Reborn, Reawakened, Rekindled novel Chapter 610

Following the GPS, I managed to get Neil back to his place.

"We're here." After arriving at Neil's residence, I turned to wake him but found him fast asleep.

Was it the wine? He fell into dreamland so quickly?

I tried nudging him, but there was no response, just the sound of his steady breathing in the car, indicating he was in a deep sleep.

"Neil, wake up. Go inside to sleep," I said, although it was only the afternoon. I wanted to head back to the hospital; I couldn't just sit here and watch him sleep.

Neil seemed to wake up for a moment, looked at me, then closed his eyes again and turned his head towards the window.

No matter how much I called after that, he remained deeply asleep.

Then Neil's phone buzzed. He had left the navigation on, and a message popped up directly on the screen from Karina.

Karina: Now that you know Hiram is your son, what do you plan to do? Fight me for him? Neil, Hiram is all I have. You must understand how important he is to me.

Curiosity got the better of me, and I checked the message.

It turns out that Karina had been pestering Neil for some time, though she restrained herself from showing up unannounced, opting instead to occasionally reach out to Neil via texts and calls.

She even probed about the truth behind my claim that Neil knew Hiram wasn't his biological son.

Neil never denied it, but his responses were always brief. I had a hunch why Neil was acting this way. Was it for me?

Because I cared for Hiram, I didn't want him to suffer with Karina again.

Neil didn't expose Hiram's true identity, allowing Karina to cling to him. It did him no favors, but it was beneficial for me.

I didn't reply to Karina, deciding not to snoop further into Neil's private messages. My feelings were a mix of confusion and unease.

Just as I set the phone down, it started vibrating again.

Thinking it was Karina calling, I was surprised to see Cooper Clarke's name on the screen.

I let it ring, hoping the call might wake Neil, but even after three calls, he remained asleep.

Worried Cooper might have urgent news, I answered the call.

"You finally picked up. Where are you?" Cooper sounded anxious.

"He's asleep," I replied, glancing at Neil, hesitating.

There was a moment of silence on Cooper's end, then he stuttered, "Asleep? As in?"

What does he mean by 'asleep'? Does he not understand?

I clarified, "Asleep, not 'slept with.' Okay?"

Neil was still sleeping soundly, the combination of lack of sleep and alcohol indeed making for a good rest.

I sat in the car, watching him sleep. It had been a long time since we had shared such a peaceful moment. Without his usual aura, he seemed less inaccessible, his handsome, peaceful face tempting in its tranquility.

An hour or so passed, and a sharp honk from outside startled Neil awake. He opened his eyes suddenly, still groggy and not fully alert, his gaze shifting from confusion to clarity.

"Awake?" I asked, turning to him.

"Yeah, how long was I out?" Neil checked his phone for the time. "An hour and a half. Why didn't you wake me?"

"You were out cold. Go home and get some more rest," I suggested, spending the past hour contemplating how to approach him once he woke up.

Even after he woke, my attitude didn't change much. It seemed like a feat for us to have a normal conversation without arguing, just being friends for a bit.

Neil sat up, running a hand through his tousled hair, a slight frown on his face. "Alright. Before your court date with Karina, I'll file a suit against her for child abuse, then fight for custody. If I succeed, she'll probably drop the charges against you, saving you some trouble."

I was surprised, "Is there still time for that?"

"I've got it covered." Neil unbuckled his seatbelt, his voice unemotional. "Just take my car back to the hospital, I'll have someone pick it up later."

Before I could even respond, he was already gone.

Now, with only about a week left until the court hearing with Karina, and him needing to spend time and energy on suing Karina, it all boils down to him trying to save me the hassle, all for the sake of Hiram.