Bond

Brendan POV

"One more, one more, please, Dr. Dan, just one more!"

His small eyes look at me expectantly as he holds the storybook in his little hands, which are stretched out toward me.

I looked around, and all the children in the recovery room hugged their stuffed toys silently, silently supporting Cho's request.

"Okay, okay, just one more, but after this, you have to go to sleep. Promised?"

"Yeeeeeees"

The chorus of voices was loud enough to wake up the entire hospital. I took the book from Cho's hands and randomly began to read one of the stories while watching their reaction. Over time, their glances full of emotion gave way to a dreamy look, and one by one, they were plunged into a quiet and cozy sleep.

Will they dream of being the protagonists of the stories I just read? Will my voice continue to sound in their heads during the night?

With these thoughts, I close the book and slowly walk towards the room's door. The hospital's pediatric wing is relatively calm (at least as quiet as a hospital can be). I watch the children once more in their beds before closing the door slowly and heading to the nurse's station on the night shift.

"Please, watch every two hours to keep everything quiet and watch the observation monitors."

"Of course, Dr. Dan," one of them tells me.

"You don't have to worry, you can go. When was the last time you went home?"

I try to think about it, but I can't remember either. Two days? Three? One week? I remember that there was a complex case at the beginning of this week, so I decided to spend the nights in the hospital and sleep here. I really need this free weekend to recover.

"Remember to call me if anything happens."

"Yes, Dr., don't worry, go home."

I understand the meaning behind those words. Unless the world is falling apart, they will not call me; they will try to solve the problem by consulting with other doctors first. I really appreciate it. It's been quite difficult days, in and out of work.

When I leave the hospital, the night breeze hits my face. I close my eyes and tip my head back, enjoying the sensation. Little by little, I begin to relax my body, leaving all the tensions of the hospital behind. Inevitably, I feel pain at the base of my neck. All the stress accumulated over the past few days created a contraction in my back, so I feel like I'm carrying twenty pounds of extra weight.

I press my hand to the back of my neck and slowly move to try to ease the sensation as I slowly walk towards my car. In the past few days, I asked one of the hospital nurses to take the car to the car wash when his shift ended, so the car is better than ever, definitely in better condition than me.

While driving through the almost empty streets at this time of the night, my mind wanders and, as always, returns to that night more than six years ago. That one night stand that I have not been able to forget in all these years.

I remember his scent, gestures, and enticing look full of charm and seduction.

I also remember my words ...

"Let's just forget about what happened."

After that, we both acted as if nothing had happened. We returned to being drinking buddies, but even those meetings were more and more sporadic. After graduating, I never saw him again.

During these years, I have had some romances with both men and women, but nothing could ever compare to that night with Rick.

Lost in my thoughts, I was not paying too much attention to the road when, suddenly, thanks to my reflexes, I stepped on the brakes to the point of feeling a sharp pain in my foot.

A man stood in front of the car.

I watched as blood ran down his right arm, staining his white shirt. Cold, deep, intelligent eyes looked at me for a while before approaching the passenger side, opening the door, and sitting next to me.

For a few seconds, I could not look away from those eyes, the same eyes that captivated me six years ago.

A voice confident, authoritative, and deeply sexy but with an urgency that didn't allow the right to reply said a single word that was enough to wake me up from my reverie.

"Drive!"