Page 70 of Protective Love

"Fuck," I whisper-shout, banging my head against the locker behind me.

Chapter Thirty-Four

Jaylen

When Aurora doesn't come back to my room after her lunch break, I don't think much of it, just assuming she's been caught up with something or is giving me time with my family.

Once everyone left my room, and she still hadn't come back to see me, I started to get worried.

Now, as I watch the day turn into night from my hospital window, my stomach is in knots and I can't help but feel like something is terribly wrong.

I carefully get out of the hospital bed and search for my phone.

When I find it, I call Leo while I also search for my slippers, intent on putting them on so I can go and scour the hospital until I find my pretty little nurse.

"What do you want?" Leo asks, his gruff voice making me jump slightly as I hadn't realised he'd answered the call.

"Have you taken Rory home yet?"

"Nope."

"So she's still at the hospital then?"

"As far as I'm aware," he responds, sounding bored with the conversation.

"You haven't seen her leave?"

He laughs through the phone, and I roll my eyes as I finally find my slippers and slide my feet into them.

"I'm not her keeper, King. I have many other things to do with my time. I'm only ever at the hospital when I'm not needed elsewhere, and as of right now, I'm busy. Now, as I said, as far as I'm aware, she's still there."

He hangs up before I can reply and I scoff at his rudeness.

"Grumpy bastard," I mutter, bending down to push my left foot into my slipper properly.

As I walk over to the other side of my room to grab the crutches, needing the extra bit of support and reluctantly willing to use them after speaking to Aurora earlier, my door swings open, and the woman who's constantly occupying my mind walks in.

"Oh, thank God," I sigh, relieved that she's okay.

I move over to her, wrapping my arms around her small frame and pulling her tightly against my chest as I rest my head atop of hers, breathing her in.

"I was starting to get worried. Where have you been?"

She pulls away from me and walks towards the chair by my bed.

"I was just helping Lola with some stuff," she says.

My brows furrow, and I follow after her, lightly gripping on to her arm and turning her until she's facing me.

"Are you okay?"

She nods, her eyes glancing between my face and the door.

I cup her face in my hands and rub my thumbs against her cheeks as I step closer to her.

"I missed you," I tell her, and lightly press a kiss against the tip of her nose.

She looks up at me, her eyes filled with turmoil.