Page 153 of Begin Again, Part 2

"Lois, you can let go of him now. He's clearly in pain." Clarke came to his rescue and hugged him as well, with a little more restraint, though.

"You gave us a hell of a fright, son," he choked back a sob as he sat down again while Lois poured Liam a glass of water even though he hadn't asked for one.

She fussed over him and made him drink the water slowly. Before he'd even taken his third sip, she was already unpacking her colourful Tupperware containers, ready to fatten him up.

"I'm not hungry," he pushed the bowl away and asked his father to help him sit up.

Clarke pressed a button on the remote control panel to tilt the bed slightly. "Better?"

"Yep, thanks," Liam replied as he picked up one of the numerous get well cards on his nightstand, a cute little thing with an illustration of a fire-breathing dragon on the front, and he smiled as he read Clara's heartfelt message.

Setting the card back on the end table, he asked. "Where's Eden?"

"She's on her way," Clarke replied.

Liam smiled, checked his breath, and sniffed himself. "I need to freshen up. She'll be here soon."

"The nurses gave you a bath earlier," Lois protested.

"Okay, can I at least shave and brush my teeth?"

She shook her head and pursed her lips. "Yes to brushing your teeth, and no to shaving. Eden's been here for five days, Liam. She's seen you at your absolute worst."

"There goes my fuckability factor!" he groaned and fell back on the pillows. "Why would you guys let her see me this way?"

"Liam!" Lois snapped. "Watch the language, dear."

But Clarke laughed good-naturedly as he handed him his toothbrush and an empty cup to squirt out the foam. "Good to see you haven't lost your sense of humour."

"Where's my phone and laptop?" Liam asked after brushing his teeth and returning the items to his father.

"You need to rest," Lois said. "In any case, your phone and laptop were taken into evidence. Eden will bring you a new phone when she stops by later."

"I've rested enough, Mom. I have work to do. Get Clara to bring me a new laptop tonight." Even as he grunted his terse instructions, Liam's speech was already slurred, and his eyes droopy. He tried to keep them open and focus on his parents, but soon, his parents' voices turned into a cacophony of drug-induced sounds, and their faces melted into each other, forming a giant blob of nothingness as darkness washed over him again.

Chapter

Forty-Six

IT WILL ALWAYS BE A YES

Eden didn't waste another second after Liam's parents called and informed her he was awake. She saw her friends off and locked up her house. A collective sigh of relief swept through the living room at the penthouse when she updated Brenda, Dave, and the housekeeping staff on Liam's progress almost an hour later. She could swear someone had lifted the eighteen-wheeler they'd all been carrying over the past several days.

"I have to run," Eden said as she gave Aiden a quick peck, before setting off to see Liam.

"You're not taking the little one?" Dave asked.

"I'll take him this evening when I drop off Liam's clothes and other stuff he'll need," she explained.

Dave nodded and saw her out, locking the door behind him.

Half an hour later, she was at the hospital, and Jace insisted on escorting her to Liam's ward, but she declined. She'd been there so many times now, she could easily find her way around.

"We'll be waiting for you," her handler said, still looking unsure about letting her wander off on her own.

"See you in a bit." Eden waved at him and turned to the entrance, where she came face to face with her worst nightmare.

"No, it can't be," she whispered as she gawked at Aleksei Ivanov, terror, and dread settling in the pit of her stomach. He should still be in prison. She'd watched his arrest on several news channels, so it made no sense that he was here. But as quickly as Eden's fear had sparked to life, it was gone, replaced by white-hot rage flowing through her veins. Before she even knew what she'd done, she'd already retracted her hand, and her palm stung like a bitch.

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