Thank you.' Joe says softly.
Peter smiles at him before he opens the door to Ben's room. He freezes in the doorway when he sees Ben. 'Oh my lord.' He slowly walks towards Ben.
Joe closes the door and sits in a chair. With pain in his heart, he watches Mr. Jones whisper things to his son. Joe sees a tear run down his cheek.
'How did this happen? Tell me everything. Please?' Peter says to Joe after a while.
The ginger nods and sits on the other side of Ben's bed in a chair. He takes Ben's hand, and intertwines their fingers. He takes a deep breath, and starts the story from the beginning.
Sometimes he pauses, because of all the memories that come back. 'W-when we got to the hospital the doctor told us that Ben...- That Ben almost didn't make it. We were just in time.' Joe only now notices that tears are running down his cheeks.

The room remains quiet for a while.
'H-How much damage did he take from the cell collapse? And the abuse?' Peter asks carefully.
Joe quickly wipes away his tears and tries to think clearly. 'He uhm- He's got a broken ankle, a broken arm, three bruised ribs, lots of bruises, and some other little wounds from broken glass.' He tries to say it as quickly as possible, so he won't starts crying again.
Without saying anything, Peter gets up and sits down next to Joe. He puts his arm around the boy. 'Thank you Joe. For everything. For keeping my son company for 6 days. For calling me, despite all the stories you've heard about me. And for making Ben happy.' He says softly.
Joe smiles through his tears. 'Of course.' He whispers, looking at Ben with a smile. 'You know, Ben is lucky with a dad like you.' He says.
Their moment is disrupted by the nurse entering the room. 'Joe? Visiting time is over. Your guest will have to come back another day.' She says kindly.
Mr. Jones nods and gets up. 'Thanks again Joe. I cannot say it often enough.'
Joe also gets up and gives him a hug. When they let go of each other Joe asks: 'Will I see you again tomorrow? The doctors are going to wake Ben from his coma tomorrow.'
Peter shakes his head. 'I think it's better to give Ben some time. He needs to decide for himself whether he wants to see me or not. I don't want to rush things.' He says softly.
Joe nods. 'I get that. Like I said, you are a great dad.' He says with a smile.
'It was a pleasure to meet again Joe. Please let me know how he is doing when he is awake?' Peter says, walking towards the door.
Joe nods. 'I will do that. I'll see you soon.'
Peter quickly says goodbye to Ben before leaving.

'I really like your dad sweetie.' Joe says as he sits down on the edge of Ben's bed. 'I miss your beautiful smile.' He sighs. He leans down, gently pressing his lips against Ben's. 'One more day. Just one more day and then I can hear your lovely voice again.' The ginger whispers with a big smile.
The boy gets up, and walks over to his own bed. He checks his watch. And although it is only twelve o'clock, he feels exhausted. He sets an alarm so he'll be awake in time for when the next visitor hour starts.
Not long after, he falls asleep.

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Whoop whoop, Ben is almost awake guys! Just a little while longer. Hope you still like it?

Don't hesitate to leave comments, they really fasten the time here in hospital :)

Stay happy, stay safe♡ Xxx from me❤