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“The asshole is in jail right?” Marco asks Joe.
“Yeah, Smith took him in after I got there. You alright?”
“My body hurts like a son-of-a-bitch…” He lowers his voice. “I really thought I was going to die today, man. I just kept picturing Ellie and my kids, thinking how I didn’t want to leave them. I’m so glad I’m alive right now.”
Me too, love. Me too…
Chapter 27
I'm fine
Marco
Darkness,totalfuckingdarkness.
“GARCIA!!! Stay with me, man!!” I hear the shout.
I recognize Joe’s voice and I swear my eyes are open, but I can’t see his face. Instead, all I see is my beautiful wife.
Her compassionate blue eyes are shining down on me and she's smiling with her sweet smile that owns my heart. She whispers, “Hi, love.”
“Hi, babe.” I’m smiling, but why am I smiling?
“MARCO. Stay with me, man. The ambulance is almost here,” Joe shouts again.
Why is he shouting? And why does it feel like an elephant is sitting on my chest?
All my kids suddenly appear and are looking down at me too.
“Oh hey, kids. When did you guys get here?” My voice is eerily calm.
“Daddy, are you going to die?” Olivia’s voice is small but steady. There’s no panic or fear, only curiosity.
“I hope not, baby girl. I hope not,” I reply as my eyes slowly begin to close.
I sit up with a start, drenched in sweat, gasping for air, my heart racing like it’s going to beat right out of my chest. I force my eyes open to see I’m in my bedroom. Ellie is fast asleep in bed next to me, and it’s still pitch black.
I will my body to come down from another bad dream before I lay my head on the pillow again.
It’s been two weeks since that fucker shot me.Two miserable assweeks of not being able to do a goddamn thing but lay on the couch or in bed while I “recover.” I’m fucking recovered already, but Ellie won't let me lift a finger.
I’m fine.The gnarly purple bruises that peppered my chest are finally beginning to fade and I can put full weight on my ankle again. I’m sore, but nothing that should keep me bedridden.
Over the past two weeks, Joe has checked on me every day, usually with a meal from Jess even though Ellie says she doesn’t need it. My mom has stopped by every couple of days acting like everything is normal because she is too nervous to ask me aboutit. Other guys from the department have popped in to see how I’m doing too. Smith even came by to tell me they served a search warrant on the fucker’s house and were able to retrieve some stolen property from the businesses.
Since the shooting, there’s a fear in Ellie’s eyes I’ve never seen before. It’s like she worried that if she touches me, I will shatter like glass. And I’m not even talking about anything sexual, she’s even avoided simple hugs or snuggling up next to me. Every slight wince or need to stop to catch my breath, she tries to cover her worry with a brave face. I know this has been scary for her, but I miss her. The last time we were close was the night of her striptease and I’m craving her touch. And I'm so ready to move on from this nightmare.
I lay in bed awake for a few more hours until Ellie stirs. Pretending to have just woken up myself, I whisper, “Hey, beautiful. How did you sleep?”
“Hmm," she hums as she rolls over to face me. “I slept fine, still having bad dreams though.”
You and me both,but I keep that to myself because I don’t want her worrying about me any more than she already is.
“How are you feeling today?” she asks.
I lean in and kiss her on the nose before I roll my eyes. “Like I told you yesterday and the day before that, I’m fine.”
I go to roll out of bed, but she grabs my arm and gingerly stops me. “I know you are, love. I just don’t want you doing anything to hurt yourself again or make your recovery harder.” She places her hand on my cheek before she kisses my lips delicately.
