Broken Bond: Between Vices and Virtues (BL)
Chapter 45: A father’s agony

Chapter 45: A father’s agony

After Azrael disappeared from his sight, Knox stayed in the restroom for a little longer. He washed his still-blushing face and calmed his disobedient heart, ironed the creases of his clothes with his palms, and fixed his disheveled hair.

He should be going back now, but he couldn’t look away from the reflection of himself in the mirror. He wanted to scold that figure, slap its face and shake its shoulders, then yell at it saying, ’What have you done?! You stepped a line you shouldn’t have! Idiot!’

"Dammit..." Knox whispered. Then he thought, ’Now, I’m scared going into his house. Why am I too weak to resist him? This damned bonding...I should find a way to completely remove it. He was only acting that way because of the bond anyway...there’s no way he actually...likes me.’

Something pricked his chest because of that idea, but he shook it away and decided to forget the man for a moment. If he kept thinking of him, then he’d remember what happened, and he’d feel extremely guilty sitting behind the woman he was about to marry.

He sighed loudly once more before getting out. He was already walking in the corridor when his phone rang. He quickly answered it after reading the caller’s name.

"Why? Is there something wrong?"

Knox stopped in his tracks and glanced at his watch. It was already nine in the evening. Knoa should have been sleeping already, so he couldn’t think of any reason that Shawn would call him.

Shawn answered, his voice quavering in a noisy background. Knox was frozen. Something hit his heart and he started to quiver as well, "W-Wait for me! NO! Take him to the hospital, quick! I’ll follow. I’m going right now!"

Knox ran to the door without going back to the table. Rikard saw him dashing hysterically and hastily stood on his seat. He tried to follow Knox but his backpack caught his eyes. He tried to call him first, but the phone was busy.

’Did something happen?’ he asked himself. He waved his hand at the waiter and asked for the bill.

On the other hand, Azrael was stunned after seeing Knox rushed out. He wasn’t able to follow quickly because Diva grabbed his hand, and whispered, "Hey, try not to be so obvious. I don’t know him, but I can tell you got something with him going on, right? People’s eyes are on us, and he’s got a date."

Azrael clicked his tongue, "Tsk. Let go. He was panicking. I have to follow him."

"Oh, I bet it was because of something you did," Diva felt Azrael’s body stiffened. She shook her head at him dejectedly and added, "He seems like a sensible person. He might be feeling awkward and uncomfortable to get back here, knowing I’m your fiancée. You jerk, if you’re going to wrap him in your fingers, tie your loose ends! If you’re serious about him, that is."

Azrael didn’t speak. Diva let him go, thinking that he wasn’t serious at all. However, Azrael bolted out as soon as he was freed. Diva was left gaping at his retreating figure. Some people turned their heads at her, but she managed to fix her expression in a blink and gave them a sweet smile.

Then, she looked away and fanned herself. The tip of her eyebrows twitched from irritation. From the reflection in the window, she saw Rikard Meyers looking back at her with a baffled expression. She just ignored him, but the man walked up to her and opened another conversation.

Meanwhile, Azrael pressed the elevator’s button in a hurry. He kept calling Knox’s number, but all he received was a busy tone. When the elevator opened, he dashed out to the lobby but failed to spot him.

In the end, all he could do was run his hand over his face and breathe sharply. Then, he mumbled to himself anxiously, "There’s no way he’d run and disappear again, right...? F*ck! Was I too forceful?!"

At that moment, a cab passed the building on the main road, riding inside was Knox whose countenance wasn’t looking good. Over the phone, he could hear Shawn calling Franz’s name, and even though they were already there looking out for his child, he couldn’t make himself stop trembling.

His fingers were cold and he kept telling the driver to speed up. The driver would then say to him that overspeeding was wrong, but his words sounded distant and vague to Knox’s cluttered mind.

Finally, the cab rolled over at the drop-off area near the emergency room. He fumbled with bills in his pockets and when he found nothing, he asked the driver to wait for him instead.

The driver then nodded, "Go, go. Just pay me later, kid."

He shook his head at the poor man and thought, ’Poor guy, his wife must have been in an accident.’

Knox ran to the nurse station, "Knoa Arden. Where is he?!"

The nurse, "Calm down, sir. Knoa Arden, let me search from the log...," the nurse typed on the keyboard and later furrowed her brows, "I’m sorry, sir, but there’s no one with a name like that—

"No! Shawn told me he—

"Knox!"

Knox’s head spun around upon hearing that name. "Athan! Knoa, where’s my son?!"

Athan came running to him. He held Knox by the shoulders and consoled him, "He’s here, calm down, Knox."

Knox, "But the nurse said..."

Athan, "Right. He hasn’t been admitted yet. A pediatrician I know is treating him right now," he guided Knox inside the emergency ward while explaining, "It was a febrile seizure from an internal high fever. Shawn said they were sleeping when he heard Knoa groaning from convulsion, he panicked when he felt his high fever and called an ambulance. But he’s okay now. The seizure already stopped and the doctor was only checking him now."

It felt as though hundreds of mountains were lifted on Knox’s shoulders. His knees buckled and bent. He crouched on the floor and covered his face with his palms, heaving out deeply in great relief.

Athan was surprised, thinking that Knox fainted so he shouted his name. Knox just waved his hand at him and said, "I’m fine. I’m just feeling so relieved. God, Athan, I was so scared hearing Shawn’s trembling voice. I thought something grave happened! Ah..."

Athan crouched beside him and ignored the prying eyes of the passersby. He patted Knox on his back, "I know. He’s fine. Nothing grave happened. I’m sure as soon he wakes up, he’ll look for his papa, so get up. Let’s go to him."

Knox nodded his head, wiping the traces of water that accumulated at the corner of his eyes. During such times, he felt so weak and helpless and was so grateful that Athan was always around comforting him.

Athan helped Knox stand. He stared at Knox with a grim expression after smelling a strong scent of forest-like pheromones lingering around him. He held back his questions as it was not the right time to inquire.

Knox spotted Shawn, Franz, and his boyfriend, standing beside a bed, while a doctor was speaking before them. Franz saw him and his face showed relief. He pointed at Knox and the doctor turned to him.

Franz exclaimed, "Finally, you came!"

The doctor nodded, "Mr. Arden, the father?"

Knox, "Yes, I am."

The doctor explained to him what happened and advised him of what to do when the same thing happened. He excused himself after telling Knox to stop by the nurse station to get his prescription.

Athan walked out with the doctor as they talked more.

Knox moved to the other side, ignoring the three people. He caressed Knoa’s forehead and bit his lower lip to stop his mouth from cursing himself. He remembered how warm Knoa’s forehead was when he planted a kiss on him last night, yet he never suspected that it was because he was suffering from a fever.

"I feel so awful. I’m a terrible father, aren’t I? I don’t even know he has a fever and yet..." A sob escaped. He swallowed the lump in his throat and continued running his fingers on Knoa’s damped head.

Opposite to him, Shawn was fidgeting and trying to catch Knox’s attention. He wanted to explain, but what could he probably said to brighten Knox’s mood? He felt terrible as well. He blamed himself for not noticing the kid’s temperature before bed.

Franz noticed Shawn’s anxiousness and his hesitation. He tapped him on the shoulder and suggested to step out for a bit. Knox looked up. Shawn flinched after meeting his eyes and he immediately lowered his head.

He was about to mumbled something when Knox reached out and rubbed his head, "It must have been tough taking care of this incident on yourself. Go home for now and rest, Shawn. You guys, too."

Knox turned to Franz’s and his boyfriend. Franz looked hesitant but his boyfriend said that they will only crowd the place if they all stayed, and Knoa might wake up from their whispers. Franz was convinced. He took Shawn who was reluctant to leave and only agreed after Knox said that he needs someone at home to get him things if he ever needed something.

Before they left, Knox asked, "Oh, right. Franz, can you please pay the cab driver parked near the drop off area. My wallet is in the bag and I left it in panic. I’ll pay you once I get my things back."

Franz smiled at him reassuringly, "Don’t sweat it. You should take some rest, too."

Knox mumbled, "Thank you."

He pulled the curtains and took of his necktie and shoes, then he lay next to Knoa. Even if he was so tired from running on and about, he couldn’t sleep, thinking that Knoa will cry after seeing an unfamiliar place. So, Knox just ended up wiping Knoa’s sweaty forehead and feeling his temperature, until Athan came back and silently sat on the opposite side of the bed.