AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He nodded. “She’s a trooper—that one. Keep her around.”
With that, he left the large room, more than likely going to rescue someone else’s day like he’d just rescued Red’s.
I looked down at Aaliyah and brushed my thumb over the back of her hand.
“I’m so sorry, Red,” I whispered.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Aaliyah
Istared up at the bright ceiling, the light burning my tired eyes. I never understood why hospitals kept the lights so bright. Surely, they knew it was uncomfortable for patients who just woke up, right?
Lowering my lids so I was squinting, a frown pulled at my lips. A dull throb was pulsing through my abdomen, making it a bit uncomfortable to breathe. I was sluggish and weak, exhaustion pulling at my extremities and making it hard to focus my brain on any one particular thing for very long.
Once my eyes adjusted, I slowly turned my head, surprised to find Johnston sitting in a chair beside my bed. His chin was resting on his chest, and his arms were crossed, his eyes closed. He was more than likely asleep, and it didn’t look comfortable at all.
How long had he been there? How long was I out?
I was honestly surprised to see him sitting there at all, really. We’d had sex once, and I’d never expected anything, especially after Wendy came ranting and raving—
Wendy.
She fuckingshotme. Was that why he was here? Was here to make sure I didn’t press some kind of charges? Was he here to apologize?
If he was here to apologize, I didn’t want his apologies. He didn’t control what his wife did, and while he’d cheated on her, it didn’t make shooting me okay. Besides, she was obviously ill and needed real help.
But despite her needing help, I hoped she’d been arrested. I hoped she would suffer for what she’d done to me.
I knew I should’ve listened to the guys when they tried to keep me behind them, but she’d trained that gun on Johnston, her finger on the trigger, and a need—a fucking desperation—to protect him crawled through me, latching onto me like a parasite.
Was this one of the stupid things loving someone made you do? I couldn’t ever imagine taking a bullet for my ex—not ever. But Johnston? As stupid as it was of me, I knew I’d do it all over again.
I tried to move a little to get more comfortable, and a low moan of pain crawled up my throat, pain slicing through me. I gasped, my hands clenching the sheets, the agony momentarily turning my vision white.
Johnston lurched from the chair and gripped my wrists, his eyes steady on mine. “Easy now, Red. Focus on leveling your breathing.”
He was still calling me Red.
I whimpered, trying to breathe normally like he’d instructed all while it felt like someone was slicing my insides open. I wheezed, closing my eyes, trying to find a happy place until the pain dulled again. But Icouldn’t. Why did it have to hurt so goddamnbad? I wanted to scream, and I kept my lips tightly pressed together so that bottled scream couldn’t come forth.
The agony slowly eased, and I relaxed a little, blowing out a soft breath.Fuck. Ineverwanted to go through that again.
“Better?” he quietly asked once I opened my eyes again. He was still leaning over me, his hands still circling my wrists, concern lingering on those dark eyes of his.
Concern forme.
My insides turned all warm and fuzzy.
“Mhm,” I mumbled. “Water?”
He quickly left my side and grabbed a bottle of water, bypassing whatever the hospital had set up for me. All he did was snatch the straw out of the hospital cup and stick it in the bottle of water before placing the straw at my lips. I greedily drank, the cool liquid soothing my dry throat. I hadn’t realized how thirsty I’d been. It was like I’d been in the middle of the desert for days on the verge of dehydration.
“How long have I been out?” I asked him once I’d finished off the water. I hadn’t realized I would drink the entire bottle, and my cheeks warmed. He didn’t pay it any attention, though. He just stuck the straw back in the hospital-provided water and tossed the empty bottle in the trash.
“A little over twenty-four hours,” he informed me. I grimaced. He sighed, pushing his fingers through his dark, curly hair. “You were in surgery for a lot of it.”
I stayed quiet for a moment. He took a seat again, lacing his fingers on his lap, his eyes never leaving my face. Even though I wasn’t looking at him, I couldfeelhis stare boring holes into me. It wasn’t unnerving. It comforted me, made me feel safe, protected.
