Chapter 51 Alexander's pov

Chapter 51 Alexander's pov

I woke up to the sound of plastic crinkling. Christ , everything hurts.
At first, I thought I was still dreaming. The last the I remembered was driving home and a car hitting mine. Everything felt wrong,like my body was sinking. My eyelids fluttered, stubborn and uncooperative, refusing to open properly. My head aching in a not so usual way.at first everything was blurred, I could only see a shape moved beside me and sound of Soft footsteps.
A woman’s voice hummed under her breath.
I forced my eyes to open completely.
The sound of the steady beeping and the ceiling above me was obviously that of a hospital. I hate hospitals but it looks like I visited the hospital more often lately.My gaze drifted down slowly, my vision clear but still a little blurring before it sharpened enough to register a nurse standing by my bedside, adjusting something connected to my arm.
A drip.

“oh,” the nurse breathed when she noticed my eyes open. “Good morning.”
My throat felt dry. Scratchy. Like I’d swallowed sand.
“Morning,” I croaked, my voice barely cooperating.
She smiled gently “Welcome back sir. Try not to move too much, okay? I’m just checking your IV.”
I stared at the clear line running into my arm, watched the fluid drip steadily into me like it was the only thing keeping me tethered to consciousness.
“What… happened?” I asked.
“You were in an accident,” she said softly. “You’ve been unconscious for a while, but you’re stable now.”
A while.
“How long?” I asked. My throat felt sour.
She hesitated, then answered, “Three days.”
Three days.
Three days is a long time to be not awake. It's crazy waking up and realizing time had moved without me.
My head throbbed harder.
“I feel…” I searched for the word. “Heavy.”
“That’s normal,” she said. “Any pain?”
“Everywhere,” I admitted. “But mostly my head. And I feel weak.”
She nodded. “I’ll get the doctor.”
Before I could respond, she stepped out, curtain rustling softly behind her. I swallowed, licking my lips. My mouth tasted metallic. My body felt foreign, sluggish, like it didn’t fully belong to me yet.
The door opened again. A pretty woman stepped in,tall, dark hair pulled back neatly, a tablet tucked under her arm. 
“Mr. Blackwood,” she greeted. “I’m Dr. Reyes. How are you feeling?”
I let out a weak breath that almost passed for a laugh. “Like shit.”
Her lips curved faintly. “Thays normal, considering the kind of crash you survived.”
She stepped closer, checking the monitors, shining a small light into my eyes.
“Any dizziness? Nausea? Blurred vision?”
“My head hurts,” I said again. “And I feel… drained.”
“That’s expected,” she replied. “You had a concussion and significant trauma. No internal bleeding, thankfully. How you survived that crash with less injury is kind of a miracle.”
I closed my eyes briefly. “Lucky me.”
She made a note on her tablet. “We’ll give you painkillers and keep monitoring you. I’ll check back later.”
She nodded to the nurse, who adjusted the drip slightly.
“Rest,” the doctor added. “And try not to stress yourself.”
I almost laughed at that. Rest has never been a word in my dictionary, I hope I could but I don't think I can. Rest wasn't an option for people like me. Everywhere felt quiet.
And then...
“Oh my god, Alex?” The voice cracked a bit.
I turned my head slowly toward the door.
Aiden.
He looked… wrecked.
His usually perfect hair was disheveled, eyes red and swollen, cheeks streaked with tears he clearly hadn’t bothered wiping away. The moment our eyes met, his face crumpled completely.
“Oh my God,” he whispered, rushing forward. “Oh my God, you’re awake.”
Before I could say anything, he grabbed my hand, the one without the IV,clutching it like he was afraid I’d disappear again. Poor Aiden, I can't imagine how he must have felt.
“Hey,” I said softly. “Easy.”
That only made him cry harder.
“I hate you,” he sobbed, squeezing my fingers. “Do you have any idea what you put us through?”
I blinked at him, overwhelmed. “I...”
“You don’t get to sleep for three days like it's normal” he continued, voice shaking. “Do you know how exhausting it was worrking without you ?”
Despite everything, a weak smile tugged at my lips. “You're such a drama queen.”
He let out a broken laugh through his tears. “Shut up.”
He wiped his face angrily with his sleeve, then immediately grabbed my hand again like he couldn’t help himself.
“I thought…” His voice dropped. “I thought I lost you.”
It pained my heart t see him like this.
“I’m here,” I said quietly. “I’m okay.”
“Don’t ever do that again,” he said. “Ever.”
“I’ll put it on my to-do list.”
He huffed, shaking his head. “Typical Alex.”
Footsteps sounded behind him.Aiden stiffened slightly. Another presence entered the room. I could swear i felt him before I saw him. I turned my head slowly.
He was standing just inside the doorway. Ethan. My soldier.
He looked exhausted. Dark shadows sat under his eyes, jaw unshaven, shoulders tense like he’d been holding himself together by sheer willpower alone. Fuck! this is all my fault. His gaze locked onto me instantly, like nothing else existed.
He walked straight to my bed side his hand lifted a little hesitant, before gently reaching for my. Hand.
The contact sent a strange ripple through me. I've missed him. It felt like I was asleep for a few hours but seeing him like this, made my heart ache.
I stared at him.

“Hey,” he said quietly, voice rough. “You’re awake.”
I frowned slightly. I tilted my head, studying Ethan’s face.

“Who are you?”
The room went dead silent.
Ethan froze.
His face drained of color so fast it was almost frightening.

“What?” he breathed.

Aiden sucked in a sharp breath. “Alex?”

I blinked again, the confusion deepening. “I...sorry. You look like you know me, but I don’t…”
Ethan’s chest rose sharply. His eyes flicked to Aiden, then toward the door.
“Noah,” he barked suddenly. “Go get a fucking doctor. Now.”
Aiden scrambled back, panicked. “I’ll...I’ll get someone.”
Before he could reach the door, I laughed.
It came out weak, raspy—but unmistakably amused.

“Relax,” I said. “I’m kidding.”
Ethan stopped cold.

Aiden spun around. “What?”

I smiled faintly, my head throbbing. “You should’ve seen your face.”

Ethan stared at me like he was deciding what to do with me, whether to laugh or strangle me. Aiden stared for half a second.
Then burst into hysterical laughter, tears streaming again. “You asshole,” he cried. “You absolute asshole.”
“Worth it,” I murmured.
Ethan exhaled shakily, dragging a hand down his face. “Jesus Christ.”
He stepped closer, resting his hand on the edge of the bed, head bowed for a moment like he was grounding himself.
Aiden leaned over me, still half-crying, half-laughing. “You nearly killed him, you know that?”
I glanced at Ethan. “Sorry.”
“You’re not,” Ethan muttered.
“Not even a little.”
Aiden sniffed, wiping his face again. “You’ve missed so much. Work’s a mess. Your father showed up to a shareholders meeting Joe organized,can you imagine? The audacity.”
Ethan stayed quiet. Still holding my hands but not saying a word, which made me because I noticed it immediately.
When Aiden finally stepped out with Nosh to give us space, the room felt… smaller.
Just me and Ethan.
“Why are you so quiet?” I asked.
He inhaled slowly. “Because I was close to losing my mind for three days. I actually thought I was going to go crazy.”
That wiped the smile off my face.
“And then,” he continued,his voice was low, “you wake up and think it’s funny to prank me.”
“I didn’t mean...”
“I know,” he cut in gently. “I know you didn’t.”
He finally looked at me then, and the hurt in his eyes hit hard
“It still hurt,” he said.
My throat felt restricted from breathing for a second.“I’m sorry.”
He nodded once. “I know.”
Silence settled between us. I didn't like it.
“There’s still a lot we need to talk about,” I said quietly.
Ethan didn’t deny it.
“No,” he agreed. “There is. And just so you know your suspended from driving until further notice.”
"Yes Sir." I didn't have the strength to argue.
"I'm thirsty." I told him my throat ached a little. 

He poured water into a cup and took it straight to my mouth.
"Open up" and I did.
I am still supposed to be mad at him. I don't know why i trusted him with my life even when I knew he could destroy me without much effort.