Leon tried to open his eyes, but it was nearly impossible due to metaphorical sandbags on them.
But once he was able to fully open them, everything was definitely wrong.
His vision was horrifically blurry, the walls and furniture bled into each other like wet paint. Even the figure seated beside his bed was nothing more than a vague silhouette.
His face scrunched when a persistent, rhythmic beeping cut through the haze, sharp and annoyingly consistent somewhere to his right.
At least that meant his hearing wasnât gone.
The blur slowly began to settle. The shapes in the room sharpened, the colors separated into their proper objects. The room comes into focus piece by piece.
Leon is in a hospital room.
That explained the beeping. It was a heart monitor.
And thenâŚthere was You.
Each blink brought you into clearer view, until Leon could finally make out your face.
And yepâŚhe didnât need perfect vision to know one thing.
You were ridiculously good-looking.
You were holding his hand, your expression laced with worry.
Leon furrowed his brows. Who were you?
Why are you holding his hand?
Matter of fact, why is he here?
He tried to push himself upâa mistake.
A sharp, searing pain shot through his side, forcing a strained groan out of him as he dropped back against the bed.
âDonât move, idiot.â
Leon turned his head toward you, blinking slowly, choosing to ignore the little jab.
âWhoâŚare you?â His voice came out rough, dry, and groggyâlike he hadnât used it in a while.
Your eyebrow arched.
âOhâŚright.âYou muttered, more to yourself than to him. âThey said you might wake up disoriented.â
Leon swallowed, wincing faintly when he felt how rough his throat was. âWhat happened to me?â
You hesitated for a second before answering, shifting slightly in your seat, your hand still holding his.
âYou got shot,â You said, matter-of-factly. âThey said your mission went awry. Bullet lodged near your ribsâtoo close to anything important to leave in, so they had to operate.â
âThey put you under.â You gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. âYouâve been out for a bit and a half.â
Leon processed that slowlyâŚShot. Surgery. Anesthesia.
Great.
âFirst of all,â you continued, lifting your left hand into his line of sight, âIâm your spouse. Congratulations, by the way. Best decision youâve ever made.â
Leon justâŚstared at you.
âIâŚâ His mouth fell open slightly, his eyes widened a fraction. âMarried you?â
The heart monitor to his right immediately picked up pace, beeping faster for a few moments.
You snorted softly, clearly amused by the situation at hand.
âYep,âYou said, popping the p. âYou managed to bag a ten.â
Leon looked at youâreally looked this timeâand a slow, crooked smile spread across his face.
âDamn, â he murmured. âI did.â
Your thumb brushed over his knuckles, and the monitor sped up again in response. You glanced at it, then back at him, a teasing grin smeared on your face.
âWell, thatâs one way to measure my effect on you.â
Leon grimaced, eyes flicking toward the machine. âCan that thing shut up?â
You let out a quiet laugh, shaking your head.
âAfraid not. Youâre being monitored for a reason, pretty boy.â
âShit.â
You tried, reallyâreallyâtried, to hold it in, but a small snicker slipped out anyway. Leon narrowed his eyes at you, still half-lidded and unfocused.
âGlad my near-death experience is entertaining.â He rasped out.
That did itâthe dam broke. You broke into laughter, spilling out before you quickly scrambled to rein it back in.
âSorry, sorry,â You said, exhaling. âIâve just been worried sick. Thatââ you gestured vaguely at him, ââthat helped. A little.â
You took a moment, shaking off the lingering want to laugh, before your expression softened again, concern settling right back in.
âHow are you feeling?â You asked gently. âWhat do you remember?â
Leon went quiet. Searching through his man for anything, but everything feltâŚfoggyâŚslippery even. Like everything was just out of his reach.
He shook his headâanother mistake.
The room tilted violently, he hissed under his breath.
âHey, heyâeasy.âYou tightened your hold on his hand. âDoc said recovery might be a little rough. Memory gapsâŚdizziness, all that fun stuff.â
He exhaled slowly, forcing himself to stay still in hopes that everything stopped moving for once.
âRelax, we'll be right here.â
âThanks.â
There was a pregnant pause.
What do you mean, we?
âWe?â
Your eyebrows shot up for half a second before realization dawned on your face.
AhâŚright, he really didnât remember a lot.
âOh, LeonâŚâ You murmured. âI donât know how to say this, but.â
You shifted to the side to reveal the couch behind you.
Whatâs more important than the couch was the little girl currently occupying it. The little bundle was snoozing away, all wrapped in her fluffy blanket.
âIâm pretty sure sheâs not actually allowed in here,â You admitted quietly, âbut she refused to leave. Said she wanted to be here when her daddy woke up, soâŚI snuck her in.â
Leon stared, completely, utterly stunned by what was in front of him.
First, a drop-dead gorgeous spouse.
Second, a cute daughter?
What had he done in his past and present life to merit such a combo?
âIâŚhave a daughter?â He asked, voice barely above a whisper, like speaking too loudly might make her disappear.
You smiled, warmth bleeding into every inch of your expression as you watched your husband process the information.
âOur daughter, âYou corrected softly.
His eyes widened, flicking between you and the sleeping little princess.
âWe have a daughter, â He repeated, as if testing the words.
The monitor sped up again, betraying the surge of emotion hitting him all at once.
âWe do.â You smiled, amused by what was unfolding in front of you.
A slow, almost disbelieving grin tugged at his lips.
âThat means Iâm a father.â
âI meanâŚyeah,â You shrugged. âThatâs usually how that works.â
He tried to roll his eyes, but his body was still confused; it didnât pan out the way he had intended.
âThat was⌠unbelievably sad.â
âGo away,â he grumbled.
âI would,â You said sweetly, raising your free hand and wiggling your fingers so the ring caught the hospital light, âbutâŚno. Married, remember?â
Leon huffed, squinting at you.
âIâm starting to regret it.â
You gasped in mock offense, placing your hand over your chest for added flair.
âWow. I leave you alone for one near-death experience, and this is the thanks I get?â
He lightly shook his head at the display.
You leaned closer, voice dropping into a playful sing-song.
âToo late, darling~. Papers signed, sealed, and filed years ago~."
