011: Whatever You Want

Alexander's POV

The last three months had been the longest of my entire life. I woke up each day feeling more eager to use my legs than the previous day. The days had been slow, and while they hadn't been the best days of my life, I was sure things were about to change soon.

"Dr Harrington will be here in less than an hour." Heather informed the minute she got off the phone.

A bright smile crossed my face as I drew in a deep breath. Finally I would be able to use my legs after a full year and a couple months. Although I could stand and take a few steps now, I never really pushed it. The last thing I wanted were complications, I didn't want to wait even a day more to get these bandages and restrictions off.

"Thank you, Heather." I whispered as I pulled her closer for a light kiss on the lips. Her cheeks turned pink just before she tossed her face out of my view. She was still a bit shy around me, but compared to her first week, she had really grown—both on me, and emotionally too.

She was still for a bit, unsure of how to respond, or simply stunned. She was always like this each time I showed her a little bit of intimacy, and while it was cute, I wanted her to be free with me. We had stayed months with each other, and for the first time I wanted us to be like a proper couple. I knew things would change once I began to walk around, and I was hoping they'd be for the better.

“You don’t have to hide from me, Heather,” I said, my voice soft but teasing. “We’re past that, aren’t we?”

Her blush deepened, but she smiled, her eyes meeting mine with a mixture of nervousness and shyness.. "I..I'm still new to this.." she stammered shyly.

It was obvious, I could tell with just a glance. "It's fine, we can take things slowly if you want."

Heather’s eyes widened slightly as she processed my words. For a moment, she just stared at me, her expression unreadable, before she nodded slowly.

A warm smile tugged at my lips, and I gently squeezed her hand. “Thank you,” I said for the umpteenth time. I could tell she was already exhausted of hearing me thank her every single minute, but I didn't care. "Thank you for everything, I owe you more than just words of appreciation—"

“You don’t owe me anything,” Heather replied quickly, trying to brush off my gratitude. “I've told you already, haven't I? I'm only doing what a good wife would.”

"Don't do that, Heather." I cautioned her warmly. "I've had a lot of wives, and they've nothing remotely close to what you have done for me. So please, don't try to pretend like you haven't changed my life in these past few months."

Heather's lips parted in a bit to argue, but I was quick enough to speak before she could.

"—like I said, I owe you more than just words of gratitude. So tell me, what do you want? Anything at all, and if I can, I will do it for you."

Once again, Heather stared at me with wide inquisitive eyes. This was probably the first time anybody had given her the choice to choose anything she wanted. People from poor backgrounds didn't exactly get many opportunities like this, so it was definitely a surprise for her.

"Anything I want?" She repeated as though she hadn't heard me the first time.

“Yes,” I said firmly, leaning back slightly to look into her eyes. “Whatever it is, tell me. A gift, a vacation, a favor—anything. I mean it.”

Heather hesitated, her eyes staring deep into mine as though she was trying to find out if I was playing or not. When she realized that I wasn't joking one bit, her gaze immediately darted towards her laps, her hands fidgeting as she aired her request.

“There is something,” she began tentatively, her voice soft but steady. “I want to go back to school. To finish my medicine degree.”

For a moment, I was stunned into silence. Of all the things she could have asked for, I hadn’t expected that. She had mentioned a couple times that she had always wanted to be a doctor. I never really paid the conversation much attention, but now it had become obvious to me that she had a dream, one that she had refused to give up on. I felt stupid for not realizing sooner. Right from the day she came into my life she had made it painfully obvious, but I had been too selfish to see it.

“Is that all?” I asked with a raised brow. To me this didn't feel right, it shouldn't be part of what she should request. Now that I had realized that she had a dream, it definitely should be my duty as her husband to help her achieve that dream.

Heather nodded nervously. "I know it's selfish of me to make such a request, my only goal should be being your wife, but I really want to get that certificate—"

"Your only goal is not being my wife!" I corrected her sharply. "I don't know what my father might have said to you to make you feel like you're nothing more than a tool, and quite frankly I don't want to know. But, whatever he said means nothing when it comes to me, understood? I'm nothing like him, so please don't ever feel afraid to express how you feel to me."

Her cheeks flushed, and she smiled shyly, looking down again. “Thank you, Alexander,” she said softly just before she raised her palm to her face to wipe away the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes.

"Please don't cry.." I beckoned to her. I knew they were tears of joy, and while I wanted her to freely express herself while she's with me, the last thing I wanted was for her to get too emotional whenever I did any little thing for her. She deserved much more, and this was simply the beginning.