Chapter 106 - Have You In My Arms

No, whatever, Dominik shook his head. He loved Andrzej, he loved him with all his heart, and even if Nowicki was once involved in something illegal, it must have been old.

Only the present mattered, and in it Śliwiński heard the sweetest confession he could wish for. It is true that he was terribly tired and cold at the time, but he certainly did not mishear - Andrzej said that he loved him. Now he waited excitedly to see the man he adored with all his heart and body when the policeman left.

Yet he was disappointed again. The person who came in was not Andrzej, but a doctor and a paramedic with a pram.

"We're admitting you to the ward," she announced.

"What? No! I do not agree, I ..."

"Mr. Śliwiński, take it easy" she smiled sweetly. "It won't be too bad, I promise. Don't you remember how hard you worked a month ago for good results? Are you going to spoil it all by stupid stubbornness?"

"No. I'm sorry. I just…"

"This is Patryk. He'll take you to your room."

Dominik was weak, and his legs gave way as he got up. Relieved, he leaned on the paramedic's shoulder.

True, he had worked too hard all month to improve his results, only to waste the entire achievement by stupid stubbornness. But Andrzej... Dominik wanted so much to see him, touch him, apologize for all the worries he had brought him and beg a kiss...

But will Nowicki want him? When he sees him in this state, when he realizes that Dominik was a toy in the hands of another man ...

"Head up" the doctor walking next to him put a hand on his shoulder smiling warmly at the same time. "Our contract is still in effect," she winked at him.

So they will let him see Andrzej after all? He felt a flush on his face. He wanted to ask about it, but couldn't with the paramedic. If the doctor herself does not say anything directly, it means that neither should he.

"We'll get you a drip. This is the easiest way to quickly replenish nutrient deficiencies. Unfortunately, the kitchen is already closed, but I will smuggle something out of the vending machine for you."

"Thank you. You're very nice."

She smiled a little coquettishly at him.

"It's just a trick, Mr. Śliwiński. Sheer deception.

***

Andrzej opened the door and looked at Dominik lying on the hospital bed. The actor had patches on his face and hands, he was pale and seemed even smaller than ever, but at the sight of the man entering, his eyes glowed with such a strong glow that Nowicki could not help that his own gaze was blocked by a moist fog.

"You look terrible!" Śliwiński called to him. "His voice cracked with emotion."

"And who says?" Andrzej asked cautiously approaching.

"I have an excuse," Dominik said. "After all almost whole night I struggled through the forest. And you?"

"I ... was losing my mind while you were away. I'm sorry, Dominik, I..."

"Andrzej, you… are you crying?"

"I couldn't protect you. That's all ... your suffering ... just because I couldn't protect you..."

"Stop it" Śliwiński, though hooked up to the drip, started to get up from the bed.

"Don't get up, you mustn't!" Andrzej was already with him.

"So stop saying these stupid things and..."

At this point, Andrzej had him in his arms.

But Dominik broke free from his grip. He was trembling. He looked down at the floor.

"Are you feeling bad?" Nowicki was concerned. "I'll get a doctor!"

"No! I…"

Andrzej remembered his behavior, his escapes caused by shame and fear that what had happened to him deprived him of the right to be happy. Back then, the mere threat of r*pe, the mere intention of treason, was enough to make him run away from people. Nowicki was even afraid to imagine what was now.

But it didn't matter to him. He scooped Dominik into his arms and pressed him against his chest as hard as he could. In his mind, like a mantra, he repeated his heartfelt love declaration, sincerely hoping that these feelings would somehow reach the man he embraced.

"I told you once," he said warmly, but with all conviction flowing from the bottom of his soul, "that whatever has happened to you, it does not change how I think of you. I will never leave you and you will always be dear to me. Why won't you believe me?"

"Because ... because I..."

"You turned my world upside down. I don't know how it happened and the mere thought scares me, but… When you disappeared I thought I was going crazy," he repeated. "How could I get so addicted to someone? How could I… love?"

Dominik softened in his arms, and suddenly a sob shook his whole person. Andrzej smiled tenderly and stroked his head. With a limb of awareness, he caught that someone had opened the door and then closed it, not daring to break this intimate moment.

Crying finally tired Śliwiński and the actor lay down without taking his eyes off Nowicki.

"I love you," he said in a weakening voice.

"I know."

"Will you stay with me?"

"Always."

"Come on over here."

"Are you crazy? It's a hospital bed! We are in the hospital!"

"It can take our weight. Please…"

His large aquamarine eyes, covered with tears, did not asked, they pleaded. Andrzej was powerless under their rule.

"Move over. The other way, you fool, here's your drip," he instructed, softly taking off his shoes. "Are you not afraid of a scandal if someone sees us?"

"No. And you?"

"Not for myself, but for you."

"Then come to me quickly."

***

Edyta Tarkowska was thirty-three years old and had a horribly unsuccessful marriage behind her. Despite her profession, or maybe because of it, she was an incorrigible romantic. Though the loss of a patient hurt as hell, every life saved made her heart run wild with joy. Each patient she looked after had their own history, some sad, some happy. Mostly very similar, although never identical, because their stories were made up of thousands of events and hundreds of people.

She herself has never had a chance to learn the whole story. She saw only fragments of it, usually painful, often tragic, but sometimes also incredibly beautiful and made something extraordinary happen to her heart.

She met this one during the night shift.

The face she knew from billboards and from the cinema has become a real person for her today. Dominik Śliwiński was even more beautiful in his life, because even the best photos were not able to reflect the true charm of his gaze. It was so beautiful it was breathtaking.

Yet someone had hurt this man.

Physically, Śliwiński did not suffer any serious injuries. If he was sexually abused, the perpetrator did not want to cause him pain, so there were no signs of forced entry. However, Tarkowska was afraid of his psyche. Śliwiński was detained against his will and probably tortured physically and mentally. God knows what exactly this psychopath did with him for the past three days. Such events could not remain without a trace.

It was heartbreaking to see someone so talented and beautiful a victim of someone else's insane lust. It was downright terrible!

She was worried. She couldn't stop. She allowed Nowicki to meet Śliwiński, because she thought it would help the actor. They must have been really good friends if they both wanted to see each other so much. Maybe lovers, it crossed her mind, though the idea was pure abstraction. If bending the rules and admitting a visitor to the ward helped the patient, she saw no reason not to. Carrying Śliwiński the promised snack, she opened the door ...

... and immediately closed it.

What she saw was nothing wrong, but a moment was enough for Edyta to feel a blush on her face. Nowicki and Śliwiński hugged each other tightly, as if they were afraid that the slightest gust of wind could separate them forever. The heat from them was so intense it tinted her cheeks.

Was it just an ordinary friendship, or was it actually something more? Were these two really… lovers?

Leaning against the door of the room, Edyta Tarkowska, a thirty-three-year-old doctor from the city hospital in Warsaw, felt her heart beating hard in her chest.

If they are lovers, so what? It's their life, they can do what they want with it.

No, that's not it. Her heart beat even faster. She could still feel the intensity of the warmth in her body as it hit her as she opened the door to the room. His power made her feel jealous. She envied them both that they had found such ardent love for each other. A man with a man, a woman with a woman or a man with a woman - it doesn't matter if there is someone who will love you so much.

After an hour, she quietly looked into the room again.

Nowicki was lying on the same bed as Śliwiński, due to the limited space, they were very close, although they were separated by bedding. They both slept very soundly and peacefully, facing each other, and their hands were clasped together.

She looked at them for a moment, unable to take her eyes off them. Pale and tired, exhausted both physically and emotionally, they found a rest in their closeness. It was just… beautiful.

Tarkowska took a blanket from the other bed and covered Nowicki with it. As she left, she turned off the light.

***

The end of Volume 3

See you tomorrow at the same time :)