Page 139 of Beni

Literally.

“Scared the hell out of us, Beni.”

“Look at you, awake.”

“How’s he doing, doc?”

More questions.

More statements to him.

Beni just kept looking at August, though. She hung back near the far wall with his uncle and aunt, and Tommaso and Camilla. She let his family approach him first, and have their time, which he appreciated. He was sure the rest of them were grateful, too.

He still wanted her closer.

“Hey,” he mouthed.

She nibbled on her bottom lip before mouthing back, “Hey, you.”

“Love you.”

“Love you, too.”

“Okay, two or three at a time,” the doctor grumbled, waving his arms at the now very large crowd gathered in his room. “Everybody out—choose who is staying for a quick visit, and the rest have to leave.”

Corrado gave Beni a look, and pointed his finger at him as he turned to leave, “Ma, Dad, and Bene can go first—but if you ever pull shit like that again, I will put you underground myself.”

“Corrado,” Alessio—his brother’s lover—muttered, “be easy on him, now.”

“I said what I said.”

“Corrado!”

Their mother, that time.

Beni nodded at his brother. “I hear you.”

“Good.”

Marcus came just close enough to the bed to clasp a hand down to Beni’s ankle under the sheets, so he could squeeze gently. “Glad to see you awake, yeah?”

“Yeah, Marcus.”

They filtered out of the room one by one. Including August, but not before he gave her a wink. Not that he had the energy to entertain, or chat, but when the door closed and he was left with just his parents, and brother … they didn’t ask for much.

Cara approached first, bending down to clasp his face, so she could press a kiss to his forehead. “Look at you, my boy.”

“I’m okay, Ma.”

“Barely.”

Well, he didn’t argue that.

“Scared the hell out of me,” his father added, finding the spot on the other side of his bed. His mother moved just long enough for Gian to run his fingers through the hair at the crown of Beni’s head. “I’m going to need you to not do that again, son.”

“That’s fair.”

At the foot of the bed, Bene rubbed his chest.