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That could only mean one thing. Mouse was far from being stable. And that was scaring the crap out of me.
No change in her condition until late evening when a nurse announced to us they had to put her in an induced coma so that her body had a chance of recovering from the trauma. The news came as a thunderclap, breaking all reality apart as Ferris and I were trying to process what was happening. And to top it all, Brax was just heading our way with the same petrified look scribbled all over his face.
Ferris ended up being the one responsible for explanations, as I could barely keep myself from also bursting into flames.
Brax seemed to take it worse than I did, blaming himself for not being able to protect her. He never publicly admitted it, but I knew the thought was eating him alive.
All we could do was wait. And that’s what we all did... wait through long sleepless hours, hoping that Bea would open those large emerald eyes again.
Days passed as the hospital couches became home to me and Brax. Couldn’t say the same thing about Ferris. He loathed and altogether feared hospitals, so who could really blame him? Besides, Sebastian was out under strict medical supervision a few days after the surgery, and someone had to keep an eye on him at home. He and Natalie definitely kept Ferris busy.
I don’t remember leaving the hospital, except for a short trip home to get some new clothes and have a decent shower.
Brax also remained in the hospital for the whole time she was committed, although he liked to spend more time in the hallway than in her room. Poor bastard, I recognized that lost gaze he had worn for a while now. It was an internal struggle, trying to stop the unavoidable from happening. I used to own the same look until the weekend spent with Bea in Emerald City managed to erase it.
I was embracing an impossible truth as all confusion seemed to have cleared.
I had fallen for her.
And so did Brax, no matter how much in denial he was about it. I could tell, judging from his sleepless nights spent staring at her door and outbursts of rage each time the medical team didn’t have any news about an improvement in Bea’s condition.
A few days later fate finally seemed to be smiling down on us.
‘Bea!?’ My voice cracked as I noticed the signs of her life support monitoring picking up as her eyes were slowly twitching to open.
And then her lips... those fleshy lips murmured my name… ‘Cole.’
I could have remained there for hours, watching her coming back to life, yet I was perfectly aware she needed medical attention more than my sympathy. ‘Hold on Bea, I’m going to get the doctor.’
I immediately left the room, rushing to get the doctor, but the moment we returned, she began panicking only to wear herself out and fall back asleep.
Even though I was hoping she would wake up ever since the doctors ended the induced comma, the moment marked me. If in the past I craved her fear, now I would have given anything for her to feel safe.
The guys and I decided to take Bea out of the hospital and move her, medical care and all, into a much more familiar environment — Ferris’s mansion. Plus, Sebastian was already there, and it was becoming more and more difficult to keep an eye on him, Natalie, and Mouse at the same time.
Bea didn’t wake up again whilst in the hospital, but just a few hours after we brought her into the house, she was opening her eyes.
‘Take it easy,’ I asked of her since she was tossing and turning between the sheets. Not that she would ever listen. At least this time around, she didn’t fall right back asleep... not before she asked us for explanations regarding the day at the governor’s house. And since she wasn’t receiving any, she was giving her best shot at getting out of bed.
‘What the fuck do you think you’re doing?’ I muttered seeing her stubborn ass trying to turn all Indiana Jones on me and explore the place.
And Ferris seemed to agree with me. ‘Get back in there.’
‘Cut the politeness. It’s not like any of you really give a shit anyway,’ Bea’s sharp tongue was definitely back to normal.
‘What’s that supposed to mean!?’ I barked, even though I knew where it was coming from. Except, she was wrong. I did give a shit… and some.
‘You know well enough what it means.’ It seemed Bea woke up on the wrong side of the bed.
Still, despite her stinging tongue, I was helping her up since she was insisting on seeing herself in the mirror. To be honest, I feared the moment when she would take a glimpse at hermomentaryappearance. She was in for a shock.
I was accustomed to her new look. I’d been by her side for seven days and I could tell the shape of every single purple bruise. I just wasn’t sure how she would take the news. ‘Are you sure you want to do this?’ I felt I needed to ask again.
‘Yes... I need to,’ she ghosted the words.
I knew that she needed to learn the severity of her wounds. Nothing could hold me back from doing the same if roles were reversed.
‘Ok. Just don’t bite my head off when we get there.’ I slowly guided her to the mirror, feeling her tense the second her reflection looked back at her.
