44. Hunter
Chapter 44
Hunter
Above me, all around me, the sky is a rosy expanse dotted with the puffiest pink clouds. The air smells like strawberries. A scent so sweet I can almost taste it each time I inhale.
I can’t help but giggle at the absurdity. Clouds aren’t supposed to be pink. There’s no way this is real. Yet I’m more than happy to play along, delighting in wisps of wonderment as they gently brush past me like the aurora borealis painting the sky.
Warmth spreads through me.
It’s like taking off wet clothes, putting on dry pajamas, and wrapping in a fuzzy blanket. It’s that first bite of dessert: rich, sweet, and deliciously indulgent. It’s the giddiness of starting a new book when there’s nothing but time, quiet, and solitude lending themselves to hours of reading.
I’m warm from the inside out.
I’m safe from the crown of my head to the tips of my toes.
There isn’t a dark cloud in sight. Not in front of me or on the horizon. I’m surrounded by beauty and hope. Awash with contentment and peace.
Limitless joy illuminates me.
No more running.
This is it.
This is my life.
This is my life.
Is it really possible for this to be my life?
A burst of color catches my eye. Then another. It’s different but just as vibrant.
Reds and purples. Blues and oranges. Bold hues juxtaposed against a cotton candy sky. Some whiz by. Others glide without rush. A few more pass before I realize what they are.
Paper airplanes.
Each one is jetting off in the same direction, determined to make their one and only flight worthy of the journey.
A niggling sensation in my gut tells me to turn around. Without hesitation, I obey and find an enormous arch. Color, light, and radiance shine down, creating a perfect rainbow. The glow emitting from it is the warmest, most welcoming invitation.
As I study it, I realize the warmth isn’t coming from the rainbow. If anything, the colors of the rainbow are unremarkable compared to the rest of the sight in front of me. The real magic, an ethereal glow, comes from the love and goodness shining below the massive colorful arch.
Beneath it, four figures stand.
My heart. My lightness. My joy. My hope.
I would recognize them anywhere. What I don’t recognize is the bundle in the arms of one of the forms. Or the way they fuss and coo at it, forming a massive man puddle of emotion. Whatever it is, it—and they—belong to me. This is true. For the first time ever, I know in my heart of hearts that we’re safe.
We’ll be okay.
We’ll be more than okay.
There’s only lightness now; there’s nothing left to run from.
Tears of relief, joy, and sheer exhaustion prick behind my eyes. The pressure rises, uncontrollable, the tears demanding to escape.
The first drops fall, rolling down my temples and into my hair.
Calloused fingers quickly brush them away.
A shiver travels up my spine.
Never before has there been a person waiting, ready to catch my tears. To even realize I’m crying. Now, with my guys, I can’t shed a single tear without being comforted.
With a labored, painful breath—shit, that hurts—I force more oxygen into my lungs. The air clears away the edges of my pink-infused dream. After a few more arduous inhales, I’m fully awake. And in almost agonizing pain.
I crack one eye open, then the other.
Steady green orbs stare back at me, searching my face.
Greedy .
“Hi,” I croak.
“You’re awake,” he whispers, the two words a grateful prayer. He pulls back a few inches and, louder and much more enthusiastically, he declares to the room, “She’s awake!”
I wince. My dry throat burns when I attempt to swallow, and pain is starting to register in the oddest places. On my cheekbone. Between my neck and shoulder. In my low back. Behind my right knee.
But it’s the throbbing headache that surprises me the most.
“Water?”
Greedy backs away quickly, and only a moment later, there’s an oversized cup with a bendy straw at my lips.
“What’s your pain level, Tem? Want me to call the nurse in?”
Right. I’m in the hospital. Thanks to another run-in with Magnolia.
Flovely .
I should ask about her. Discern who knows what about what happened at the top of the stairs. Fresh tears well at the prospect of having to rehash the incident to the guys.
They don’t deserve this. I don’t either. I may have lost the genetic lottery, but that doesn’t mean the people I love should have to endure this kind of—
“Firecracker.”
I lift my head quickly, and a sharp pain lances my temples. I wince again, then wince harder when even that hurts. Damn my Pavlovian response to Spence’s intensity.
“Oof. Sorry, love,” he murmurs. “Can you get the nurse back in here as soon as I’m done?” he gripes. “She clearly needs better pain management.”
Greedy shifts back, and Spence sits on the edge of the bed closest to me and clears his throat. “We need to talk to her before calling anyone else into the room.”
Levi and Sione have made their way to my other side, each taking a turn to bend low and kiss my head. I try to smile, to express at least a facsimile of a greeting, but everything hurts, so the best I can manage is a slight grimace and a squeeze of their hands.
Spence and Greedy stare at each other, locked in a silent argument. Surprisingly, Spence is the first to defer. With a muttered “right,” he takes my hand.
“Before anyone else arrives, I need to tell you something.”
Nodding, I press my elbows into the mattress, trying to shift up the bed. Pain sears through me, intense enough that I immediately give up.
Wordlessly, Greedy pushes a button on the bedrail, and the head of the mattress elevates.
“Do you remember what happened at Dr. Ferguson’s house?”
Another piercing pain, this one deep in my chest. “Yes.”
Spence lifts a finger to my lips before I can fill in the blanks. “No,” he corrects. “You don’t remember anything.”
I frown, which causes a tight burning pain to bloom on my cheekbone. Gingerly, I press two fingers to the spot, finding the scratchy texture of a bandage where I expect to find skin.
“They used the smallest thread size available,” Greedy assures me. “The scar will be almost imperceptible.”
“Focus, love. You don’t remember anything,” Spence repeats, garnering my attention again. “There’s more.”
Stilted silence blankets the room for several heartbeats, but no one speaks.
Eventually, Spence says, “Last night, I put a plan in place to ensure Magnolia can never contact you, touch you, or even look at you again.”
Put a plan in place .
The word choice sticks in my brain. The way he said it and the follow up explanation…
“She’s gone?”
“In every sense of the word,” he confirms.
“No more fear, Mahina,” Sione soothes, crouching to eye level. “I was there. Kabir was so very brave, never faltering, as he eliminated all future threats.”
“Did you—”
Spence’s finger meets my lips once more. If I wasn’t in so much pain, I’d bite him. I have questions, dammit.
“Many, many pieces must still fall into place before we are free and clear. Even so, I can say with certainty that you are safe, love. You are safe in a way you haven’t been throughout your entire life. You don’t have to worry, or run, or think of her ever again.”
Understanding prickles in my subconscious.
Magnolia is gone.
Magnolia can’t get to me, not now or ever again.
Eyes closed, I search for an ounce of the guilt or grief I should feel if what I think Spence is hinting at is true.
I come up empty.
But as the seconds tick by, the emptiness doesn’t keep.
It’s washed away by waves of relief crashing into me. Entire swells of liberation pour into my soul. A feeling akin to joy lights up my insides, and I’m instantly transported back to the sweetest pink-infused dream.
No more running.
This really is my life.
“Thank you,” I choke out on a sob.
I’m not sad. Not in the least. I’m so grateful I could burst. Even so, I can’t quell the tears.
“Tem.” Greedy takes my free hand. “There’s something else you need to know.”
My lungs seize up at the gravity in his tone. It’s a very rough spot to be in, I realize quickly, because my chest fucking burns as if I’ve been stabbed.
“What’s wrong, Mahina?” Sione coaxes.
“My chest hurts.” White-hot pain sizzles along one side of my rib cage as each word leaves.
“They suspect at least a few broken ribs.” This is the first time Levi has spoken. In a move that looks like it could have been choreographed, Sione rises, and Duke takes his place squatting near the bed.
“When will we know for sure?”
Sione’s hands are now resting on my upper thighs, his body bowed over me. His touch doesn’t take away the pain, but whatever he’s doing does feel good enough to distract me. I reach down instinctively and run my fingers through his silky strands.
“We won’t,” Greedy replies. “Because they just came in and told us you’re pregnant.”
My body seizes once more: Lungs, face. Hands and fingers.
I’m frozen, suddenly sure I hit my head much harder than anyone suspected.
Finally, when I can breathe again and the pain subsides, I turn my head to Levi.
He’s grinning. Actually grinning.
My heart sinks. He shouldn’t be. This isn’t real.
Maybe I’m dreaming again. Maybe I never woke up.
Could this be a flashback? Levi and I have been here before. In this hospital. Learning about my pregnancy.
Instantly, sorrow streaks through me.
Levi wasn’t smiling that day. Greedy never knew. I hadn’t even met Spence or Sione yet. Now, though, they’re all here, surrounding me, smiling, grinning, downright jovial.
Fresh tears well in my eyes. I hate that I have to disappoint them. This isn’t then, despite how desperately I wish I could turn back time.
“I’m not pregnant,” I rasp. I had a period just a few weeks ago. It was a little early, and it only lasted a few days, but after going off birth control the month before, I expected it to be a little wonky.
“Baby.” Greedy crouches on the other side of the hospital bed, taking my hand and tracing lines in my palm. “I think you might be.”
The words are reverent, hopeful. It guts me to have to crush him. This man has never-ending faith.
Could it be that the doctored labs Spence presented us with earlier in the year made their way into my medical chart? Is that what’s got the guys’ hopes up?
As if reading my mind, Spence uses two fingers to tip my chin back so I’m looking at him. “The results from Crusade Labs wouldn’t be in the system here, love. Apparently, the labs they drew last night showed positive hCG. That’s why they couldn’t do X-rays or confirm your breaks.” The warmth in his expression radiates like the heat of the sun, the hopefulness sinking into me, all the way to my bones.
Pregnant.
For real?
“I don’t even understand how…” I reclaim my hand from Levi and instinctively lower it to my stomach.
“Uh, we were all there, Daisy. You included.”
I roll my eyes and swat at his backward hat. Instead of knocking it from his head, I cause a fresh wave of pain to sweep over my shoulder blade.
“Garrett, I swear to gods, if you don’t call for the nurse this instant—”
Greedy pushes the call button before Spence can finish the threat.
Lifting his head, Sione places a chaste, tender kiss on the hand I’m resting low on my stomach. Then he rises. “The timing makes sense if your last period was not actually a shedding.”
We’re all silent for a beat. Then another. Looking at each other, marveling over the possibility that this could be real.
Greedy bends low and brings his lips to my ear. “Take another test, Tem. For me.”