After an hour in Ginger's hospital room, Alex's phone began to vibrate. When he unlocked the screen, he saw that it was his father. He walked into the corridor quietly and answered the phone.
"Hello, Dad," he said as he answered the phone.
"Hi son," said Neil, Alex's father and Suano's current mafia leader. "Are you still at the hospital?" he inquired.
"Yes, I wanted to spend some time with the boy I pulled from the water yesterday," Alex explained.
"How's the boy doing?" his concerned father said.
"Physically, he's fine," Alex sighed, "but emotionally, he's not so much."
"Did he have something bad happen to him that caused this?" Neil inquired.
"When I get home," he assured him, "I'll explain everything."
Alex ended the talk and went back to Ginger's room. Just as he was about to enter, he heard soft whimpering from within. With his palm outstretched, he gently knocked. The crying stopped.
"Who is it?" Ginger inquired.
"Hello," Alex said as he entered the room, opening the door. "I'm glad you're awake and looking better," he said. Ginger gave him a brief look before speaking.
"Who are you?" the pallid young man inquired. "You don't look like a doctor," he observed. Alex smirked.
"It's because I'm not one," he explained.
"So, who are you?" Ginger queried, his voice cold.
"My name is Alex Stephenson," the young blonde man said. "I was the one who saved you the day before,"
Ginger supported himself by leaning against a pillow. "Why didn't you let me die?" he said angrily.
"Was that what you really wanted?" Alex inquired, moving closer.
"Why do you care?" Ginger asked, and his eyes locked on him.
"Because suicide is such a cowardly way to die," Alex elaborated.
"You know nothing about me or my problem," Ginger snarled.
"I don't know who you are, but someone obviously hurt you," Alex observed. "Why else would you be acting so angry at someone you'd just met?" he wondered. Ginger huffed, folding his arms across his chest.
Ginger's harsh attitude made Alex want to slap him. He took a step back and took deep breaths, knowing this wasn't the best way to address the situation.
"When you're in a better mood and want to talk to someone, here's my contact information," Alex said as he placed a small, white card on the desk. "I'm going to leave you alone now; goodbye," Alex stated. Alex walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. "Well, that went better than expected," he pondered. "He's spunky," Alex remarked, smiling. Alex drove home in his blue Honda Civic, which was parked in the visitor lot. "Even though he's emotionally scarred, his hazel eyes have such fire in them," Alex reflected.
Alex drove up the gravel driveway and came to a halt in front of a row of houses thirty minutes later. He turned off the engine and got out of the automobile. A door in one of the houses opened, and a five-year-old child appeared.
"Uncle Alex, you're home!" the youngster cried as he hurried up to him. Alex knelt down and hugged the child.
"Hello, Teddy," Alex said pleasantly. "Were you a good boy today?" he inquired.
"Yes," the child replied, nodding. "I studied very hard," he explained.
"That's good," Alex replied, ruffling the child's sandy blonde, short hair. Alex took a step forward, smiled, and took his nephew's little hand in his.
"Let's go inside," Alex said. "Uncle needs to speak with your grandfather," he explained.
Tabitha, Alex's older sister, stepped onto the porch as the two of them approached the bottom of the stairs.
"Welcome back, little brother," she remarked with a smile. The three of them entered the residence. "You look tired," she replied, frowning.
"I'm fine, but thanks for your concern," Alex remarked as he placed his keys on the end table.
"Are you sure?" she queried. "I heard you pacing the hallways last night," she added.
"Yes, I'm fine," he responded, nodding. "I rested while I visited the young man I saved," he added.
A tall, brunette man with a light gray dress shirt and dark blue slacks rounded the corner and approached them.
"Welcome home, young master," he said.
"Hello, Randy," Alex introduced himself. "Is our father too busy?" he inquired.
"No, sir," the pink-skinned man said with a shake of his head. "He's in the study, waiting for your return," he explained.
"Thank you, Randy; I'll go there now," Alex said. Alex turned and faced Teddy. "Go with your mom and take a nap, then I'll swing with you later," he said. Teddy smiled big and hugged Alex's waist.
While Randy returned to his job, Alex went to his father's study. He stood in front of the door, listening for any signs of movement before entering the room.
"Hi Dad, I'm home," he said.
"Hi," Neil said, looking up from his computer. "How is the hospital's newest patient doing?" he inquired.
"He's awake and spunky," Alex remarked. Neil chuckled.
"What caused all of this uproar?" Neil wondered.
"From what I've heard, his boyfriend dumped him, and he took it hard," Alex added. "He's lashing out at everyone," he said.
"Does that include you?" his father said.
"Yep," Alex said, nodding. "That included me."
Alex realized his father's face had a familiar grin on it. "Out with it, dad," he said. "Something's on your mind," he explained.
"This young man you found—he's an omega," Neil explained.
"Neither you nor I are aware of that," Alex stated.
"Son, if he was just a human, you wouldn't be so interested in him," Neil pointed out. Alex rubbed his broad chin for several seconds.
"When I pulled him from the water, I did smell a faint strawberry and lavender scent on him," Alex said. "It was pleasing on the nose," he added.
"What are your plans now?" Neil asked in interest.
"Let him have some space," Alex said. "If he needs to talk, he has my card," he said.
"You've always been a caring and understanding person," Neil said. "You'll make a great Mafia boss one day," he remarked, smiling as he patted his kid on the back.
Two days later, Alex was in the gym at home when his phone rang. He stopped doing phantom punches and walked up to the square wood table.
"Hello, Alex Stephenson here," he remarked as he picked up the phone.
"Hello, this is Dr. Lee from the hospital," he began.
"Doctor, how can I assist you?" Alex queried.
"There's an issue with the young man you saved, and if possible, could you come over?" the doctor added.
"I'll be right there," Alex responded as he returned to the main house and retrieved his car keys.