Hades kept his voice low because people were still around. “You’ll get your chance, Damien. And you know I’ll be there if you need help.”
I released a sarcastic chuckle even though it was completely inappropriate. “I won’t need help. Trust me.”
Sofia refused to accept my coldness, so she rested her hand on my forearm, lightly touching me because she wanted me to know that she was there. “Everything is going to be okay. We just need to get through this first…and then take care of everything else.”
I couldn’t imagine my life without Annabella. I’d been alone for so long, but now that I’d shared my soul with another person, I didn’t know what to do without her. I’d never been so scared. “But what if she—”
“That won’t happen.” She squeezed my arm. “She’ll get through this. I know she will.”
Due to the complications of the bullet, the surgery took twelve hours. It included a team of three surgeons, assisted by a staff of nurses and medical personnel. The bullet had pierced her stomach, liver, and kidney, so they had to fix all the damage and remove the bullet, while keeping her alive.
But she would live.
That was all that mattered. We could sort everything else out later.
When the doctor told me the news, I stood still and just stared at his face. It was difficult to process the information he’d just delivered, but I wasn’t going to lose her, and that was what I focused on. It seemed too good to be true. “When can I see her?”
“In just a bit. We need to transfer her to a room.” He shook my hand before he walked away.
Hades and Sofia were standing off to the side, in earshot so they could hear whatever was about to happen. Hades came to me and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. “Thank god.”
Sofia hugged me and squeezed me tight. “Oh…I’m so relieved.” She rubbed the back of my neck before she pulled away, tears in her eyes. “She didn’t deserve this, and I’m so glad it’s not going to claim her life.”
I was still in a dream, still hollow and empty. Of course, I was thrilled she would be okay, but I was traumatized this had happened to her in the first place. There was a lot of rage, a lot of guilt.
Hades patted me on the back. “What is it, Damien?”
“I don’t know,” I answered. “I’m still in shock, I guess.” I placed my hands against my face and cupped my nose as I closed my eyes. I couldn’t get the image of her on the floor out of my mind, the feeling of her blood on my hands. I almost lost the person I cared the most about.
What would I have done if I had lost her?
Even if Annabella asked me not to kill Liam, I would anyway.
I fucking would.
I dropped my hands and sucked in a deep breath through my teeth. I didn’t realize my eyes were wet until a tear streaked down my cheek.
Hades didn’t react to my emotion. He’d cried in front of me before, when his wife was taken away from him. He wouldn’t judge me for feeling this way now, for being so relieved and so emotional at the same time. “She’s going to be okay. The worst part is over.” He pulled me in for a hug, his hand on the back of my neck.
I hugged him back, this time holding him tight and giving in to my tears. I let myself explode, let all the pent-up tension and sorrow escape. He became my crutch, my friend, my brother. “I know…”
She was unconscious for thirty-six hours.
I sat at her bedside and watched her breathe with a ventilator, looking so small in a bed that was already small. I got used to the sound of the machines, the hourly hum of her blood pressure cuff, the beep of her pulse, and everything else that made up the background of a hospital room.
Hades joined me and set a white Styrofoam box on the table in the sitting area. He also put down a coffee. “Thought you might be hungry.”
I kept my eyes on Annabella as I shook my head.
Hades sat in the chair next to her bedside. “You haven’t slept in days. How about you go home and at least shower?”
“I’m not leaving her.” It was only a matter of time before Liam showed his face. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was still listed as her emergency contact. How often do people change those? I wasn’t letting him anywhere near her, and if he did show up here, at least he would have immediate medical attention once I was done with him.
“I’ll stay.”
Hades had been there with me the whole time. Sofia came and went, because she was pregnant and had a little boy at home. But Hades was there…always there. “I can’t do it. Liam will show his face at some point.”