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Annabelle
Ifeel Declan’s hand holding mine before I even open my eyes to see him. The room is dark and quiet, and my mind is flooded with memories of the night my parents died when I rushed home to sit by Tommy’s side in this same hospital. I have to suppress the shiver that runs down my spine. Once the adrenaline wore off earlier, everything hurt. The EMT was right, my shoulder was dislocated, and I have a severe concussion.
Because I’m pregnant, I can’t have anything stronger than acetaminophen to help with the pain. They were able to x-ray my shoulder with extra lead aprons to protect the babies. They also insisted on an MRI to make sure there was no internal bleeding but were able to do what they called a fast scan which only took a few minutes. The machine’s humming vibrations managed to put me to sleep but I don’t know for how long.
I squeeze Dec’s fingers, and he jolts up.
“Hey,” he whispers. “You’re awake.” He leans over the hospital bed and kisses my lips gently. “Want me to get the nurse?”
“No.” I look around the room for a clock but don’t see one. “How long was I out?”
Dec glances down at his phone. “About half an hour.”
“Where’s Tommy?” I can’t imagine how he’s handling all this.
Declan brings my hand up to his face and presses his lips against my fingers. “He’s with Nattie in the cafeteria. He was hungry. Once Dad got here, he called the crew. Everyone is here. How do you feel, baby?”
I close my eyes, and sit for a second before telling him, “Like someone put my brain in a blender.” I’d laugh if I weren’t scared it would hurt. “Thank you.”
“For what? This was my fault. You’d never have been on Leighton’s radar if it weren’t for me.” His eyes drift away from me.
“Declan, look at me.” Those inky-blue eyes are holding on to so much anguish, it’s heartbreaking. “Leah’s actions were her own. Not yours. You had no way of knowing that someone you dated five years ago would go crazy now. She lied about her name. She lied about what she was doing here. She was completely delusional. She thought once she got me out of the way, you’d be all hers. There was no way you could have known.” I try to pull our joined hands back to my face, but he won’t let me.
“When you called me...” He leans forward against the bed. “Jesus, Belle. When you called me, and I heard what she was saying...” A single tear falls down his cheek. “You always say that I can’t leave you. Well, it goes both ways, baby. Please don’t ever leave me.”
“I didn’t even know the call went through. I was trying to call the police before she knocked me out.” I manage to pull my hand away and cup his face. “I’m sorry if I scared you.”
He covers my hand with his and leans his face into it. “Sam told me what happened once he and Bash got there. Are you ready to talk about what happened before that?”
“I was so scared I’d never see you again. She caught us when we were getting in the car, held a gun to my side and forced us into the house. I sent Tommy upstairs, and she didn’t stop him, so I don’t think he saw anything. Is he okay? Does he seem upset?” I ask, knowing I may never forgive myself for the answer.
“He’s fine, Belle. His only questions have been about when he can see you and whether Bash’s boo-boo is fixed,” Dec laughs a small, pitiful sound.
“Oh, God. How’s Bash?” I try to sit up, but pain shoots behind my eyes, knocking me backward.
Declan stands to move my pillow behind my head before sitting next to me on the edge of the bed. “According to Sam, Bash is hitting on the nurses. He got twelve stitches, but it didn’t hit anything internally. He’s gonna be out of here today. You, on the other hand, have to spend the night.”
There’s a quiet knock at the door before Bash’s head pokes in. “How’s the patient?” He looks between Declan and me and then takes in all the machines. “I can come back later.”
“No,” I tell him quickly. “Please. Come in here and show me you’re okay.” I feel the tears I’ve been trying to hold back since I woke up finally break free.
Bash walks to stand next to Dec, followed by Sam, who shuts the door before leaning against it.
Declan gets up and hugs Bash. “I can’t thank you enough, man.” Then he looks over to Sam. “Both of you. You saved my family.”
The flood gates open, and there’s no holding back my tears. All three guys look at me, worried, as I hiccup between heavy sobs that make my head hurt worse. “Bash, I don’t know how to thank you.”
“Then don’t.” Sebastian runs a hand through his dark hair, followed by a painful wince. He’s going to have to be careful about the way he moves for a while. “Are the babies okay?”
“Yes. Both babies are perfect. I had an ultrasound as soon as I got here.” I point to one of the machines monitoring me. “See that?”
Sam pushes off the door to look closer.
I smile at two of my three heroes. “That’s the babies’ heartbeats.” I lay my hand back down, and Declan laces his fingers with mine. “They’re safe because of the two of you and Amelia.”
Sammy smirks. “So, if they’re boys, you’ll name them Sammy and Sebastian, right?” He winks.
“I thought I was winning a trophy for you,” Declan taunts.
