Aiden was overjoyed. She had said 'Okay'. Her answer was short and precise, but it meant she at least had a better impression of him. It was enough to make him feel hopeful even though she hadn't promised anything.
'But she didn't reject me either.' He thought.
Claire found herself lost in her thought as she looked at him. He had worn a navy blue suit for their evening out and it tailored perfectly on him. It contrasted well with his hair making it look even darker. Since she was wearing his suit jacket, she could appreciate how his well built muscles were hugged under the fabric of his silk white button-up shirt.
But the thing that made her feel inclined to hear him out was his eyes. They hid an ocean behind them. On the surface they were sharp calculating and intimidating. But she could tell that just beneath that, there was so much depth that she was sure there were things deep down secretly hidden for safe keeping. And whatever it was that he had hidden inside them, was calling out to her. It had started to make her feel like giving up on putting up her usual protective front.
After silently staring at each other for a few moments, Claire decided to take a risk. She didn't have the energy left to think of ways to make him ignore what he had seen. And in all honesty, she wasn't sure if she wanted him to.
"Her name is Lily." She said as she looked at her little flower on the bed. Her eyes filling up with warmth as she spoke. "She's still a bit small for her age but she'll turn four in a few months."
"Adorable." Aiden felt his heart flutter looking at the mini version of his little angel.
"I know right? She has a rather shy and quiet personality. Even if she falls down or feels sad she rarely cries or complains. So what you saw earlier was actually one of the few times she's ever wailed like that."
"She's very bright. I can tell." Aiden responded.
"Yes. Even though she's so reserved she picks up things incredibly quickly. She hasn't even started school yet and can already read and sign very well. There's a lot she still can't properly express but she can have proper conversations." As Claire talked about Lily she brought her legs up to her chest and hugged her knees.
"I saw her understand when you talked to her earlier." He said.
He had immediately picked up that she had some kind of hearing disability.
"Yeah. She can only partially hear out of her left ear. Through her right side she can only feel vibrations. Besides that she's been trying to learn how to read lips so it's easier for her to understand when somebody's talking to her."
"That's amazing." He told her while they both continued to look at the adorable little girl. Her chest softly rose and fell while she slept.
"She is." After saying that Claire paused.
She was considering if she should continue talking or not. She discreetly looked at Aiden from the corner of her eye and was surprised. He was looking at Lily with the softest expression she had seen him have. She would have never imagined the man that would slaughter mercilessly through the night and bring empires to the ground during the day would be capable of such a look.
"The beeper from earlier..." The words practically fell out of her mouth after seeing him. She hesitated to continue but decided to trust her instincts. They had never failed her before.
"It's actually for notifying me when she's had an seizure ." She slowly started to explain as she studied him. "She suffers from a condition called West Syndrome or Infantile spasms. It's a disorder of the developing nervous system. A rare type of epilepsy that affects children. It usually disappears by the time kids are four, but there are cases where it continues a little longer than that. Lily seems to be such a case."
Aiden didn't move or speak as she explained. But she noticed how his eyes turned somewhat concerned while looking forward even though his face remained the same. She could tell he was listening to her every word.
"Studies show it can leave a child with cognitive or physical impairments, but since she's received regular treatment since she was a few months old it's been pretty much under control. They had suspected the condition played a part in her hearing loss, but treating her was far more important than wasting time on speculating. The only times she has episodes now are in moments of great anxiety or distress. We're hoping it doesn't develop into anything else as she grows. It tends to happen to people with the condition." She looked back at Lily with a saddened face. "The guy you saw on the motorcycle told me about my brother and her being in an accident together. Which made me understand why she would all of a sudden be triggered into an attack."
After another few moments of silence she looked at Aiden who hadn't spoken. He seemed lost in thought for a few seconds before he spoke.
"So in other words amazing doesn't even start to describe her." Aiden said as his lips pulled up into a subtle gentle smile.
Claire felt her head go black for a second. Usually when people find out a person, especially a child, is riddled with so many complications their first thought is "What a pity" and in other cases "What a bother". It would always make her burst into flames of rage. Lily was not a pitiful child. She was warm, loving and smart. Her little flower was as beautiful as she was magnificent. To pity her was to insult her.
But Aiden didn't pity her. She could tell by the look in his eyes that he was truly in awe with her. What he said was genuine and he meant every word of it.
He felt her staring at him again and turned to look at her properly. His eyes widened a bit when he saw her giving him an appreciative and warm look. It was the closest thing to a smile she had given him and he hadn't expected it at all. But yet again, he hadn't thought she would willingly share all that she did.
Just as he was about to speak the room door opened. They both turned to see who had come and saw Ben standing in the doorway.
"The young master is finally out of surgery Madam. He has been transferred to the ICU for observation. Miss Anna is accompanying him as we speak."
Claire immediately stood up and started to head towards the door. But before she stepped out she turned around to look back at Aiden.
He was already standing with his hands in his pockets. Taking a few steps, he closed the distance between them. Seeing as she was nervously thinking of what to say to him he decided to beat her to it.
"Go. You know where to find me." He said as he looked down at her.
She looked up at him for a short moment before she nodded. Turning around she spoke to Ben who was holding the door open for her.
"I'll leave her to you." And without wasting another second she dashed out.