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My eyes meet Damon’s one last time. I give him a weak smile and mouth the words I never thought I would ever get to say to him.
I love you.
His eyes bulge as I shift my weight and elbow Brandon in the stomach. He releases me long enough that I can spin on my heels and grasp the hand that holds the gun. As much as I like to think of myself as a strong woman, Brandon overpowers me, and we fall to the ground.
I hear Damon screaming my name in the background as he gets closer and closer, but it’s no use. We’re brawling. Rolling around on the grass, hands desperately trying to get control of the gun, blows landing on both sides.
Then, everything goes black.
20 DAMON
The beeping of the heart monitor keeps me awake, even though my eyes feel like they’re weighed down by concrete.
“You need to go home,” Liam says softly from across the room. He’s been here almost as long as I have, but to be fair, he and JJ take turns. I shake my head, resting it on Clara’s hand that’s clasped within mine.
“I can’t leave her. I just…”
“I get it.” He gives me a sad smile as he gets out of the chair, looking at his watch. “I’m going to get you some food, okay? I’ll be back.” I nod absently, kissing the back of Clara’s hand, hoping to God she wakes up.
The last seventy-two hours have been a nightmare. When I rounded the corner of that house and saw that gun pointed at her head, I felt my heart stop. Clara looked terrified standing there, pressed against that asshole, waiting for him to decide whether she lived or died. Seeing her lying in this hospital bed now, hooked up to so many machines, sends my mind spinning into an abyss.
“Damon?” Clara’s cracked voice comes from above me, and I sit straight up. This isn’t the first time I thought I heard her voice since she was brought in here, but it’s the first time I’ve looked at her beautiful face and saw her blue eyes staring back at me.
“Clara!” I stand, bringing her hand to my lips and kissing it again, feeling her fingers squeeze back this time. I push the call button beside her bed, letting the nurse on the other end know she’s finally awake. I sit on the edge of the bed and lean over her, gently kissing her forehead.
“You okay, sweetheart?” I ask, knowing it’s a stupid question, but needing the reassurance.
“I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck,” she jokes, making me smile along with her. “What happened?”
Just as I’m about to explain everything, a bunch of doctors and nurses come in to check on Clara’s vitals, making sure she’s okay. Then Liam and JJ come in and take up even more time. After a while, I kick everyone out, needing to be alone with her.
“Damon, what happened?” Clara asks again as I sit in the same spot on the edge of the bed by her hip, taking her hands in mine.
“What do you remember?” I ask, needing to know how much of this I have to tell. Because if I’m honest, I would rather not relive any of it.
“I remember you rounding the side of the house. I remember elbowing him in the stomach and us falling to the ground. After that, it’s all a blur.”
I know what I need to tell her.
“I watched you fall to the ground, him braced over you, still holding the gun to your head. I knew I needed to help you, but I stood there frozen. I didn’t know what to do…” My voice breaks, and her palm finds the side of my cheek.
“Baby, I never wanted you to step in.”
I shake my head. “No, I wish I had. I wish I could have been there sooner, found you quicker.”
She catches the tear that falls from my eye as I bow my head into her chest.
“Tell me what happened,” she whispers softly.
I take a deep breath and tell her about the fight. How Brandon had her pinned to the grass, the gun still pointed at her head. But instead of shooting her like we all thought he would, he rammed the butt of the gun into her head over and over again until she lost consciousness.
I will never forget the smile on his face when his eyes met mine. I will always remember the look he flashed me when he was arrested and charged with attempted murder. That bastard’s face will stay etched in my mind until the day I die.
Clara releases one of her hands from mine, and her fingers touch the side of her head. Tears well up as she feels the shaved area where they stitched her up.
“It will grow back, I promise,” I whisper against her ear, kissing the side of her neck. “You are still the most beautiful woman I have ever seen in my entire life.” I raise my head and look deeply into her eyes. I can tell that she doesn’t believe me, but I vow to remind her of that every day for as long as she’ll let me.
21 CLARA
