AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Yes.” I told him.
Then he reached down and cupped her face, and in a gentle voice, demanded, “Juju, wake up.”
She moaned in response. Jealousy came over me at the fact that she would respond to him, but not me, in her state.
“Juju bean.” He coaxed. “Open your eyes. You’re not going anywhere.” His hand lightly slapped her cheek, and she whimpered again.
“Yes, Dad.” She said with a sigh, her head rolling slightly under his hand.
“That’s right, Juju-bear.” He encouraged. He talked to her this way. Juju-this and Juju-that, and she responded in little breaths, even though her eyes never opened.
“I hate that name,” she whined.
I couldn’t help but hiss, “Because your name is Rose.”
I was ignored by both of them.
Headlights approached and the familiar sound of Caledonia Security’s Toyota Hilux roared down the road. Brett looked worried for a moment. But he must have seen the relief on my face. It came to a screeching halt.
Without saying a word, I picked her up. Hugo opened the back seat, and I climbed in with her, and resumed the pressure on her wound, laying her across my lap.
“Doctor is called and will meet us at the house,” Hugo said, unemotional, as always. “And we are taking these bodies, yes?”
Brett was already picking one up by the collar and hoisting him into the bed of the truck. Hugo followed suit until all three were back there, piled one top of one another. Brett climbed into the bed himself, the beretta from one of the bodies in his hand. Hugo reversed the car and headed back the way he came, up the street, and to the country house.
“Rose Marie,” I whispered to her, hoping she’d hear me. “Talk to me, please.”
I could barely hear her moan. I strained to hear her breathing, but the soft rhythm of it was the only thing keeping me sane.
“Talk to me,” I quietly whispered in her ear. I leaned back and brought my forehead to hers. I felt a tear well in my eyes and cling to my eyelashes before falling down to her cheek. “My sweet rose, please.”
“Alastair.” She sighed. I barely heard it. I thought I was hallucinating, but her lips did move and she said my name. My heart beat in my chest, and that one little thing made me believe that she would live. She had to. Not just for me, butwithme. She was mine, and I hadn’t given her permission to go.
I kissed her cheek, and her breathing softened again.
When we got to the mansion, nicknamed the “Country House”, the doctor was at the front door. He wore a suit, his white hair shining in the darkness. His little bag of medical equipment was beside him, as he anxiously awaited us.
“To the clinic,” Hugo instructed him. The doctor nodded and went inside. I had to hand Juju to Hugo first, before I could take her back in my arms and I all but ran up the front steps, rushed through the double wooden doors, and headed into our makeshift clinic.
The doctor looked her up and down, and gestured for me to take the pressure off her abdomen. I didn’t.
“Mr. Green,” the doctor said, pushing up the wire glasses that were on the end of his upturned nose, “I need to be able to work on her.”
Hugo came behind me, wrapped his arms around my shoulders, and pulled me from her side. I resisted.
“You will kill her if you stay and threaten the doctor.” Hugo’s monotone made me want to punch him in the throat. But I stopped resisting until I was led out of the room.
“Where do the walking dead men go?” Brett asked. His eyes were cold as he watched the doctor work on Rose.
“Basement.” Hugo said, making the decision. “There used to be a room for cold storage. We don’t use it now.” He crossed his arms thoughtfully. “I’ll need to put down some plastic. Will you bring the bodies down?”
Chapter 29
Rose
Iwasn’tdead.ButI also wasn’t in a hospital. The smell wasn’t right. But the beeps were there.
I had been knocked out enough times that I knew what waking up in a hospital was like. I looked around, my eyes blurry, my body weak. I felt like I was drugged up to my eyeballs, still catatonic.
