I forced my eyes open to the view of a middle aged woman looking down on me. It was doctor Marina, and she was sitting beside me on a bed.

“Mikail, I'm glad you're awake.” She said. “How are you feeling?”

Montse rushed to stand beside her, sighing in relief. I smiled weakly at her.

“Not much better than before I passed out.” I groaned, realizing how slurry my voice sounded. “What's happening to me, doctor?”

“The wound on your thigh; it's infected. What were you thinking swimming in a lake with a wound like that?”

Montse covered her mouth, eyes wide. “This is all my fault. I shouldn't have pulled you into the lake.”

“Well, I can't blame you, Montserrat. Your man here is very handsome and manly and you just relished it in the lake. You must've been a bit rough, I guess. Oh good old days.”

She sighed, a dreamy look settling on her face as she sighed. It took Montserrat some seconds to catch unto her meaning. Her cheeks turned red immediately.

“No, doctor. It's not what you think.”

“Oh, it's fine.” Doctor Marina said, wiggling her eyebrows.

Montse turned even more crimson. Damn she looked so beautiful and innocent like that. I tried to chuckle.

“That,” The doctor began, returning her attention to me. “and you're not a pundit at stitching yourself up. That's why the stitches ripped.”

“Touché.”

“Montserrat, now that he's awake, could you please go prepare something for him to eat? His body needs all nutrition to help fight the infection quicker.”

Montse scurried out of the room quicker than anybody could say 'Jack'. Doctor Marina looked at me.

“I wanted to ask why you didn't go to the hospital instead, then I realized such things could be hard to explain, even if you were the good guy.”

“Actually, that's not the reason I wanted to be treated at home.” I breathed. “I just hate hospitals.”

She chuckled. “Figured out as much.”

“Thank you for agreeing to take time off your schedule to come, doctor.”

“You know you don't have to thank me. A year ago, you saved my daughter's life from those kidnappers. I meant what I said when I told you I owed you my life. I've been waiting for your call since. I'm glad I finally have the opportunity to do something for you, as small as it is.”

She placed a small hand on my larger one. “No doubt Montse is in love with you. She told me you got shot while trying to rescue...”

I must've given her a funny look because she paused and stared at me funny. “She hasn't told you how she feels?”

The only thing Montse had said after she'd seen me with Helena was that she'd caught feelings for me. She'd said nothing about love. Had she confessed to doctor Marina?

“I mean she didn't tell me that exactly, but I know a woman in love when I see one, young man. The way she looks at you, worries about you. She's in love."

I wanted to tell her that Montse was worried because she had a kind heart and cared about me. Hell, she'd been worried when a little bird had been beaten by the rain.

But I didn't particularly feel like I had enough energy to expend on talking.

“Anyways, I need to get going. The hospital is going to wonder why I'm still not in.” She said, rising from the bed.

“Thank you doctor.” I managed.

She waved her hand dismissively. “I told you not to thank me. I've already given you an antibiotic injection but I'm going to leave behind some pills you need to take at specific times. I will share the details with Montserrat. Please follow every instruction she gives you. You look like you can be a pain in the tummy.”

She gathered her paraphernalia, gave me a last smile and slipped out of the room. I sighed, thinking about what she'd said about Montserrat's feelings for me.

Had her insight as an older person enabled her to sense how Montse was feeling or she was just making assumptions?

It probably took fifteen minutes as I laid there waiting for Montse to return. Just when I was about to get out of bed to check what was keeping her, the door opened.

Montse walked in with a table tray on top of which were placed a bowl and a glass of water. A pleasant smell filled the air.

“Decided to prepare soup because it's probably the only dish you can finish to the last spoon.” She announced with a wide smile which I returned. 

She set the tray on the floor and sat beside me on the bed. “Let me help you sit up.”

I probably could've sat up on my own, but I wasn't going to miss an opportunity to have her hands on me. After I was seated, she picked up the tray and placed it on my laps.

She'd prepared pastina chicken broth soup. It looked like I would've really relished it if I wasn't feeling so ill. Seeing it returned my appetite from zero to zilch.

I looked up to find her looking at me, amazed. I quirked a brow. “What?”

“I'm just surprised that you're sick. You know, you always look so strong.”

I snorted. “I'm human too.”

“I'm just realizing that.” She said with a chuckle.

I was just about to pick the spoon from the tray to force soup down my throat when she beat me to it.

She fed me. Spoonful by spoonful. I could only stare at her in awe because this moment felt so damn intimate.

“And done!” Montserrat suddenly announced, dropping the spoon into the bowl with a clink. “I'm surprised but glad that you took everything down without complaints.”

I looked at the bowl in surprise. I hadn't even realized that I'd consumed everything.

“Now it's time for your meds.”

I took the pills without hesitation. Montse smiled, looking pleased. She grabbed the tray to go dispose it in the kitchen.

I began to feel groggy almost immediately after she'd left. The last thing I saw was her smile before sleep pulled me into its kingdom.

********

When I finally woke up, I felt better if not okay. Propping myself up a little, I looked around the room until my eyes fell on Montse sitting on the couch by the window.

Had she even rested a wink since I fell asleep? How long had it been anyway? Observing the window view, I could guess from the lack of the Sun's intensity that it was close to twilight.

A smile fell on Montserrat's lips when she noticed me and she got up to come to my side. “Finally! I seriously thought you were going to he sleeping the whole day.”

“How long have I been out?” I asked.

“Seven." She answered, siting beside me on the bed. “Without having to be told, I know that's the longest you've ever slept.”

I couldn't argue with her on that. She reached towards the nightstand and picked up the bed tray. This time, the food on it was stored in an insulated bowl.

“Doctor Marina didn't tell me how long you would be out. I prepared this two hours ago and couldn't risk it getting cold.” She paused and studied my face. “How are you feeling?”

I propped my palms on the bed and sat up. “Fine."

“Good. That means I can force you to eat something other than soup.” She opened the lid of the bowl to reveal grilled chicken breasts with some olive oil.

“That looks delicious.” I said, meaning it. Hopefully, my tongue would allow me to really savour it.

She automatically began feeding me. It was as if this was something we always did instead of us having done it only once.

I realized she was staring at me with something of a reminiscent smile on her face and gave her a curious look.

Her smile broadened. “I was just thinking about St. Patricio. You know, when the two of us were in high school.”

“What about it?” I asked, taking another piece of chicken from her hand. It really was delicious.

“You were always this cold, always-brooding guy everyone was afraid of. For some reason, I never got that fear when I was around you. That was why I never gave up on trying to get to you.”

“Oh really?” I said, unable to resist a teasing smile. “Because as far as I remember, you got fed up with me one day and gave me a piece of your mind. You called me an arrogant jerk who loved pushing people away so much that I was going to end up all alone.”

Montse held up her hand in mock surrender. “Well in my defense, I'd just helped you to wriggle your way out of being falsely accused of sexual harrasment, and instead of thanking me, you continued to act like a douche.”

“Thank you.”

“Just look at him thanking me when it's already several years too late.” She said under her breath even as a grin broke through her facade. “It's nice to finally hear you say those words.”

“To be honest, you were the only one who got to me effortlessly. That is mostly because you are persistent than any person I've ever known. All the other girls scurried away as soon as I gave them one glare.”

She chuckled, the sound ringing so beautifully. “Yeah, you always made quite the effort to turn every one away.”

Her eyes were now riveted to the food she was feeding me, even when she was putting it in my mouth. She was always avoiding my eyes, and I knew she had a few unanswered questions.

“As everyone in the school obviously knew, my parents died when I was ten." I began. Montse met my eyes with surprise as if not expecting me to talk about it. “I was sent to an orphanage before I was picked by a sister of my mothers. She didn't treat me like I was her own, more like a liability.”

“Yes, most of us knew about how your parents died in an accident. I'm sorry.”

I smiled wryly. I didn't know how or why most people were made to believe my parents died in an accident but when ever someone brought it up, I never bothered to refute the claim.

I chose to bury my hate for the Godfather and the three men who killed my parents inside me. Silence reigned as she continued to feed me the rest of the food. It wasn't the pleasant kind of silence.

“Who would have thought that you had such a big stomach?” Montse said when I was done eating, obviously trying to restore the light atmosphere. “Back in school, you barely ate anything in the cafeteria.”

“Can't resist when the food is so delicious.”

“I'm glad you liked it.” She grabbed the tray and got to her feet. “I'll just go and wash this.”

After she'd left, I scooted out of bed, tired of feeling like a convalescent. That, and I had a nearly blasting bladder I had to empty.

Doctor Marina had had to cut my shorts up to the point where the stitched gunshot wound was, and the halves hanged around my leg as I walked into the bathroom.

Montse came back into the room just as I stepped out of the bathroom. She gave me a disapproving look.

“What are you doing up by yourself? You should've called me to help.” She glared at me.

“You're right. I should've called you.” I said sarcastically. “Would've been nice to have you hold my dick while I peed.”

“What? I...” Her mouth dropped open. “Of course not. You... You... Just go back to bed this instant!”

I laughed. She was looking like a beetroot and it made her so adorable.