The day was going on fairly smoothly, just like that perfect day before the storm was about to hit. It had been a very busy morning for Aurora, she had to take care of her usual share of stubborn patients and frantic relatives, but she was able to deal with everything professionally, and by the time it was time to pick up Enzo, her mood had picked up. Seeing her son always gave her the extra step she needed to be able to go through the day, no matter how busy.
Enzo was eagerly waiting for her at the gate, bouncing on his feet like something crawled up his legs. He was excited to see Uncle Gabe.
As soon as they got to the hospital he wanted to run to Gabriel's ward, but Aurora told him that if he did not eat his snacks, then he would not be allowed to play.
He was excited to see Uncle Gabe because he brought him some coloring books, and miniature building materials they could play with to build mini structures.
Gabriel was surely surprised when Enzo arrived, he handed him some building blocks he did not know what to do with, so Enzo told him to just stick to coloring. And like an inspector, Enzo looked at his work.
"Uncle Gabe, you don't know how to color. You're not supposed to color outside the lines," said the little smart-mouthed gremlin. Gabriel let out a cough to cover his embarrassment, and the subordinate pretended not to hear anything.
Gabriel would just smile whenever Enzo rattled on endlessly, asking him questions here and there to show that he was paying attention.
This routine went on for several days until Gabriel knew how to color within the lines and learned how to build mini structures using the materials he had.
Gabriel always thought he was a very well-behaved kid, so he never told him to leave or go out even when he was tired, and in return, Enzo made it a point never to disturb him. He would sit quietly on the sofa, coloring his books, while waiting for Gabe to wake up on the days he would be asleep by the time Enzo came for his visit.
It has been a week since Gabriel got shot, and as Dimitri wrapped up his work in the city and the other areas surrounding it, he thought he would come to the hospital and check whether Gabriel could be discharged, so he could bring him home.
With the help of Gabriel's subordinate, they made a beeline for the doctor's office to get the results, but the nurse said that the doctor was still making her rounds so they could wait in her office if they really wanted to talk to her.
And he did not have to wait long because a few minutes later, Dimitri heard the sound of footsteps behind him.
Aurora smiled at the man waiting in her office, she hoped that he was not here to complain or sue her, noticing the very nice tailored suit he was wearing.
As Dimitri turned around, it was like everything was happening in slow motion. There she was, the woman of his dreams, walking towards him with a smile.
"I must be dreaming," he thought, "I'm probably in an accident right now and I'm hallucinating," because who would have imagined that of all the places he would find her, the most beautiful woman he had ever met, will be at the hospital, as his brother's doctor.
Her smile took his breath away, and for a second there, he forgot how to breathe.
"Hi! I'm Dr. Aurora, I heard you were waiting to talk to me?" she said as she sat in her chair.
Dimitri was still stunned, and he just kept staring at her, memorizing every part of her lovely face.
Aurora felt a little uncomfortable from his gaze, making her shift in her seat. She looked at him briefly, not being able to return his stare. He was by far the most handsome man she had ever seen in her entire life.
His huge build and sculpted features made him pass for one of those models on a magazine cover. They were always well manicured and wore nicely tailored suits. But he had a very cold aura coming from him. He was probably somebody she should avoid upsetting.
"Is there something you need from me? Something you wanted to talk about?" she tried to ask again.
"I'm Dimitri Santoris, Gabriel's brother," he said, introducing himself.
Aurora was wondering why he was watching her like a hawk. But then it made sense, no wonder he looked a little familiar. He could see some of Gabriel in his brother, but this one looked like he did not have the patience to sit down and talk to her.
"Oh Gabriel, he's been recovering very well. His shoulder is healing very nicely, it'll take time for him to go without the pain but it won't leave that big of a scar. You can take him home any time. There are just a few things that need to be done when he gets home, but I'll make the list before he leaves," Aurora said in a professional tone.
"Hmm…," Dimitri nodded, pretending to take interest in his brother's health, but in reality, his mind was running. He had a lot of questions for her, but none of them involved his brother, so he did not know where to start. It seemed to him that she did not remember who he was. He had the best night of his life, and she did not even remember him.
But he was, after all, Dimitri Santoris, and he had the patience of a saint when it came to taking things slowly. His patience was the reason he won all his legal and illegal business all the time. He had waited 5 years for this moment, and he will wait some more if that's what's needed to be done.
She looked more mature and more alluring than he remembered, she was calm while talking about her patient and while dealing with him, when all he did was stare at her the whole time.
"So, when do you want to take him home?" she asked so she could prepare all the lists, medicine, and documents that he needed to check out.
"Gabe does not look healed to me, he needs more rest," Dimitri responded tersely.
"No, he's okay. I checked him myself, everything is fine. He can go," Aurora tried to assure him.
"I want him to stay a few more days," he commanded. He wanted to utilize all the means for him to see her again, and he did not care that he was going to use his poor brother to achieve his goal.
"But you see…," she tried to argue her point that it would be useless for Gabe to stay in the hospital when he was well enough to leave. Plus, they could always use the extra beds.
"Do as I say!" Dimitri interrupted her, leaving her no space for argument.
Aurora nodded, but inwardly she was cursing at him. She wanted to roll her eyes at him and tell him to leave her hospital. She did not like that these rich people play by their own rules and always order everybody around them to do their bidding.
"Do you have any other questions?" she asked pointedly, when she noticed that he was still checking her out. She was thankful when he stood up. "Finally he's leaving," she thought to herself as she tried to check some paperwork on her desk.
But Dimitri had no intention of leaving as he stood beside her and turned her chair towards him.
"Ahh…," she screamed, surprised by his actions.
"What the hell do you think you're doing? she snapped.
"Shh….," he said as he enclosed her using the arms of her chair, "Aurora," he said, reading the name on her chest. She has a very lovely name, and it suits her, he thought.
She stopped breathing, he was too close, and the way he said her name was too sensual.