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The bullet. And shooting. The blood and screaming.
The light pierces my eyes until they water all over my temples.
“Wells?” I whisper. It takes every bit of strength I have. My throat is dry, tongue heavy, head pounding.
My eyes float over the room. The beeping and whirring are above me. Machines. A prickling pinch in my hand—IV. My skinis pale and dry, bluish and chilled. And it all smells sterile and sick at once.
“Ivanna,” my mother shrieks. “Oh, my sweet, sweet girl.” Her hand slides over my cheek while her other frantically presses buttons near my shoulder.
“Wells?” I chirp again. I want Wells.
“Yes, sweetheart, you’ll be well soon.” She nods, and her lips twitch with a maternal devotion. “It’s all okay now.”
No. Why doesn’t she understand what I’m asking? My head is so groggy, the light is painful, and my voice is not cooperating. I’m so thirsty.
I try again. “Husband,” I pant. “Wells.”
She flaps hernonsensehand at me and brushes some matted hair off my jaw. “It’s all been taken care of, Ivanna. What a weird thing to wake up worrying about. Honestly, let’s focus on getting you up and moving first.”
She’s not making any sense.
A nurse barrels into the room. Her smile stretches across her face, and she squeezes my mother’s arm. “Oh, happy day,” she croons, tapping at the machine next to the bed. “So glad you could join us, Ivanna. My name is Nurse Nelly. Your mama and I have been waiting on you.”
“Wells? Liam?” I ask, hoping she’ll get my husband and tell me what happened to Liam. My heart sinks as the memory assaults me. I watched him fade away, but I need someone to say it. To tell me he’s really gone. Tears stream down my cheeks at the thought.
“We’re going to get the doctor in here. You don’t worry your pretty head about a thing,” Nelly says.
This is making me dizzy. Maybe my words aren’t clear. I study them both as they scurry about, tittering gleefully, until a doctor arrives, examining my eyes with a tiny flashlight. I follow it, as I know he wants me to, and wait patiently to ask him my questions.
“Hi, Ivanna. I’m Dr. Barret. Your father was an invaluable mentor to me in my early years, so I feel privileged to be here with you.How are you feeling?” he asks while glancing at the clock and checking my pulse.
“Heavy,” I say.
He chuckles. “Okay. I’ll take that as a win if it’s your primary complaint. Do you know what happened to you?”
I think back. Nothing is clear after running away from Liam.Why did I leave him?
I shake my head and swallow a small amount of saliva, nearly choking on it. “No.” I cough.
The nurse appears out of nowhere on the other side of the bed, rubbing an ice chip on my lips. I lap at the cool water melting into my mouth while the doctor addresses me.
“You took a bad fall, Ivanna. There was significant swelling. We had to put you into a medically induced coma to let you heal and decided to bring you out of it a few days ago.”
A coma? Jesus, how long have I been here?“What day is it?” I puff.
“Today is December tenth,” he shares.
I heave a breath. I’ve been out for a while, and the guys aren’t here. Shit. Were they hurt too?
“Ten days,” I whisper.
He tilts his head, index finger bent over his chin. “In December, yes. You’ve been in a coma for a little over thirteen weeks.”
What? No. I heard wrong. “Days,” I correct.
He sighs, a regretful expression coasting over his features. “Weeks, Ivanna. Since September sixth.”
I can’t breathe. My chest is cracking, a spasm rocking through it. “Wells. I want Wells,” I cry and suck in the air with a whistling hiccup.
