Page 88 of London Inked Boys: The Complete Trilogy
“She’ll be waking up in the next hour. I’m sure she’d appreciate seeing some friendly faces when she does.”
“Thanks so much, Doctor,” she says.
“My pleasure.”
I make my way to Sophia’s room, sick to my stomach. All the feelings of that day when she’d collapsed and been brought to the hospital hit me afresh. I’d been so scared then, certain she was going to die. I know this isn’t the same situation, and that things should be better now, but as I push open the hospital room door and see her lying there, I can’t stop the tears filling my eyes. I drag a seat next to her bed and take hold of her hand, noting how cold her fingers are, and just wait for her to wake up.
It feels as though every minute is an hour, but finally her eyelids flutter. “Rocco?”
I pull the chair closer, squeezing her fingers. “I’m here, baby. You’re okay.”
“The surgery…” she croaks.
“It went well. The doctors say you’re going to be fine.”
Her eyes meet mine, and I see understanding there. “I’m going to be okay?”
“Yes. As long as the kidney doesn’t reject, you’re going to go on to live a normal life.”
A small smile touches her lips. “As your wife.”
I think my heart might burst. “That’s right, baby. As my wife.”
19
SOPHIA
Iswing open the door of our new flat to reveal four people standing in the communal hallway.
“Congratulations!” Tess chirps, pushing a bunch of flowers and a bottle of champagne into my arms. “How does it feel to be homeowners?”
I step back to allow the small group of people into our new flat. Tess and Art, and Kane and Holly, have come for a house warming party. Rocco and I exchanged contracts and moved in the previous week, so we figured we should celebrate. Besides, there’s something else that needs doing that we hadn’t quite got around to after the wedding.
My health is great, and I’ve never felt better. The kidney has taken well, and I’d been allowed to write to the family of the donor—a young man who’d been killed suddenly in a car accident. It’s all done anonymously through the Specialist Nurse in Organ Donation, but I hope the bereaved family has taken comfort in knowing his organs have gone on to help me live. I’d shed many tears while writing the letter, but I sent it feeling as though a door on my old life has been shut and I’m ready to start my new one. I still have to attend regular appointments atthe hospital, but now I’ve hit the three-month mark and all’s still looking good, they’re going to get farther and farther apart.
“What can I get everyone to drink?” Rocco asks, and I smile over at my handsome husband.
Husband.
I didn’t think I’ll ever get tired of thinking of him as my husband.
“Ooh, open the champagne,” Holly says with a squeal. “I can’t remember the last time I had real champagne.”
Her boyfriend, Kane, jabs her in the ribs. “I hope you’re not trying to say I don’t treat you well enough.”
She slips her arm around Kane’s waist and pulls him in for a squeeze. “You treat me just fine.”
I smile as the two of them share a kiss, and then carry the champagne out to the kitchen to open the bottle. It’s good to see everyone so happy together.
“You know I don’t normally do home visits,” Art says, opening his bag to reveal his tattoo gun and inks. “But in your case, I’ll make an exception.”
I’m allowed to wear rings now the kidney has taken, but that doesn’t matter. We’ve already decided to have the rings tattooed on, and that’s what feels right. Art offered to do the matching tattoos as a wedding present, and we’re taking him up on that offer.
I grin at Rocco. “Rocco said you wouldn’t mind, as long as we threw a few beers in.”
The big, tattooed man with the spiky dark hair and the silver hole through his ear grins back. “Perhaps I’ll do the tattoos before I have the beers, though.”
I laugh. “Yes, that sounds like a good plan.”
