Slade pulls back and wipes them with his thumb as I look up at him. “I love you so much,” I cry. “When I woke in the ambulance and you weren’t there…I thought…”
“Don’t go there, Virago. I’m fine. I could have killed those EMTs for not letting me in the back of that ambulance but they needed to save your life and now I owe them mine.”
“Why didn’t they let you in?”
“Because I sort of assaulted the cops who tried to keep me away,” he admits with the slightest smirk. “They needed to work on you but I wouldn’t let you go.”
I latch onto his hand and hold it tight as I see the devastation the memory causes him. “I’m sorry,” I whisper. “I wish I was stronger for you.”
“Shh,” he soothes shaking his head as though my comment physically hurt him. He reaches for the glass of water beside my bed and brings the straw to my mouth. “Here, drink this. I’m sure your throat is hurting.”
I take small, grateful sips and he watches every move I make. “I’m going to make this right,” Slade promises me. “That’s the last time he ever hurts you.”
I nod, agreeing with every piece of my soul. I try to sit up and he instantly pushes me back down. “Don’t move, Sky. You had to have surgery to get the bullet out. It was lodged into the bone, but you’re a fighter, babe. Through and through. You also have a cracked rib and I don’t know if that was from my Dodge hitting the barriers, crashing into the water, or from me giving you CPR.”
I squeeze his hand. “I’d let you crack every single rib I have if it meant that I get to live. I don’t care about the injuries, only that I’m alive another day to fight this. We’re going to take him down. I don’t know how I know that it was Lucien, but I’m positive.”
“Me too,” he murmurs, bringing my hand and pressing it against his chest. “But that doesn’t mean that you can be stupid and move around. I need you better, I hate seeing you hurting like this.”
“I’m okay, I promise.”
He watches me for a moment, not wanting to take my word for it and after what feels like forever, he finally gives in and lets me off the hook. “How are you feeling? I should let the nurse know you’re awake. What’s hurting? Do you need pain killers?”
I try to work out where to start with his questions when he pulls out his phone. “I better call Shaylee. She was struggling to keep awake and ran down to get a coffee. She’s been a mess since she got here.”
“How long has it been?”
He shrugs, reaching across and pressing the call button for the nurse. “I don’t know, maybe twelve hours or so. You were in surgery for three and have been sleeping ever since.”
Well…damn.
Chapter 2
Shay comes barging through the door of my hospital room with a coffee in hand, spilled all down her pajama top while it drips profusely from her arm.
There’s a wild, animalistic stare in her eyes and as they come to me and I give her a small smile, she breaks. The coffee is completely forgotten, dropped to the floor as she goes down with it.
Heavy sobs rip from her throat and she buries her face in her hands. “Oh, Skylah,” she cries, struggling to get the words out past the lump in her throat. “I thought I’d lost you.”
“I’m right here,” I murmur as the nurse fiddles around with my morphine and helps me get comfortable. “I’m alright, it’s just a few scratches.”
Shaylee’s head snaps up. “Just a few scratches?” she screeches, her tone splintering through my sore head, making me cringe while forcing a sharp glare out of the nurse. “You were shot and nearly drowned. What the hell, Skylah? That’s so much more than just a scratch.”
I scrunch up my face. She’s right. I know she’s right, but I hate that she’s worrying. I understand where she’s coming from but I’m fine now and she can finally start to breathe. “I know,” I tell her. “I just don’t want you panicking. I know how worried you must have been.”
Shay wipes the tears on the back of her pajama sleeves and lets out a deep breath. “I’m sorry, sweetie. I should be asking you how you’re feeling instead of crumbling into a mess on the floor. I was so worried about you. I can’t lose you again.”
“You can’t get rid of me that easy.”
She gives me a sad smile as Slade squeezes my hand and brushes his lips over mine. “I’ll give you two a minute.”
Panic slams through me. “Don’t go,” I rush out, surprising both of us.
His eyes search mine but seeing how desperately Shay needs this moment, he pulls back. “I’m just going to sit right outside the door.” He turns and points to where I can see out into the hallway. “I’ll take that chair right there so you can still see me.”