The Alpha's Forgotten Mate

22. As Always

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"Did you miss me?" Joanne was not impressed with how her voice sounded. She had been partially aware of the things that had been going on around her in the past one-two weeks. But she thought half of it was just a bad dream. Why else would she see her stupid brother in law Anthony hang around her room.

They hated each other.

But when she finally realised that she was in a coma or something, she had looked forward to when she would finally be able to open her eyes. And she was glad she could talk too. But moving her arms seemed like a task.

What she really was looking forward to was speaking in a breezy, frail dramatic voice. She thought she was going to sound beautiful, so divine to the ears that it would feel like a mother's kiss, but instead her voice sounded like Xander's snores.

'You can't have everything in life, Joanne.' She sighed as she petted her over-excited baby.

Their sweet mother-son moment was cut short when they both jumped at the sudden commotion outside the door. The door was flung open and two silhouettes fought as they stumbled in.

"I got here first!" It was Olivia's voice.

"No, you didn't! I did!" And that was Anthony.

Joanne narrowed her eyes as she watched another silhouette sneak past the two fighting and from his form, she was sure that it was Leon.

Leon reached for the light switch and turned in her direction with a soft smile which froze in its place as soon as he saw her squinting and covering her eyes at the sudden bright light that hit her retina after almost three months.

And Leon's first reaction was to immediately turn off the light.

"HEY!!" Olivia and Anthony did not have any idea what was going on. And Leon was too shocked to tell them.

"Excuse me husband? Can you please turn on the lights!" Olivia poked him in the dark but the boy was too shocked to budge.

"And maybe ask your wife to back off as well!" Anthony spoke, his voice annoying her more.

"You back off!"

"No you!"

"Can you both please shut the f**k up?" Joanne groaned.

Silence.

Crickets could be heard in the background.

Joanne sighed. Her family was full of idiots.

"Turn the light on, Leo. But in dim mode."

Leon moved so slow that Joanne almost wanted to get up from the bed and do it herself. But alas, she was unable to move her muscles at that moment.

"Leo!" She yelled, her voice only one decibel louder. She was not impressed with that either. She was used to wreaking chaos in the whole house with all her yelling and now she sounded like... as she had said before, Xander's snores, but less loud.

The light turned right back on, but it was in full brightness. Leon fumbled with it as Olivia and Anthony stared at her dumbfounded.

"Leon King, do you want to die so bad?" She groaned again.

Olivia finally snapped out of her daze, running to her side.

"Jo, Joey, can you hear me?" She asked frantically.

"No." Joanne rolled her eyes.

"Jo!!" Olivia hugged her as closely as she could in Joanne's lying position.

Olivia plucked off of her without warning and Anthony's stupid face came into frame.

"Jo, how are you feeling?" He leaned over to kiss her on her cheeks only to have her slap his mouth and push his face back.

"I don't know about me but you sure as hell are delusional if you think I will let your nasty face near me, you little b***h!"

Anthony showed no offense as he turned around with a gleeful expression. "She's fine! She's back!"

"Weirdo." Joanne grumbled as she looked over at Leon, who was still in a daze.

"Leo... Did you get electrocuted by any chance?"

Leon blinked, and blinked and wiped away his tears. "I will go get everyone else."

"Please don't." Joanne sighed.

"Jo..." Joanne was not surprised to see that Olivia was back to acting like her mother as soon as she woke up.

"Okay, everyone is allowed except that bullshit human I got married to." She sighed, hating that her voice was becoming weaker and weaker every time she spoke. And her lids were getting heavier.

"Or maybe later." She finally said. "I am too sleepy." And she passed out just like that.

Olivia, Leon and Anthony stumbled over to her.

"Jo?"

"Mmm." She hummed, relieving them of their worries.

Olivia smacked her forehead.

"What are we doing? Call the doctors! Call everyone else! OMG, why are we keeping this to ourse-"

"Livy?"

Olivia stopped and turned back to her best friend, her eyes soft as she inspected her sleeping face. "Yes?"

"Shut the f**k up." She whispered.

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"Where are you?" Anika talked over the phone. "Oh my god, did the both of you have to be away the day she woke up??"

"Honey, we will be there in an hour!" Gregory said. "Or judging by the speed at which Xander is flying this car, we will be there in ten minutes!"

"Take your time. She fell asleep after talking to them for five minutes." She pouted as she said it.

The three idiots had run upstairs as soon as they were done with their dinner. Anika did not have that liberty - she had a kid to take care of.

Stella was sleeping because little Joe had worn her out so she had also missed Joanne waking up but she was also up and in Joanne and Xander's room when she heard the commotion and the good news.

Rubina was in Italy, and she was on the flight back home as soon as she heard the news.

Only Ava did not know yet. And that was because she was fast asleep. And they didn't want her in on the commotion.

"Is the doctor there yet?" Xander asked.

"Yes. They are examining her." Anika said, her voice choked with tears of joy. "They say she is fine, that they are simply making sure that they don't miss anything and that there is nothing to worry about anymore."

Xander violently rubbed off his tears.

"About f*****g time!" He breathed out.

Gregory grinned at him, squeezing his shoulder. "About time indeed."

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"Anthony, I will KILL you!" Xander growled at his little brother.

"Yeah, it's either you or her, and I prefer dying by your hand than hers." Anthony shrugged, a grin plastered on his face as he danced in front of the door.

"Tony, what are you doing?" Gregory glared at him.

The girls and Leon were inside with Joanne and Anthony had waited outside, baby Joe in his arms so Xander and Gregory could not even manhandle him.

"Greg, you may go inside." Anthony tipped his head towards the door. "It is Xandy who is not allowed inside."

Xander curled his fingers into a fist and seeing that Gregory snatched Joe from his hand.

Anthony gave him a betrayed look while Gregory shrugged. "You asked for it."

He moved past him and into the room while Xander charged at him.

"Wait wait wait-" Anthony blocked his face. He didn't care where else he got punched but his face, he wanted to protect. "It was Jo's idea. She didn't want you in!"

"She has some of the shittiest ideas in the world!" Xander growled. "When did you start supporting them?"

"Because it is funny?" Anthony grinned at him.

The door opened and the entire family came out.

"She's asleep." Gregory sighed as he patted baby Joe's back.

Xander was disappointed. He really had to be away when she finally came back, didn't he? He felt like he let her down one more time.

First, when he didn't reach her in time and now when he broke his promise of never leaving her side. But it was very important for him to go, and he wouldn't have if it was not the case.

Anthony hugged him, taking him by surprise. "Jo said not to let the bullshit human she got married to in. But that bullshit human died the moment he fell in love with her, and now all that remains is an amazing human who is devoted to her and loves her more than his life. And I don't think she would mind seeing him."

Xander smiled, giving in to the hug as he closed his eyes.

"Are you saying you agree with her on me having been a bullshit human before she came into my life?"

"Yes." The entire family said in unison.

On any other day, Xander would have showed them how much of a bullshit human he was, but today, he was just too happy and just too nervous.

"Say something." Leon had told Joanne.

And she had replied instinctively with her "I am giving up on you."

And the uncultured swine that he was, he had not understood the song reference.

"Who the hell are you to give up on me? I give up on you. I don't even want to see your face! And stop calling my brothers."

These were not the last words he told her but these were the last words she heard from him before she collapsed.

And he did not know what he could say to her to take back all of this.

He was so stupid. He was so stubborn. He wanted her to come to him. He thought that she was taking him for granted and he wanted her to prove him wrong. He was just so insecure that he almost lost her.

He was not going to make that same mistake ever again. He was never going to leave her side.

"Go on in." Stella smiled at him.

He nodded at her, taking a deep breath and squaring his shoulders before making his way in.

The room was dimly lit.

And his baby was sleeping. Not comatose, just sleeping.

All the wires had been disconnected from her. She just had the iv line and the urinary catheter attached to her and they would take them off as soon as she started eating and going to the bathroom herself.

He took cautious steps as if even his footsteps would hurt her.

He could not afford to hurt her anymore. He could not afford to see her like this anymore. This was the last time. He promised himself that. This was the last time she fought the battle of life and death.

Next time this happened, she would be ancient and wrinkled, surrounded by their children and grandchildren. And she would not fight death, because it would be him who would be waiting for her at the other side, ready to guide her to the afterlife.

She would boast that at the end, she had outlived him and he would take his hand, shaking his head and not arguing because they would have all of eternity to bicker and they would continue on with their happily ever after.

He was not going to let her reach the doorsteps of death without him waiting for her there, ever again.

With that oath to himself, he sat down beside her, taking her hand in his, running a finger over the swelling yesterday's cannula had caused.

She took in a deep breath, surprising him. He had waited for this moment for three months, he had trained his ears for any fluctuations in her breath. Anything other than the rhythmic weak breathing.

She really was just sleeping.

"I thought I made it clear..." She mumbled, her voice barely audible but to him, her voice filled the room and it was the only voice that registered in his mind. She had to take another deep breath before she continued. "That I didn't want to see you."

Xander chuckled, pressing his lips to her hand. She was so endearing and crazy even when she had just returned from the brink of death.

She opened her eyes, squinting at him.

There he was. The love of his life. She had thought that she had forgotten his features but every single crease and fold was just as she had remembered them.

She stared at him, feeling her heart pick up pace, becoming completely alive again.

But her dummy husband didn't move. He didn't budge. He didn't blink. He just continued staring at her with that ridiculous look on his face.

"Say something." She breathed out.

"I am NEVER giving up on you." He replied without skipping a beat.

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