Page 66 of Let Me Protect You

A gentle hand covers mine, and I look up. Kami’s dark eyes shine with tears, but she gives me a small, reassuring smile. “Trust me; this isn’t on you. He’d do it a thousand times over if it meant he could protect you.”

Vicki opens her mouth to speak again, probably to ask more questions, but Kami quickly says, “Let’s wait until a doctor comes out before we start asking questions.”

The five of us sit there in tense silence for what feels like days before we’re told his family could visit. Vicki and Kami stand and follow the nurse. Before they disappear, Kami gives me a sad smile.

“Will they let me see him?” I ask Serenity. She has to know something. This is where she works.

“Give him some time with his family. He might not be ready to see you yet.”

I snuggle into her, and she wraps her arms around me. “Why did you lie and say that it’s not my fault to Vicki?”

“Because it isn’t. This isn’t even Victor’s fault no matter how much I want to place the blame on him. No one told Mr. Smith to do what he did. He needs psychiatric help.”

Abigail rests her head on my shoulder so that we’re all nestled together. “And some of the blame is on me.”

“No.” I don’t even wait for her to explain. “It’s not your fault Patrick tricked you.”

Kami pokes her head around the corner and says, “Hey, Elias is asking for you.”

I sit up, and Abigail and Serenity startle. It has only been a few minutes since Kami and Vicki left, but I don’t question Kami. I bolt to the hallway, and Kami rushes after me, but I pause and turn back to my sister and best friend. “Do you want to come?”

Serenity waves me off. “You go by yourself. You’re the one he wants to see.”

I nod and allow Kami to lead me, tears welling in my eyes. The fact that he’s asking for me … That has to be a good sign. He’s alive. He protected me like he promised, like I knew he would.

We head down a bright, fluorescent lit hallway until we reach the third door on the right. Kami pushes aside the curtain and ushers me in.

I walk inside Elias’s room, but his eyes are closed. His aunt sits on his hospital bed, holding onto his hand without the IV.

Elias’s eyes flicker open, and he gives me a weak smile. “You’re here.”

I step forward, hesitantly looking between his family. “I’ve been waiting to see you.”

“Come sit with me,” he croaks out.

His aunt moves and grabs onto my hand. Her lips wobble as she gives me a smile. When she releases me, she moves to a chair and sinks into it. My throat clogs as I sit on the side of Elias’s hospital bed. I take him in. A fresh, clean bandage is wrapped around his shoulder. Color infuses his cheeks again, slowly returning to his regular light brown tone.

“How are you feeling?”

“Not the best.” He takes a ragged breath. “How are you?”

I huff out a laugh and reach for his hand, twining our fingers together. “You want to make sure I’m okay when you’re the one who was shot?”

“I sound like a hero.”

“You are.” I squeeze his hand. “You’re my hero.”

Chapter 34

Harmony

Three weeks later, Elias and I enter Frank’s Restaurant for Vicki’s birthday party. He swears he’s healed enough that he barely feels the pain anymore, but when he turns or bends a certain way, I see the way his face pinches ever so slightly. I didn’t push him on it though because he already delayed this party by a couple of weeks, and he was going stir-crazy.

We walk underneath a banner that reads, “Happy Birthday, Vicki!” in bright pink letters. Magenta colored flowers twist up the post that holds the sign with matching balloons. Almost every inch of the restaurant is covered in either the flowers or balloons with some random confetti thrown on the tables.

Workers wipe down the tables as we pass by. I wave, recognizing a few faces from my childhood, and some newer people who frequent Cutesy’s.

Kami spots us, and she beelines over. “You’re late.”