Defiant Heir (The Heirs 3)

“You should stay in bed,” Hana mutters, not happy that I’m moving. “You have a concussion.”

“I know,” I mumble. Yes, I’m dizzy and nauseous, but I won’t let anyone keep me from Kao a moment longer. “I just want to see him, then I’ll come back.”

Dad carefully lifts me from the bed and sets me down in the wheelchair.

“We can take her,” Jase offers. “Then you and Aunt Layla can get something to eat.”

“Thanks,” Dad replies. “We won’t be long.”

Mom presses a kiss to the top of my head. “Don’t stay out of bed for too long. Ten minutes then you’re back. Okay?”

“I’ll be fine,” I mumble, tired of all the attention. I love my family and friends, but right now, all I can think of is Kao. I won’t be able to rest until I’ve seen he’s okay.

Jase pushes me out of the room and down the hallway. Luckily, due to our families’ VIP status, we’re both in private rooms, so we don’t have to go far.

Hunter opens the door, and the moment Jase pushes me into the room, my eyes lock on the bed. “Stop.”

Mr. Reed gets up from where he’s sitting next to Kao, and the deep lines of worry etched on his face has my heart cracking.

I climb out of the wheelchair and slowly inch closer to the bed. There are machines hooked up to Kao, and the constant beeping doesn’t offer me any comfort. There are red patches under his eyes and over his nose, and the left side of his face is black and blue, which makes the bandage around his head look stark white.

Reaching Kao, I swallow hard on the lump of emotion in my throat. I slowly inch forward until I’m able to wrap my fingers around his hand. Feeling the warmth from his skin, my eyes drift shut for a moment.

He’s alive.

Gingerly, I lean over him, and I press my mouth to his cheek. Dark scruff has formed on his jawline from not shaving, and I feel the bristles against my lips.

“Sit, Fallon,” Mr. Reed says. He takes hold of my arm and helps me into a chair he must’ve pulled closer.

My gaze darts up to Kao’s father. “Is he okay? I heard he woke up?”

Kao got his blue eyes from his father, and looking into them, I feel the first semblance of comfort.

“Leigh says he’ll be fine.”

Leigh… Dr. West is a genius in her field. If she thinks Kao will be okay, then I’m hopeful he’ll recover fully.

Noah comes into the room, and my gaze darts to him. “Is your mom sure he’ll be fine?” I ask, needing to hear it from him.

Noah nods as he stops at the foot of the bed. His eyes drift over his best friend. “My mom assisted during the surgery. She said they repaired all the internal injuries. He has a hairline skull fracture, but the CT scan showed no damage to his brain. He’s just out of it because his body needs to heal.”

My gaze returns to Kao, and I take in every inch of his face. Seeing him so still is scary as hell, but I feel better after what Noah just said.

“Kao,” I murmur, hoping he’ll hear me. “It’s Fallon. You need to wake up soon so I can see your eyes again.”

I use the bed to pull myself back up, and leaning over Kao, I press a kiss to the corner of his mouth, then whisper, “Get better. Please.”

I feel a hand on my back. “You need to get back to bed,” Hana says.

I stare at Kao for a moment longer, wishing I didn’t have to leave at all. “Please let me know if there’s any change,” I say as I straighten up. I glance from Mr. Reed to Noah. “Please.”

“I will,” Noah answers.

Jase helps me back into the wheelchair, and as he pushes me out of the room, it feels like a shadow falls around my shoulders. It’s heavy and gloomy.

Kao’s silent strength has always been there to keep me standing during hard times. Seeing him in such a fragile state… kills me.KAOComing to, a pounding headache greets me. It’s sharp, then dull, then intense again, like a heartbeat.

I’m nauseous, and there’s a concentrated smell of sanitizer hanging around me like a thick cloud.

My body feels like it’s been shredded to pieces, but through all the pain, one thought screams for attention. For some unknown reason, I need to make sure Fallon’s okay.

I pry my eyes open, but I can’t see anything.

My lips part and I suck in an agonizing breath before I’m able to murmur, “Fallon.”

Is it night? What happened? I can’t remember shit.

I move my right arm, trying to feel where I am, but I only find empty air and then a bed. Beeping from a machine close to me grabs my attention.