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She didn’t want to look at him. She didn’t want to see what was in his eyes. She kept her gaze firmly down.
“Sunshine, you need to drink. You need to eat. You took those painkillers on an empty stomach.”
Why was he being so nice to her? Didn’t he understand it was her fault? Shouldn’t he hate her now?
She kept her gaze down. She wouldn’t look at him.
She should have known he wouldn’t let her get away with that. He grabbed hold of her chin and raised her face up. She closed her eyes.
He leaned in, careful not to brush against her sore shoulder, and he whispered in her ear. “You’re going to open your eyes and look at me, sunshine. I’m trying to be patient because I know you’re not in your right mind at this moment, but I need you back with me.”
No, he didn’t. What he needed was for her to be far away from him. Far away from them. She was a danger to them all. She should just get up and leave now, but she couldn’t, not until she knew Beau was all right.
“Sunshine, you don’t look at me, or let me take care of you, I’ll pick your ass up and deposit it in a hospital bed and make them admit you. Got me?” The gentleness had faded from his voice, sternness had taken its place, and she knew he meant every word. A hospital stay wasn’t what she needed right now. She loo
ked at him.
He leaned back and stared at her. He looked hard. Cold.
“I can only imagine what’s going through your mind right now, Flick. But you need to shut it off. You are not to blame for any of this.”
She just stared at him tiredly. If she wasn’t to blame, then who was?
Spencer. This was Spencer’s fault.
There was movement at the doorway, and she looked up, hoping to see Beau’s surgeon. But it was just Jake. He stepped into the room and Alec moved towards him. West glanced over at Mia, who’d been huddled into Alec, her eyes were puffy and red, her face drawn. She immediately nodded and moved over to Flick, sitting next to her and taking her hand in hers. Flick wanted to draw hers back but she didn’t. She just took this last little bit of comfort, even though it was more than she deserved.
West stood and moved towards Alec and Jake.
“You’re scaring him,” Mia whispered to her. “Flick, I don’t know what’s going on in your head, but you need to come back to us. You’re scaring me too.”
She froze. The last thing she wanted to do was cause any of them more pain. “I’m sorry,” she told Mia. “I’m so sorry.”
Mia wrapped an arm around her, and she fell into her side. The tears didn’t come, they were locked inside her. She collapsed like a limp rag doll; there was nothing left inside her. She was exhausted.
Suddenly, she found herself being raised into the air. A woodsy, masculine scent hit her, and she knew she was in West’s arms. She heard him barking out orders, and then she was placed on a bed. She opened her eyes, but the room spun dizzily around her and blackness overtook her.
West sat next to her hospital bed, her small, pale hand in his. They said she was just sleeping, that she was exhausted. That the trauma of everything, combined with her lack of sleep and food over the last few days meant she’d had to shut down for a while. She was hooked up to a drip to rehydrate her, and her breathing and heart rate were being monitored. He should have been taking better care of her. If she hadn’t been so tired and run down, she might have coped better with what had just happened.
How does one cope better with seeing someone shot in front of you? With nearly being shot yourself?
There was movement at the door and he turned. Alec stood there.
“How’s Beau?” West asked. He hadn’t left Flick’s side, but he’d been getting regular updates about his brother.
“He’s doing good. Just caught it in the shoulder. Although, from what Flick told us, I don’t think that’s where the shooter was aiming. Lucky for him she tripped, and he moved just in time, I’d say.”
Beau had reached for her as she tripped and the bullet had only caught him in the shoulder, it had likely been aimed more towards the middle of his body, where it would have caused more damage, probably have been fatal.
Angered flooded him, but he pushed back. Right now, he needed to focus on Flick.
“He’s been moved out of ICU,” Alec told. “I’m gonna take Mia home now, she’s exhausted. Flick?”
“They’ll probably release her tomorrow,” West replied.
“Jake has a deputy sitting outside her door. And one guarding over Beau. But we’ll all take turns about being here as well,” Alec told him. “Butch just got back, he can help too.”
He made a mental note to check in with Butch as he nodded. It was no less than he expected. When one of them was in trouble, the rest were always there to help.
