by Cecilia Fyre
Nobody touched the food, but when Ricco woke up at last he had a second cup of coffee. He still looked pale, but his hands holding the mug were steady, and when Lea checked his forehead, his temperature seemed normal.
When he’d finished his coffee, he motioned Lea to sit with him and leaned against her with a sigh. Carla watched them curiously. Lea imagined that she probably would’ve loved to find out more about their relationship, but didn’t dare ask any questions. It was for the best. Ricco didn’t need an interrogation right now.
They’d been in the family room for over three hours before the surgeon joined them. He was smiling. “Everything went perfectly,” he announced. This time, Ricco's gaze found Carla's, and Carla squeezed his shoulder. Miles, who had come back an hour ago, put his arm around her. She hugged him and leaned her head against his shoulder for a moment.
“He’ll have a long recovery,” the doctor warned. “There is some sign of neurological impairment, but we won’t know how severe it is until he wakes up.”
Ricco tensed. Lea squeezed his hand.
Carla asked, “Can we see him?”
The doctor held the door open for her. “Of course.”
Lea helped Ricco to his feet. He was steady as they followed Carla and Miles, but it was clear that he was running on fumes.
Ciaran looked tiny in the big hospital bed. His skin seemed translucent, and he appeared very young. There was an angelic quality to the still body. Connected to a vent and an array of beeping machines the boy seemed strangely otherworldly.
As soon as they got through the door Ricco let go of Lea’s hand. He made for one of the chairs by the bed. Carla took the other.
Ricco reached for Ciaran’s hand hesitantly. “Oh, buddy.” His voice was a hoarse whisper, and there were tears in his eyes again. His and Carla’s gaze met. “I’m so sorry,” Ricco whispered. “I’m a terrible dad.”
Conflicting emotions warred on Carla’s face. But she shook her head and reached across her son’s prone body to put her hand over Ricco’s. “You’re not. He gets up to this nonsense just as much when he’s with me.” She studied Ricco’s face and her brow creased. “Ricco, you should get some proper rest. Go home with Lea and come back tonight. I’ll stay with him.”
Ricco glanced at Lea, clearly torn between exhaustion and the wish to stay with his son.
The doctor spoke up. “If anything at all changes we’ll call you. That’s a promise.”
Lea put a hand on Ricco’s shoulder. “Carla’s right. You’re ready to fall down. If you don’t rest up now you can’t be there for Ciaran when he wakes up.”
“All right,” he croaked, exhaustion coloring the short phrase.
Ricco stroked Ciaran’s face gently and Lea shook hands with Carla and Miles. Then she and Ricco walked through the quiet corridors toward the lift.
The hospital was in the middle of the change from night to day shift, and on the ground floor, the corridors were getting busy. Plenty of cabs waited just outside the main entrance. They climbed into the first one.
As the driver wended his way into the nascent rush hour traffic Ricco turned to Lea. They hadn’t spoken since leaving Ciaran’s side. “I don’t deserve you, y’know,” he said quietly. “But I’m so glad I got you back. You really have no idea.”
A million things went through Lea’s mind, yet none of them made it past her lips. They’d talk soon. But for now, all they really needed was to hold each other. She moved close and nestled into Ricco’s arms and he wrapped her into a tight embrace.
The city slowly woke up outside, getting ready for another busy day. Their day, their next few weeks would be busy, too. Helping Ciaran heal would be exhausting, frustrating, and difficult.
But Lea had made her choice. This was what she wanted, where she belonged.
To be continued in Book 4
Thank you!
I hope you enjoyed the story. If you want to know what happens next with Lea and Ricco, the next novella will be out soon!
Sign up to my newsletter for updates, giveaways and more:
I love hearing what my readers think, so you can leave a review here:
Amazon: getbook.at/beentherebefore
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/book/show/52290399-been-there-before
About the Author
Cecilia Fyre is the pen name of a romance author trying out something new.
She likes sunny, crisp autumn days. Cups of hot cocoa with little marshmallows floating on top. The roaring of the sea. Laughing until your face hurts. The silence when you curl up with a good book.
Her stories are about people. Some of them are strange, some think they're boring. They all have secrets, they're all scared sometimes. Cecilia writes about life, about love. About how hard it is to do it right. Usually, there's a happy ending, or at least there might be one, someday.
But life's not all sunshine and roses, and that's why Cecilia tells her stories.
In the real world, Cecilia lives in England.
You can find Cecilia on Twitter and Facebook.
Also by Cecilia Fyre
