Page 146 of Sparks Fly

Pain exploded through my right shoulder.

It was sharp and immediate, hot enough to steal the air from my lungs before I could brace for it. A rough sound slipped out of me, low and involuntary, and the room tilted as the pain spread down my arm.

“Hey. Hey, it’s okay,” Addison said softly.

Her voice cut through everything.

I turned my head slowly, careful this time not to jolt whatever fragile arrangement my body was currently operating under. The room came into focus in pieces. The IV pole beside the bed. The pale curtain pulled halfway around the room. The dull blue blanket covering my legs.

And Addison.

She sat in the chair beside the bed, leaning forward like she had been that way for hours. Her hair was pulled back messily, strands slipping loose around her face. Dark circles shadowed her eyes in a way that definitely hadn’t been there yesterday.

She looked wrecked.

The second she saw my eyes open, relief washed over her face. Her shoulders dropped like she had finally let go of a breath she had been holding for hours.

“You’re awake,” she said quietly, her voice wobbling on the last word.

I swallowed, my throat dry and thick.

“How long… was I out?”

“Almost six hours. It’s a little after three.” She reached for my hand, carefully avoiding my injured arm. “They got you settled in here, gave you more medication, and you went right back to sleep.”

Her fingers felt warm around mine.

Steady.

I studied her face, trying to separate what had happened from whatever my brain had invented.

“You said you loved me, right?”

Addison went completely still.

Then her eyes softened. “Yeah,” she whispered. “I did.”

“So that wasn’t a dream?”

“No.” Her thumb moved gently over my hand. “It wasn’t a dream.”

I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding.

“Good.”

A shaky laugh escaped her, though tears immediately filled her eyes. “You scared the shit out of me,” she said.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. Just don’t ever do that again.”

“I’ll try.” I tried to shrug, and pain immediately shot through my shoulder. “Shit—”

Addison was already moving. She pressed the call button beside the bed with one hand while her eyes flicked over my face like she was trying to memorize it.

“Don’t move,” she said quickly. “Please don’t move.”

“I’m fine,” I said automatically.She gave me a look. “You are absolutely not fine.”