"His hand really moved. I'm sure of it," Yvonne explained.

"I see." The doctor nodded, seemingly believing her. "If his hand moved, it means he's aware of his surroundings. You should talk to him more, or touch him. It might help him wake up sooner."

"Okay, I understand. Thank you, Doctor," Yvonne said, lowering her head, a little disappointed.

Emma's health was poor, so Frank was almost always by her side.

Bennett didn't need much worrying over, with guards and medical staff attending to him.

However, Yvonne stayed in the room constantly. Simon, ever considerate, stood guard outside without disturbing them.

With Yvonne there, she took care of everything-giving him water, feeding him, and washing him-without needing the nursing staff.

Yvonne stood by the bed, wiping Bennett's face and hands with a warm towel while talking to him.

"Is the towel too hot?"

Naturally, Bennett didn't answer.

Yvonne sighed and continued, "You're tough-skinned. You probably don't mind the heat."

"Is this okay? Does it feel uncomfortable? If you don't say anything, I'll take that as a yes."

"You said you'd propose to me when you got back from your mission. I guess you can't trust a word men say," she rambled on, wiping his fingertips. Suddenly, she noticed his fingers twitch again.

"Bennett, can you hear me? Do you want to argue? Then wake up and prove me wrong."

Still, Bennett's eyes remained closed, and he gave no response.

Yvonne sighed again. She placed the towel back in the basin, took it to the private bathroom in the room, poured out the water, wrung out the towel, and hung it up.

After quickly washing up, she came back out.

Yvonne returned to Bennett's bedside, drying her hair with a towel and pulling a script out of her bag.

"Sandra's getting me a new role in a period drama-one of those palace shows. I'll have to wear

intrigcourbet

traditional dresses

look amazing in them." She then

opened the script and began reading it aloud to Bennett.

Yvonne read the script late into the night until her throat was dry,

eventually falling asleep

head resting on the edge of his bed.

She had been keeping a sleepless vigil outside the ICU for days and was utterly exhausted.

She slept soundly, slumped over the bed.

The next morning, the bright sunlight streaming through the window woke her.

She sat up, rubbing her eyes, and noticed a light blanket draped over her.

Confused, she then heard a low,

raspy male voice say, "My mom

came by late last night. She saw you

asleep like that and was afraid you'd catch a cold so she put a blanker on, you."

"Oh," Yvonne nodded, the words sinking in. Then it hit her the person speaking was Bennett.

Her eyes widened as she looked at the man on the bed.

Bennett was sitting up, his face a little pale, but his gaze was calm as he watched her.

"Bennett, you're finally awake!" Yvonne cried, overcome with emotion, and threw her arms around him.

The impact jostled his chest wound, and he winced slightly.

"Did I hurt you?" Yvonne immediately pulled back. But Bennett's arm wrapped

around her waist, gently pulling her into his embrace.

"It doesn't hurt. I'm fine," Bennett said with a warm smile, leaning in to give her a soft peck on the lips.