Chapter ninety-seven

Chapter ninety-seven
It had been three full weeks since Hunter regained consciousness. Three weeks since Mirabella felt her heart settle back into her chest. Three weeks of doctors coming in and out, checking him and making sure his wounds do not get infected.

He was finally strong and healing very well. He can now smile without looking like he was fighting pain. They had only a few more days left in the hospital before they would be discharged.

Mirabella couldn’t be any happier.

Now the room was peaceful and quiet. Hunter sat on the hospital bed, his back resting comfortably against the raised head of the bed supported with pillows. Rena was sitting beside her father on the bed, her legs crossed, a drawing book open in front of her as she scraped her pencil against the paper.

Mirabella sat on the chair beside the bed, leaning forward with her head resting gently on Hunter’s left thigh while she scrolled slowly through her phone.

Hunter’s hand was tangled deeply in her dark hair, his fingers brushing softly through it, moving slowly and lazily against her scalp. Every few seconds, he would stroke her hair in a small, comforting motion. She loved it. It relaxed her.

The air in the room was calm. Only the sounds of Rena’s occasional giggles filled the room.

“Dada, see what I dew!” Rena squealed suddenly, her tiny voice full of excitement.

Hunter turned his head slowly toward her drawing book. He squinted playfully, pretending to examine it like a serious art critic.

“Oh… it’s a lizard?” he asked in a teasing tone, trying to guess what the strange round-shaped drawing looked like.

Rena gasped loudly. “No! It’s a dinasure!” she said, pronouncing it exactly the way a three-year-old would.

Mirabella snorted quietly from the side of the bed, amused.

“Oh my princess” Hunter said dramatically. “Yes, yes, now I can see it clearly. It is definitely a dinasure”

Rena grinned proudly, her whole face stretching with happiness. “It’s beautiful,” Hunter added, patting her hair gently.

“Yes! Ben can draw a dinasure too. And a lizard. And a lion. Ben can draw everything!” she announced, her voice filled with admiration.

Hunter raised a brow. “Oh? Did he teach you how to draw too?” he asked, smiling at how excited she was.

“Uhm” she said, nodding seriously. “He tot me how to draw a chicken. Dada, I will draw a chicken for you”

Hunter’s eyes softened. “Hmm, and will you teach me how to draw too?”

“Yes,” she replied in her tiny voice without looking up.

She went right back to her drawing, her eyebrows pulling together as she focused. Her pencil scratched the paper again as she started to draw some funny lines in her book.

Hunter stared at her lovingly. He loved her serious face even as she drew what he couldn't even explain… lips pouting slightly, one eyebrow lower than the other, her little fingers gripping the pencil tightly.

Then he looked at Mirabella.

Her head was still on his leg, but she was no longer looking at her phone. Her phone had slipped slightly in her hand. Her lashes were low, fluttering softly. She looked like she was dozing off.

Hunter tugged gently on her hair. “Babe, get on the bed” he said quietly.

“Mmm?” she hummed sleepily, shaking her head. “If I do, I might fall asleep”

“The more reason you should get up here” he said firmly. “You haven’t napped today. No harm in doing it now. Get on”

Mirabella sighed softly, dropped her phone on the table beside the bed, and slowly climbed onto the hospital bed. She moved carefully so she wouldn’t disturb Rena’s drawings. She settled beside Hunter, her head resting comfortably on his chest, her hand coming to rest on his stomach.

His warm hand moved from her hair to her back, rubbing slowly. She let out a tiny exhale as her eyes fluttered shut again.

Hunter smiled.

Rena didn’t even look up. She was too busy drawing more "chicken legs.”

A few minutes passed in a welcomed silence.

Then Mirabella spoke quietly, “After all this… can we visit somewhere?”

Hunter looked down at her. A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. He loved when she asked him for things. He loved when she wanted to do things with him.

“Where do you want to go, hun?” he asked, kissing the side of her forehead.

Mirabella hesitated. “To see your father…?”

Her words trailed off slowly.

There was a brief silence.

Mirabella lifted her head from his chest slightly and looked up at his face. His expression was blank and unreadable. His jaw was set. His eyes were calm.

“Babe…?” she whispered.

Hunter blinked once, then finally spoke.

“But he has been here several times to see me” he said quietly. “Do you still want to go over to the house?”

Mirabella nodded softly. “Yes, please…”

Hunter stared into her eyes for a few seconds. Then he let out a slow breath.

“Then we will go” he said gently. “Anything you want.”

Mirabella leaned up slowly and kissed the side of his mouth. “Thank you”

Hunter smiled and held the back of her head. “Do it again” he whispered into her ear so that Rena's attention would not be drawn to them.

Mirabella smiled and hit his chest. “Stop it"

“Common babe. Do it slowly and quietly" he teased

"No” she turned her head or tried to

The hand on her head held her in place.

He leaned in and kissed her lips for a few seconds before he pulled back.

Her face became flushed.

He smiled “you should sleep now"

"What if I say I don't feel like sleeping anymore?” She asked with a little challenge in her voice.

"Oh. I know exactly what you want. But it would have to wait" he said smiling as she stared at him with side eyes.

“It's what you want, not what I want" she said, adjusting her head on his chest.

He laughed, “We will see about that later baby. Common sleep now”