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“Miss, the doctor wants to examine Mr. Fleming,” the nurse tells me, and I ignore her.
I’ve been sitting on Hawk’s bed for the past hour—or two?—talking to him, stroking his hand. He’s breathing on his own, which the docs say is a good thing, but hasn’t shown any signs of waking up, or that he’s heard a single word I’ve said.
“None of this is your fault,” I tell him for the millionth time, squeezing his hand, tracing his big fingers with mine. “I waded into it of my own volition. Besides, I’m fine. We’re fine. The baby’s fine, Hawk. Your baby. And I’ll sit by your side until you open your eyes and look at me. Look at me, Hawk. Look at me!”
“Miss,” the nurse tries again, putting a hand on my shoulder. “The doctor is waiting. And you should be resting.”
“No.” I shrug her hand off. I can’t leave before I see a sign he’s waking up. I can’t stand the thought of walking out of the room and not knowing if he’s aware of me or not. “Not yet.”
“Miss…”
I lean closer to him, brush my mouth over his. “I love you,” I whisper against his lips. “I love you more than I ever thought possible. Come back to me.”
Someone is talking behind me, probably the doctor, growing impatient with my insistence to stay—but I feel it.
I feel his hand tighten around mine, I feel his lips move.
Drawing back, I stare at them and read the words he’s breathing.
“Layla,” he whispers. “Don’t leave.”
I let out a long breath and give him a shaky smile, although he hasn’t opened his eyes yet. “I’m not going anywhere.”
***
Dorothy is seated beside me, her arm linked to mine. She says nothing, but her presence is comforting. She’s been so quiet since we got here at the hospital, and I feel so guilty for dragging her into this.
She smiles when I glance at her, though. She’s a strong girl. We’ll get through this together.
“Sandivar is behind bars,” Storm is saying, stroking Raylin’s hand with his thumb, and probably not even aware he’s doing it. “And the Big Boss is facing charges. Incriminating evidence was found in his accounts. He’s awaiting trial, but the prosecutors are confident he won’t walk away.”
Good. I nod, glancing at the door to Hawk’s room where the doctors a
re checking him over yet again.
“You did this.” Storm leans forward, looking at me. “If you hadn’t been in that basement with Hawk, if you hadn’t helped him, he might have died in there.”
I nod, although my mind is far away. Okay, not so far away—just behind the door to Hawk’s room. And to be honest, I don’t care about the Organization. All I care about is that Hawk’s still alive.
The rest of the world can go screw itself.
Maybe I’m more selfish now that I have Hawk back and a baby on the way. Honestly, I don’t feel guilty about that.
If my dad and Hawk’s parents had thought about their loved ones first, about their kids and the danger they were putting them in, if all the Organization members had thought about specific human lives first, then maybe all this wouldn’t have had to happen.
The door opens and the doctors walk out. “Mr. Jordan?” one of them says, and Storm stands up and walks over to them. “Mr. Fleming has to stay for another two days, to be monitored, but after that, if there are no complications, you can take him home.”
Home.
I stand up, too, putting a hand to the wall to steady myself. Hawk will be fine.
We’re going home—and home is wherever Hawk is. He’s all that matters.
“Ms. Green?” The doctor nods at me. “Mr. Fleming would like to talk to you. Keep it brief, please.”
I walk back through the door as if in a dream. Because Hawk is sitting up, the back of his bed propped up, and he’s looking straight at me.
When he opens his arms, I almost trip over my feet in my haste to sit on the bed and fall in them. Resting my head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat, that’s where I want to be. Where I want to stay.
