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“Thank you,” I breathe, barely holding myself back from throwing my arms around him much like Millie did to me.
“Did you get details of what’s wrong?” Fiona asks.
“She’s sustained some internal bleeding and a lot of superficial injuries. She was very, very lucky.”
“And Vaughn?” Oakley spits, pure venom dripping from him.
“Let’s just worry about Raine right now,” he suggests, making it clear that he doesn’t know.
The next ten minutes pass by in a blur.
Raine’s social worker finally shows her face and gets the full rundown of Raine’s condition, which although sounds utterly terrifying is mostly cuts, bruises and a concussion. The internal bleeding they took her into surgery for was thankfully nowhere near as bad as they were expecting and they predict she’ll make a full recovery after a couple weeks of rest.
Finally, after what feels like forever, I get the nod to go and see her. Well, me and the social worker.
Trudy is nice enough, but something tells me that her and Raine don’t exactly see eye to eye.She’s all sunshine and roses and my girl, well… she’s more of a rainstorm.
The second the nurse opens the door to the private room Christian ensures Raine is placed in, I’m at her side and gently taking her hand in mine.“Sunshine,” I whisper, my eyes burning again. “Fuck. That was the most terrifying thing I’ve ever experienced.”
Trudy hovers at the end of the bed, watching us closely.
She’s silent for so long as I study every inch of my girl, making note of every single one of her visible wounds, that she startles me when she does finally speak.
“You know, you’re exactly the kind of bad influence I warned Raine to stay away from when she started at All Hallows’.”
My shoulders tighten and my lips press into a thin line.“Lovely,” I grit out. “Well as you can see, she heeded your advice.”
“I’m glad she didn’t,” she confesses. “Raine doesn’t tell me much. Or at least, she doesn’t think she does. But I knew the moment something changed. There was a lightness in her voice.”
Finally, I lift my eyes to the only parent figure Raine has in her life and find them just as glassy as mine must be.
“You probably don’t need me to tell you that she’s had a rough start in life, Theo. People she should have trusted have let her down time and time again. But you… there’s something different about you.”
“I love her,” I blurt for the second time in a few hours. Spilling my guts to everyone bar the one person who should be hearing the words.
“I can see that. And I think the feeling is mutual.” She falls silent despite the fact she clearly wants to say more.
“Go on,” I encourage, desperate to hear what she has to say.
“It’s not going to be easy. She’ll make sure of that.” Her lips twist as she glances at Raine again. “But if you fight hard enough, something tells me that it will be more than worth your while.”
I nod at her, unable to speak past the huge, messy lump of emotion her words have caused.
But I know. And I totally agree.
Things with Raine might be wild. But I already know it’s going to be worth every second. And anyway, the fighting is often the best part.
“I’m going to give you some space. Here’s my number,” she says, placing her card on the side. “Call me if you need anything. I’ll be back tomorrow to check in on her.”
“What about him?” I ask, unable to say his name.
“If he comes through this, he’ll be dealt with by the police. But rest assured, Vaughn Ronson will spend a long time behind bars.”
I want to tell her that it’s not enough, that he should never have gotten close enough to hurt her this time, but I bite back the words. Vaughn isn’t my concern right now, Raine is.
“Thank you,” I say, forcing the words out.
Thank you for dropping her right into the middle of my fucked-up life.
