A Special Visitor

Bright and early the next morning, Aiden was woken up by nurses who were checking his condition. He still had a mild fever and was incredibly sore even with all the pain medication he was on but, considering what he'd gone through, that much was to be expected.

As soon as visiting hours began, Aiden got a visit from Yuki. When Yuki first walked in, Aiden burst into laughter mixed with groans of pain from his broken ribs. Yuki's eyes were terribly swollen from crying too much and it made him look quite comical. After taking a few slow deep breaths, which also caused him pain, he managed to calm down.

Yuki was carrying a large gift bag that Derek took for him and set aside.

"It's a get well present from me and Mikael. He's here too but he stayed in the waiting room. How are you feeling?" Yuki asked while taking a seat next to the hospital bed.

In all honesty, Aiden felt awful. He'd had a headache ever since he woke up and his fever wasn't helping. His whole body was constantly aching and even breathing hurt. However, he wasn't about to admit to any of that in front of Derek or Yuki so he just smiled and vaguely answered the question.

"Not bad, all things considered."

An hour flew by and it was time for Yuki to head back. Before he left though, he promised to come back and see Aiden the very next day and every day until he was discharged from the hospital.

Not even twenty minutes after Yuki left, Silas came to visit. He too brought a get well gift in the form of a gift basket. From just a glance, Aiden could see a big teddy bear, a card, and brightly colored candies. Derek took the basket from him and put it next to the gift Yuki brought earlier.

"Hey, kiddo! You look rough. Although, I don't think anyone else would look any better after everything that happened."

"Gee, thanks so much," Aiden responded sarcastically. It was just like Silas to point out something like that. Derek glared disapprovingly at his father but Silas paid him no mind and continued chatting with Aiden.

"I'd ask how you're feeling but you most likely wouldn't answer honestly so I won't bother. Instead, I'll just say I hope you feel better real soon, okay?" While the three of them were talking, a nurse came in.

"Sorry to interrupt but I just wanted to let you know that you have another visitor in the waiting room. Still, only two at a time please." Then, the nurse left. Silas stood up.

"Well, I guess that's my cue! See ya later, kiddo!" Aiden waved as Silas left the room. It seemed Aiden would be getting a lot of visitors.

The next person that came to see him was Mrs. Hudson. She brought a thermos full of soup with her and handed it straight to Derek after she walked in.

"Here, this is for his lunch. It should still be warm by then but don't hesitate to borrow a microwave and heat it up if necessary. I couldn't bear the thought of you having to suffer through the terrible hospital food on top of everything else." She sat down next to Aiden and took his hand in hers. "How are you, dear? Do you need anything? Is there something I can do?" Aiden held onto her hand as best he could and lightly squeezed.

"I'm okay, really. There's nothing I need but I really appreciate the soup. To be honest, I wasn't looking forward to lunch until you brought that."

"I'm glad to hear it! There should be more than enough for dinner as well. I know it's not the best, eating the same thing two meals in a row, but I'll bring more tomorrow." Aiden tried to tell her she didn't need to trouble herself but Mrs. Hudson wouldn't hear it. She insisted that she absolutely had to bring him food no matter what. She stayed for another thirty minutes or so before she decided to head back.

Just before lunch, the nurse showed up again to give Aiden more medicine and recheck his condition. His fever hadn't gone down but, fortunately, it hadn't gone any higher either. After she left, Derek brought him a bowl of the soup Mrs. Hudson brought him. Halfway through the meal, he had a coughing fit. The sharp pain in his body with each cough caused him to tear up. Derek quickly brought him water to drink.

By the time he stopped coughing, Aiden was completely out of energy. Derek could clearly tell how tired he was so he helped Aiden lay back down and placed a cool hand over Aiden's eyes.

"Rest," Derek whispered and Aiden had no arguments.

He didn't know exactly when he fell asleep or how long he'd been sleeping for but as Aiden opened his eyes, he noticed two figures in the room instead of one. He was still groggy and mumbled,

"...Derek?" As his eyes focused more, he saw Derek walk up beside him and take his hand. He also put his other hand on Aiden's forehead.

"I'm here. Your fever went up a bit while you were sleeping. Do you want something to drink?" Aiden nodded and Derek helped him sit up and move his pillows around to get more comfortable. The other person in the room was the one who brought a cup of water and Aiden finally realized it was Isaac.

"Oh, thank you." Aiden took the water and drank a few sips before setting it down nearby. A tense silence filled the room which was strange and confused Aiden. "Is something wrong?" He asked. When it seemed like neither one of them planned to answer him, Aiden pressed them again. "Well? What is it?" Derek planted himself in the chair closest to Aiden with an expression of obvious annoyance and sighed.

"Well it's too late to back out now. I told you it wasn't a good time because he's still not well but if you don't say anything at this point it'll only continue to bug him." Aiden looked from Derek to Isaac and then back again. Then, Isaac met Aiden's gaze and tried to speak.

"Well, the thing is…You see, I, well…" Isaac paused and mumbled to himself, "This is much harder than I originally thought it would be." He seemed to be thinking deeply before eventually speaking to Aiden again. "I have something important to tell you. I'm aware that this isn't the best time but I didn't want you to find out from someone else and misunderstand. It's, well, I'm not sure how to say it." He looked very troubled by whatever it was he had to say so Aiden tried to make it easier.

"Just say it, direct and to the point. I won't know if you don't say anything."

Isaac knew that Aiden had a point. There was no reason to complicate things by over explaining and it wouldn't make anything easier. The core of what he had to say remained the same regardless of how he said it.

"I suppose that's for the best. Well then," Isaac took a deep breath and continued by saying, "Aiden, I'm your biological father." The room went silent once more and no one moved for what felt like hours. Aiden blinked.

"...What?"

"I'm…I'm your biological father." Isaac looked nervous and Aiden's expression was blank.

"And why would you think that?" Aiden's question led Isaac to explain everything he knew. From William recognizing the similarities between Aiden and Elara to Isaac's past and why he didn't know about Aiden. The silence that followed was more stifling than the last. Eventually, Aiden got his brain to work just long enough to mutter,

"Blood test. We're not talking about anything else until it's a proven fact."

"I'll go get a nurse to do it right now." Isaac hurried out of the room after that.

Derek never took his eyes off Aiden throughout the entire conversation with Isaac. He had watched all of his expressions as well as the color of his skin grow paler as more time went on. Enough was enough and Derek stood up.

"You look really worn out. You should sleep. We can have your blood drawn later, alright?"

"Yeah, maybe that's a good idea." Once again, Derek helped Aiden maneuver himself so he could rest. After Derek made sure he was okay and that the blankets were snug around Aiden, he left the room to tell Isaac that Aiden needed rest and to come back the next day to which Isaac agreed.

That night while Aiden slept, his fever spiked. Whether it was going to happen anyway or if it was due to stress from earlier that day, Derek didn't know nor did he care. He knew he shouldn't have let Isaac speak with Aiden while he was still in the hospital.

Derek stayed awake the entire night taking care of Aiden.