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I blink, trying to get one last glance of her. One more image to store in my memory. But when I open my eyes, I don’t see Cassie. I see the white curtains that surround me in a hospital bed. And I feel pain.
All the pain I couldn’t feel before is there, a fire blazing through every one of my nerve endings while I shift in the bed.
“Fuckkkkkk.” I groan pitifully and reach for the button that is right next to my hand. “Morphine. Please be morphine.” Once I press the red button, within seconds the aches start to fade, until it hurts, but it isn’t unbearable anymore.
“Not morphine,” comes from the doorway.
There stands a blond-haired man with blue eyes.
“Still pregnant?” Even though I dreamed of Cassie, and she tells me I still have the baby, I need to know. I have to make sure.
“Yep.” He looks down at the chart in his hands. “You’re about eight weeks along or so.” Then he steps into the room and starts to double-check all my cords. “I’m Dr. Masterson, and you’ve been shot. It’s extremely important that you don’t move around too much. We don’t want anything to happen that might jeopardize you or the baby.”
“Cole Morgan,” I croak around the pain in my throat. “I need to see him. Now. He’s in the lobby.”
Dr. Masterson looks down at me with surprise. “There are a lot of people here waiting for you. How do you know he’s one of them?”
“Trust me,” I answer sharply. “He’s there.”
He nods with a smile. “Daddy-to-be?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll have the nurses let him back. But no sudden movements. I have an ultrasound tech coming in to make sure everything’s okay with the pregnancy. It might be uncomfortable with your wounds. But it’s important that we check again now that you’re out of surgery.”
He leaves, and I shut my eyes for a second. Or at least, I think it’s just for a second.
But it has to be longer because my whole body feels heavy.
Someone touches my hand, and I open my eyes to see Cole there. Looking just as ravaged as he had when I saw him in my dream. He’s disheveled, and there are tears in his eyes. “Casper?”
“You look like shit,” I inform him haughtily. “I never thought I’d see the day.”
He laughs and wipes his eyes with the hand that isn’t holding mine.
“Well, you’re beautiful. Just like you have been since you cried and got out of a parking ticket.”
“I love you, Cole. I loved you before I found out about the baby. And I kept talking myself out of reaching out. I’m a coward. But I love you and I don’t want to lose you because of an accident.”
He wipes away the tears that I haven’t even noticed falling down my cheeks. “You’re stealing my lines, Casper. I’m supposed to swoop in and win you back.”
Cole lifts my hand to his lips and kisses my fingertips softly. “After the convoy attack, I remembered the accident. What really happened to Cassie. But I was injured and I couldn’t get back to you. To tell you the truth, as soon as they cleared us, you were going to be my first stop. Then the police station. Shit went south, so I had to do it backward. But they’re going to be looking for him for more than just today.”
The pain medication is strong, but it can’t bethatstrong. “You were in the convoy accident? The same one that injured both Linc and Remy?”
Cole nods, looking at me with confused eyes. “You didn’t know?”
No, I most assuredly didnotknow. And I will definitely be having words with my brother about it. I’m not going to tell that to Cole, though. Instead, all I do is shake my head slightly.
“I’m going to murder Emmett,” Cole mutters. “He swore that he was going to tell you so that you wouldn’t worry. I was coming for you. I was always coming for you.”
“He thought that I left you,” I admit. “I never told him about what Joel said, and after I kicked you out, they stopped by with Laurence.” I choke on the words, sobbing at the pain that sweet little boy must have gone through for me. “Is he okay?”
“Yeah, baby. He’s a lot better than Auntie Caspie.”
My chest swells, and I take a deep breath. “Did they catch him yet?” I don’t say his name. I’ll never say his name ever again. Never waste another breath on him. At least, not after I deliver Cassie’s message for her.
“Your dad ran out of here a few minutes ago like his ass was on fire. I think he was going to supervise.”
