Warmth brushes the back of my hand and I snatch my hand away in a panic, fearing Mathew or something much worse as I force my eyes open once again.
Not Mathew.
Ethan.
He stands at my bedside with a kindly smile on his tired face.
Bags cling under his eyes and his arm rests in a sling with a fresh bandage peeking out from his shirt and creeping up his neck.
Bracing both hands down on the soft mattress, I attempt to push myself up into a sitting position, but Ethan moves forward and presses his hand lightly to my shoulder.
"Easy," he murmurs, the sound more of a rumble than anything else. "Take it easy."
"Where—"I croak out.
"Home," Ethan replies.
"M-My…" It comes back to me in a hot rush, like fire tearing through my thoughts and I screw up my eyes with a wince.
My mom motionless on the floor. Beatie, Mathew and the gun, then Kon's face above me like some angelic arrival to say goodbye.
I survived?
When I unscrew my eyes, Ethan's sitting beside my bed and he flashes me a soft smile once more. "I knew as soon as I persuaded Kon to take a breather, you would wake up," he says. "It's like some kind of law, I think."
I glance around the room, focusing on the familiar walls, the wooden panels on the door and the blue sky outside.
Curtains drift faintly in the breeze that curls through the open window, and when I breathe in, the scents of the flowers outside fill my lungs.
"What happened?" Finding my voice is hard.
"Kon will explain," Ethan says. "He wants to talk to you."
I sink back down into my pillow slightly and look down at myself, but whatever is tight across my chest is hidden by my gown. So I look back at Ethan. "Are you okay?"
Ethan nods. "Ripped a few stitches punching a guy. You know how it is."
Who did he punch?
My brows furrow but before anything else can pass my lips, the door flies open and Kon hurries into the room with panic in his eyes.
It fades slightly when he sees me and his steps slow, but from the rapid rise of his chest he was clearly running.
As Ethan stands, I glimpse him pocketing his phone.
"Boss." Ethan greets him with a nod and they exchange places. The door closes softly behind Ethan while Kon moves and perches on the edge of my bed, staring at me like he hasn't seen me in months.
The weight of his gaze is painful and after a few seconds, I'm forced to look away so I can catch my breath.
"What do you remember?" Kon's voice is gentle and calm, a far cry from the yelling memory in my mind. I think that's the first time I've ever heard him raise his voice not in anger.
"I… I'm not sure," I croak, gently smacking my lips together.
Without a word, Kon rises and moves to the edge of the room where he pours me a cup of water and returns to my side.
As he hands it to me, his hand lingers and our fingers brush with a spark of heat that instantly ignites the dormant guilt in my chest.
"Mathew shot you," Kon says and his voice trembles as he sits. "One bullet bounced off your ribs and came to a stop in the muscle. The other clipped your gut and ended up in your liver. You have been unconscious for a week, but your recovery has been strong. I feared…" He stops himself briefly. "I feared you would not wake up. The doctor told me it was normal with the stress and blood loss, but I still feared you would not wake up."
