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“Ah, good. You’re awake.” Eric walks in the room, his eyes following my gaze. “He wouldn’t rest until you were in the same room.”
“Of course he wouldn’t.” I laugh softly as I take one more moment to admire the love of my life before looking back at the man currently in charge.
“So,” he comes to stand beside my bed, looking at the monitor and scribbling down a few notes. “Your gunshot wound. I went back in there ready to take life saving measures but had no need to. I can’t believe it, but nothing major was hit. I want you here for a bit, I want to make sure you’re not going to bleed internally after this. I completed a full-body work up to make sure, but the only thing you seemed to lack were red blood cells, which is to be expected when you’re shot. No major damage, it missed your kidney and ascending colon by about a half millimeter or so. It got nice and hot, but no damage nor fragmented pieces from the casing, which is rare in itself. If the bullet would have gone further, it would have likely hit your third and fourth vertebrae, or L3 and L4, then deeming you potentially paralyzed. I’d say you’re in the clear for now and you’re one lucky son.”
“Hell yeah she is,” Dmitri says as he strolls into the room. I raise my eyebrow as he sits a vase of white tulips down on the table under the television. He positions them so they’re pretty side facing forward, before meeting my gaze. With an eye roll, he sits on the side of my bed, returning my stare he points to Declan. “He demanded. Said that if I didn’t have them here before or right after you woke up, he would castrate me. No offense, but I kind of have plans for the future.”
“Makes sense,” I murmur, leaning back into the pillows. The pain slowly dissipates as I take the pressure off of it, a sigh falls from my lips in relief. Eric goes to the machines around Declan, jotting notes onto the clipboard at the end of his bed. He mumbles a few things before he excuses himself, telling me he will come back in a little bit to discuss my treatment moving forward. “Is someone watching Rian?” I ask, closing my eyes in an attempt to stave off the start of a headache.
“Yes, I have a few men on him. He’s not going anywhere,” he assures me. Scooting the chair closer, he leans his elbows on the bed next to me, swallowing my single hand in his two.
“Thank you,” I whisper, swallowing thickly. He smiles and squeezes my hand without saying anything. My mind turns foggy as I look back at my husband, before I try to sit up in a hurry. “ Dmitri, Finn. How is he? Is he okay? Did we ever call Skylar? Are they safe?” I power off question after question, realizing I hadn’t asked about him and need to make sure they’re all safe. Dmitri gently pushes me back onto the bed, keeping his big brother's stern look.
“Shh, Nat. He’s alright, just has some broken bones, but other than that along with a few cuts and bruises, he’s going to be okay,” Dmitri confirms. I nod, letting myself sink into the hard hospital bed. I release a loud yawn unintentionally, causing him to stand from my bed. “I will let you rest. I’m going to go call Ansleigh and the girls, let them know you’re okay. She was really worried about you making it. I told her you’re a trooper and wouldn’t let me get off that easily.” I release a tired giggle, my body getting heavier by the second.
“Tell them I said hello.” We haven’t met yet, but I hope we will get the chance soon. Maybe when Declan and Finn don’t look as rough, we’ll maybe have a triple date, no kids. I can’t wait to meet the little munchkins as well. They are exact duplicates of their father. He gives me a kiss on the head before heading out of the room, shutting the door behind him softly.
After he leaves, I grab the little hospital remote and start flipping through the movies on the television. Turning the volume down, I watch the movie when I suddenly hear Declan stirring beside me. Turning my head to the side, I find him already staring at me.
The moment our eyes meet, I can feel the tears welling in my eyes. I watch his eyes soften as tears slowly trickle down my cheeks, the happiness that we both feel is palpable in the room.
“Don’t cry,mo ghrá. I can’t get up to comfort you,” he utters with a frown, trying to turn his entire body to me. “Nope, can’t do that either,” he groans, rolling back onto his back. I do my best to hold in a giggle as I watch his internal and external battle.
“I’m sorry,” I sniffle, wiping the tears away with the back of my hand. “I’m just so relieved that you’re alive. I don’t know what I would have done without you.”
“You thought you were going to get rid of me that easily, huh?” He teases, giving me a big smile. A sob wracks from my body before I can hold it back. I quickly cover my mouth with my hand, pinch my eyes and shake my head, willing the tears to go away.
“No, I thought I was going to lose you forever,” I whimper, my voice cracking, and I look away from him, taking in a shaky breath. “When he sent me the picture of you and Finn, I was terrified. My biggest fears were coming to light, even when I worked so hard to keep them in the dark. I can’t imagine,” I sob, breaking off. “I can’t imagine a world without you, I’m so sorry I put you in this situation. The thought of you lying there, on your deathbed while I couldn’t do a damn thing,” I stop, shaking my head again. I can’t finish my thoughts, instead holding the tears while picking at the skin around my nails to keep myself grounded.
“I’m sorry,” he whispers, looking at me with sad eyes. “I’m so sorry that you had to go through that torture with me. I never wanted anything to happen to you, yet here we are. All fucked in the head because of my father. I’m sorry, Natalia,” he chokes out, his own tears spilling. I want nothing more than to wipe them away, but we’re both bedridden.
“Don’t be. As soon as Eric lets me out of here I’m going to take care of him.” Squaring my shoulders, I smirk. My tears still fall as I lay back into the pillows, thinking of all the different ways I’m going to torture Rian. I want him to pay for the pain he’s caused. I want him to feel how powerless we felt for several years. The pain, the feeling of loss, all of it.He will pay.
Chapter thirty
Finn
Groaning,Ishiftaroundin the bed, only to be stopped by a heavy weight laying on my hand. Attempting to shuffle around, there is a heavy weight on my leg too.
“Fucking hell… What the fuck is this?” I grumble, lifting my hand up into my line of sight. The basic white form wrapped around my arm begins to throb as it’s in the air, eliciting another irritated growl from me. “Are you fucking… Acast?Twocasts?”
I release a slew of curses around me, trying to find the best way to get comfortable to no avail. Settling on my arm going on a pillow, I huff in frustration at my lack of positioning.
“Finn?” The sweetest voice comes from beside me, a gentle melody trying to catch my attention.
Quickly turning my head, my eyes fall upon my wife. The ray of sunshine lights up my room, momentarily stunning me.
“Sky?” I question, watching tears form in her gorgeous eyes. They sparkle with happiness as I meet them, water forming on my own. “Sky,” I breathe in confirmation, watching her mental bandwidth snap.
“Thank God,” she rushes out, leaning forward in her chair to get a better look at me. She grazes her fingers along my jaw, touching the bruises on my slaughtered skin. Her eyes trail the movement of her hand, working around my face and neck, then down my arms. Dressed in an ugly hospital gown, it leaves very little to the imagination. “Oh, Finn, I was so worried about you. You have no idea how worried I was! Don’t do that to me again,” she cries, smacking my chest. I let out a small hiss in pain, where she immediately apologizes. I try reaching for her, but she shoves my hands away.
“Oh my goodness, I’m sorry! Are you in any pain? Should I get Eric? Are you–”
“Shh,” I hush, reaching up with my free hand to catch her face, wiping her tears away with my thumb. “I’m okay. I’m okay, my love. A few bumps, but we’re going to be good as new. There’s a little bit of pain in my body, yes, but that’s to be expected when something like this happens, baby. Don’t worry,” I reassure her, gazing into her beautiful eyes. Her forehead falls onto her arm that rests on the bed, essentially removing my hand as she allows soft sobs to fill the room and cut through my heart. Hearing her pain makes the day of torture seem like child’s play in comparison.
I try to sit up and pull her to me, but my entire body hurts like it’s about to tear in half. Falling back into the pillows, I groan, clutching my side. Her sobs slow, turning into sniffling. She helps me readjust, putting more pillows under my arm and leg to keep them elevated. Wiping away her tears, she plops herself back on the chair heavily.
“Your wrist is broken, along with some fingers,” Skylar tells me as she sits back up to look at me, wiping her nose with the cuff of her sweater. “Your leg is also broken.” Her voice is strong although I can still hear a hint of worry. Looking into her beautiful eyes, I can see the physical pain this has caused her.
