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When Bullet said it, I took it for what it was. A term of endearment. Bullet loved a good fight. I thought Rogue might be serious. But then he said, “You look like shit,” and he smiled.
“When did he wake up?” Blade asked.
“About the time I texted Bullet.” Clover grabbed her chair and moved away. Blade and Rogue crowded in on one side of the bed. Bullet was on the other.
“The doctor will be back soon,” Clover said. “His nurse is right outside the door.”
“We know. She gave us a lecture before we came in.” Bullet leaned over me. “Tell me you’re still you. I heard people lose their memory. Don’t know who they are or who anyone else is.” He smirked. “I know there’s some shit you’d like to forget.”
“When did they take the vent out?” Blade asked.
“He can’t speak,” Clover answered for me. “He tried to ask for Lili when he first woke up.”
Fuck me. Yeah, I worried about my kid, but she was with Natalie. Had Jaymi been here? Was she worried? I didn’t even know how long I’d been out?
“Jaymi.” Fuck. I could barely whisper a syllable.
“The nurse said he should be able to use his voice as soon as the swelling of his vocal cords goes down.” Clover sat in her chair in the corner of the small, dimmed room.
Most of the light came from beyond the glass wall separating the ICU room from the nurse’s station. The curtains had been pulled, making the room darker. I could probably handle the brightness now that my eyes had adjusted.
“Ja—” I forced my voice, but it started another round of coughing. Clover jumped up, pushed Rogue out of the way, and positioned the bowl for me to spit.
The nurse came into the room. She glanced at the guys standing around my bed in their Heller cuts. Her lips pursed.
“Move,” she teasingly said to Bullet. She pressed her stethoscope to my chest. “If the rest of your friends show up, they’re going to have to wait in the family lounge. I’m only supposed to let two visitors in at a time.”
“We’ll be good,” Bullet said. “Promise.”
“If you’re quiet and step out of the way when the doctor and nurses come in, they’re usually good about bending the rules.”
The door opened. Stormy and Jazzy came into the room.
“We got here as soon as we heard.” Jazzy stepped closer to Rogue.
The nurse shifted the bell of the stethoscope. “I need you to cough for me.”
Stormy stood at the end of the bed. “Do you want us to wait out there?”
The nurse answered for me. “That would be great.”
“Come on. Let’s go get a coffee.” Stormy approached Clover, and they slipped out the door.
I forced my diaphragm to contract. Pain knifed through my ribs. I tried to cough again. Bullet put a hand behind my back and helped me straighten up. The coughing made me gag.
“Sounds familiar,” Rogue said to Jazzy. “Reminds me of last night.”
Jazzy was about to scold him, but I contracted hard with a laugh and dislodged the plug of mucus. I coughed and gagged again.
“Don’t pussy out,” Bullet said. “No need to baby that throat. You can take it.”
The nurse snorted. “You’re terrible.” She made notes on the whiteboard next to my bed. “Your lungs sound good. I’ll check with the doctor and see if I can get you those ice chips.” She left.
Blade made sure the door was closed then nodded to the guys.
“Kodiak’s gone,” Bullet said. “Skye’s been in contact with Scarlett, but she won’t tell her where she and Kodiak are. Only that they won’t be back.”
“Craw—” I whispered. The word slipped out hoarse and gravelly.
