My heart cramps inside my chest as he explains what he wants. Based on his voice and how difficult it is for him to leave me, I can tell my alpha has been worried about going feral. His voice may always show the scars of losing me, and it makes me wonder if he was worried about being locked up.
“I think that’s a really good idea,” I state. “Let’s do it. Now, who’s going to run it?”
Nico grins as he basks in my praise, his fingers finding reasons to touch me.
“I’ll do interviews, and have Dario help me do a deep dive on staff before we reach out to recruit. I have no problems poaching decent doctors and therapists.”
“We don’t play fair,” I say, my lips curving slightly.
Maybe there’s hope for me yet.
“No, no we don't. I’ll be right back, baby. It’s not a big deal if you fall back asleep, okay?”
I nod, feeling the strain of speaking for so long already dragging me down. Nico kisses my forehead before hurrying out, however, I can already feel sleep coming for me fast.
I don’t know how long he’s gone, but it’s just enough time for my eyes to open and close several times before I succumb to sleep.
Chapter Forty-Two
ONE WEEK LATER
ROSALIA
Veronaand I have been watching movies and she’s trying to keep me from getting annoyed since I can’t move around. To be honest, I keep falling asleep so I couldn’t tell you what the movies are about. I still have an IV for antibiotics and other medications so I wouldn’t be able to go anywhere either way.
However, I am still beginning to feel antsy.
Each of my pack members have been sitting separately with me throughout the week, keeping me from feeling overwhelmed.
“I want to see my back,” I tell Verona. I have this urge deep inside of me to see it, and they’re the first words out of my mouth when I wake up from another nap. My voice is sleepy as I yawn, and I tuck my right hand underneath my head.
It’s as if the request came from a dream and Verona scrambles off the floor where she’s reading a book.
“Rosa…I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”
Dr. Walsh taught them how to keep the wounds clean and dry whenever he can’t be here, but I haven’t been able to see how bad it is yet.
“I need to know,” I insist.
Her eyes close for a moment, and I can feel her gathering herself through the bond as she finally nods.
“Okay.” Opening her eyes, she grabs her phone and stands. My heartbeat speeds up at how quickly she agreed, but then, of anyone, she’s always been in my corner.
I say what I mean, and mean what I say with her. There have been times in our lives where that hasn’t been true, but she knows it was done to protect her.
Taking a deep breath, she angles the phone above me and takes a few photos. I have to keep my left shoulder down and relaxed because I can feel some of the cuts there. Dr. Walsh is slowly reducing my pain medication as things heal.
Vero gazes down at the photos before she kneels down beside me.
“It’s bad,” I confirm without seeing them.
“They’re…hateful,” she mutters. “If I could kill them all again, I would.”
Dario and Pablo have both said the same thing, but sometimes revenge has to take a backseat in a crisis.
“Let me see, Verona,” I murmur. I rarely use her actual name, and her nose wrinkles before she turns the screen so I can see.
“This is your shoulder,” she says, leaning over to explain it to me. One of the dickheads carved his name into my skin. As she continues through the photos, I see there’s another full fucking name, a dick, various forms of slurs, and general destruction to my back.
