31. Never

Chapter thirty-one

Never

" B eep… beep… beep."

The monotone sound of the machine assuring me that my wife is stable does much to soothe my unease; however, my blood still boils thinking about that fucker tied up waiting for us.

"Hey Henny, you good?" Mason's voice interrupts my thoughts.

I raise my head tiredly to look over at him from where I'm sitting in the chair besides Izzy's hospital bed. She's still knocked out from when they sedated her before surgery, removing the knife and repairing the stab wounds she endured.

And her UTI from being denied sanitary accommodations...

And her lung infection from not having clean air...

And the concussion she sustained from apparently having her head knocked into the wall or the floor.

Two fractured ribs from being kicked. When I saw the state of her back I almost left the hospital to finish Claudio off, but Joaquin told me Claudio is locked up nice and safe for me.

For her.

"Don't worry about me," I say quietly, flicking my gaze up and down his body.

I turn away from Mason, in favor of Isobel who's sleeping peacefully in the hospital bed next to me. You wouldn't be able to tell from looking at her right now that Claudio put her through hell for the last month and a half, but I can. I kept him alive so my baby can experience justice for herself. The only way I believe she can forgive me for leaving her unprotected. But never, ever again.

We will never be going through this again.

I don't care if she hates me, Isobel will be under maximum protection for the rest of her life. I won't allow what she's been through this last month to be even a remote possibility. My eyes drift down to her stomach. There's a soft swell under the blankets where her arms are currently cradling her abdomen in her sleep.

Placing my hand softly over her arms I rub gently, thanking God for small blessings that there's still something in there to protect. It's a miracle our baby didn't die, but it was touch and go for a bit there. Though the state of our child's situation seems ever fluctuating, I don't think the baby will pass.

She's a strong one. Like her mom.

Mason sits next to me on a little grumble, stretching his legs out and then turning his head to lock eyes with Melody, who's currently staring with tears in her eyes at Isobel. She'd lost so much weight in the last month we'd thought we were going to have to put her in a rehab facility. Her cheeks are sunken in, and her eyes are gaunt.

She looks dead inside, as if Isobel is her only source of life .

"Here," Mason says, handing her a hospital burrito wrapped in foil.

She takes it with a soft thank you, nibbling on the corner. I avert my eyes, not able to bring myself to worry about that right now. My phone vibrates in my pocket, distracting me from Mason and Melody.

"Micah," I say, answering for my best friend. "What's up?"

"Is she okay?" he asks.

"Yes, we'll be leaving here when her infection has cleared up and she's off oxygen." I lean back holding up my hand to Isobel's mother who catches my eye and leans forward closer with her brow arched. She'd been sitting on the other side of Isobel's bed, holding her hand.

"Good. I'm just calling with an update. Frank Jackson's got Claudio secure off Buckhead Island. We're just waiting for your word."

"Thank you," I say tiredly. "We might need about a month for her to recover before we can fly out to him. Does he got that kind of time?"

"Frank? Yes, he accepts new shipments around every three weeks for training purposes. But don't worry, no one will mess with Claudio. He's secure under Frank's watch."

I tilt my head, seeing Isobel stir on a moan. "Good. I'll be in touch brother, take care."

"You'd better." Micah hangs up without a goodbye which is just fine with me.

Isobel whimpers suddenly, drawing everyone's attention to where she lays. "Hendrix," she moans, struggling out of sleep.

Her eyes snap open, and she starts screaming, jerking in bed against the covers tucked in around her. I fly up out of my seat at the same time Isobel's mother stands up and leans over her.

"Honey, it's okay," Donna says tearfully, smoothing her hand down her cheek.

However, Isobel continues to panic until she sees my face. As our eyes lock her yelling stops, and she settles back in the bed shaking and gasping .

"You're safe, baby. I'm here." Abandoning all decorum I crawl into the bed with her and maneuver us to where she's laying flush on me. "Out," I stress loudly, casting our family a dark look.

Isobel's mother backs away with a hand to her lips, and Melody, Mason, and our two security guards leave the room almost silently.

"I'm here, sweetheart. I'm right here, and I'm not going anywhere," I say quietly against her temple, holding her tight to my chest. My heart pounds out of control. This is the first time she's been conscious since blacking out at the site where she was held, and I don't know what to expect, but I just know that I need to be prepared for anything.

She clutches against me, pressing her face into my neck and just wails for long minutes against my skin while I hold her as tight as I dare and rock her. When her crying quiets, I remain silent, listening to her hiccuping against my skin. I brush my hands down her hair in soothing strokes, feeling my heart damn near beating out of my chest.

"You're safe. I got you, baby," I say in her ear. Pressing my cheek against her temple I nuzzle her until she calms completely. "I'm here now. You're in my arms, and you're going to be okay."

"I was so scared, King." Her voice is hoarse as she speaks. "I didn't think I was going to make it. I was praying to die."

Her words send chills down my body, making the hair stand on the back of my neck. "I would have followed you. You aren't allowed to leave me." I clear my throat of my nerves. I cried so much during the weeks she was gone I don't know if I'm capable of tears anymore.

"Thank you for killing him." Isobel tilts her head back to look up at me and I take my time staring; seeing bruises, a small cut on her eyebrow, her lips is busted, but her eyes are fiery as ever.

"I didn't kill him."

Her eyes widen. "W-What?" she gasps, beginning to tremble against me. "What do you mean? I saw you-"

"I got that fucker waiting for you baby. As soon as you get better, we're going to get you your revenge." My head tilts as I look down into her eyes, seeing them narrow. "I kept him alive, to give you what you need."

Her lips tighten and she gives me a quick jerk of her head, bringing a shaky hand up to wipe her tears away.

"I missed you so much," she says, her voice cracking as she lays her head further back on my arm. "All I could think about was how crazy worried you must have been. And our baby." She moves, clutching weakly at her stomach. "Hendrix ,is our baby okay?" Her voice is tear filled, as is her face which is pale and grief stricken.

"She's okay." I lean down, pressing my lips softly against hers so I don't agitate her skin. "Not near as much as I missed you, sweetheart. Not near as much."

"Hendrix," she says against my lips. "are we going to be okay?"

I pull back, placing my hand on her cheek and brushing my thumb softly against her skin wiping the tears away. "We're more than okay. We're perfect."

"Do you promise?" Her voice is slight, and cracks with her emotion.

I clear my throat, batting the nerves away, only wanting her to see me as strong. Not weak. "Yes, little demon. I promise."

There's a tense few seconds where her eyes well up with tears again before spilling across my fingers. "I love you," Isobel whispers. "I love you so much, King. So much… so much. All I could think about was you. I was so scared."

My throat swells uncomfortably tight at her admission. Her slight arms loop around my neck as she nestles into me, sobbing once more. I clutch her to me as tight as I dare as my tears break free again at her pain, and all she suffered through to make it. My skin pricks as I heat up, reminding me that though the fires that soldered us together were almost unbearable, it didn't break us.

I clutch at her desperately, tangling my fingers in her hair. Never planning on letting her go ever again.

There in her hospital bed, we cry together until those fires are firmly banked, and there's nothing left but the dusty, stifling ash of the terror we'd both endured. The wind billows it from us like smoke until we are clear of the rancid, and free from its clutches.

And we are brand new.

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