Page 139 of Aching for His Discretion

The door opened slowly, and I looked to see Katie stepping in, holding a tray of food and a glass of water. As she watched me sit up, she quickly came over and placed the food on the bedside.

“Dr. Amante, you shouldn’t get up so quickly; you need your rest,” she said sadly, and I shook my head.

“I-it’s fine, Katie. I’m fine. Where’s Levi?” I asked, and she sat beside me on the bed.

“He’s been out all morning. He left a note to let you sleep in and to bring you something to eat. Dr. Woods filled in for you at the clinic today, and Silas is taking a nap,” she informed me gently. I nodded as I reached over and took a sip of water.

Memories of last night filled my mind, and I had to physically force myself to hold in the vomit that threatened to surface out of revulsion from witnessing the death of my father-in-law.

My mind recalled my older brother, who practically lay motionless in my arms, and a feeling of panic surged in my chest.

“Declan. Where’s Declan? Is he okay?” I asked in a panic, wanting to run out of the room to find him. However, Katie stopped me and placed her hand on my shoulder.

“Your brother is in the hospital. Dr. Lombardi and Dr. Wyatt worked to stabilize him, and they took him to the emergency room for intensive care for his internal bleeding and broken bones. He’s been out of surgery only for an hour or so, and they say he’ll be waking up soon if there are no more complications,” she explained, and I let out a sigh of absolute relief as I placed my hand on my forehead, tears threatening to spill from my eyes.

“Thank God he’s alive,” I whispered as she caressed my back softly.

By the way Katie was acting, I was sure she was unaware of the gruesome events of last night. Her eyes held many questions, but thankfully, she didn’t say anything.

After a moment or so, Silas whined on the baby monitor, and she left me to rest a bit more. Eating the breakfast she gave me, I glanced over to my phone, wondering whether or not I should give Levi a call. I had no idea what he was doing or where he was, and part of me… part of me didn’t want to know.

He saved my brother, our baby, me… and he absolutely terrified me last night. I knew he would never in a million years do anything to hurt us, but seeing him yesterdayin his element, at his peak, being el Diavolo,it sent shivers down my spine to think how powerful he was, how skilled, strong, murderous…

As much as I wanted him to change, as much as he did change, he could still tap into his inner self. The part of himself he wanted to hide away from me was what saved us… and regardless of it all, I was forever grateful to him.

Picking up the phone to give him a call, it went straight to voicemail. Deciding I would try him again in an hour or so, I took a quick shower and walked over to the nursery after I got dressed for the day.

Knocking on the door to the nursery softly, I watched as Katie fed Silas in the rocking chair while humming a small tune. In contrast to the murderous scene that took place last night with blood-covered blankets, diapers, and my father-in-law, who lay dead on the floor, the room was now spotless.

It smelled like baby powder and looked the same way we’d left it the night before. Even so, I still felt a bit wary in terms of whether or not I was comfortable still using the room after such terror took place inside it..

Katie looked over at me and smiled as I approached them.

“I’m going to be heading to the hospital soon. I was thinking of bringing Silas along with me,” I said softly, and Katie nodded. She slowly stood up and handed him to me.

“I’ll get his bag and stroller ready,” she responded, and I nodded as she walked over to the closet to grab some essentials.

Hearing the front door open and close downstairs, my heart raced as I listened to footsteps ascending the stairs slowly.

Eventually, Levi stood in the doorway, and I let out a deep sigh of relief as he seemed relatively okay, given our current circumstances. Slowly, I walked over to him, and tears came back to my eyes. Once I was arm’s length away, he pulled me into his embrace and placed a small kiss on my forehead and Silas’s forehead as well.

He gazed back into my eyes, almost regretful, and I quickly shook my head as I dismissed the fear and hesitation. “We’re okay,” I said softly, and he sighed, placing his head against my own.

“I could’ve lost control,” he said dejectedly, and I shook my head.

“But you didn’t.You wouldn’t.You protected us, Levi. Don’t apologize for that,” I assured him, and he placed a small kiss on my lips as Katie “awwed” softly. I giggled as I pulled away and looked over to see her finished with the packing.

Levi accompanied me to visit Declan, and I was nervous, to say the least. I was going to face my older brother—the older brother who tormented me throughout the years; the older brother who turned Dakota against me; the older brother who almost died trying to keep me safe from my psychopath of a father-in-law.

As I pushed the stroller with Levi by my side, we slowly approached his hospital room. My heart raced in anticipation as my hands slowly became more clammy, and I started feeling overwhelmed all of a sudden. Levi placed his hand on my shoulder comfortingly, and I took in a deep breath as I looked up at him.

“Can... can I talk to him alone for a minute?” I asked, and he nodded.

“Of course, Tesoro. Take all the time in the world that you need.”

I placed a small, thankful, kiss on his lips before turning and entering the room after knocking. As I entered, I was met with my older brother lying on the hospital bed, bruised, battered, and bandaged.

The TV was off as he mindlessly stared at the wall in front of him. His eyes drifted over to me for a moment, and I felt my heart break slightly as he turned his head to the other side of the room.

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