He was alive and that was the thing we needed to focus on. Even if it was hard not to see the whole picture.
The room was quiet for a long time after that.
Mouse and Laurel looked the worst of all of us.
Mouse, I understood. I was sure he was blaming himself for everything that happened to Blade. But in my mind, Blade made his choice. He chose to put someone before himself. It was admirable and I had even more respect for the guy now.
Laurel, though, I couldn’t tell what was going through her mind. I wanted to ask her, but as she sat there tucked away in the corner, I could tell that she’d gone into her head. It would take a lot to pull her out right now. I wanted to, I did, but I was at a loss as to how.
Maybe she just needed to rest.
I needed to get her back to the compound.
“Hey,” I said softly after I walked over to her.
Her eyes blinked and her body jerked a bit.
“Hey,” she replied, jumping to her feet. “What do you need?”
Damn. That got my heart. Here I was coming to check on her and the first thing she thought was about what I needed.
“To know that you’re okay.”
She gave me a tight smile but didn’t answer.
“Get her back to the compound,” Iron said walking over. “Brand is taking Cami now. Get some shut-eye. I’ll head back after I hear about Dade and then I’ll call Church.”
“You sure?” I asked because I felt like shit taking off in the middle of everything.
“Yeah. I’m sending Mouse on too.”
He patted me on the back then walked off.
“Ready to go?” I asked.
She nodded and tucked herself into my side as we walked out of the hospital. She didn’t fight it or ask to stay which told me that she must have really been feeling tired. Or maybe she knew she wouldn’t be able to hold herself together much longer. Knowing her, she wouldn’t let herself break down in front of everyone.
