Chapter 41
Chapter Forty-One
Wren
My Home - Myles smith
T he marker presses on the inner skin of my forearm. I write over the dozen other layers I've already inked on my skin.
I promise.
I promise if you wake up, I'll never leave your side again.
I promise if you wake up, you will never suffer again.
I promise if you wake up, you will never feel unloved.
I promise if you wake up, that I will spend every single waking hour making sure you're happy.
I promise.
I promise.
I promise.
But please…promise me you'll wake up.
There's a knock on the door, bringing me back to reality. Suddenly, everything is back. The beeping of the heart monitor, the smell of the hospital room. And Peach, in the bed, eyes closed.
What I would give to see the fire in her beautiful green eyes again.
The door opens, Chris and Achilles walking in. It's been three days since I burned the temple to the ground for trying to take Peach away from me, and those two are still sporting bruises from the whole ordeal.
They took Chris when he was walking back from the hospital, where he was keeping an eye on Dustin. They got Achilles and I the second Xi dropped us at our campus house. Beaten up, locked in different rooms. Dustin had already talked, and there was nothing we could do to defend ourselves. I went down and took my only two allies in the Circle down with me. Of course, I freed them before setting the building on fire.
I spared Duval. Not only because he's Achilles's father, but because he's a president I can handle. He's seen what I'm capable of now. It's impossible to kill everyone in the Circle; the organization will always keep on living. I'm better with Duval as the president. Protected by his fear of me.
He's already cleared things up with the police for the car "accident" and the bodies. Elijah Hunter lost his mind. Monty Hunter died in the accident after his son attacked the driver and they ended up in a ditch. Peach and I were behind them, crashed with them in the accident. Elijah, in his manic episode, shot Peach, and I shot him in self defense. Duval made sure that's the story, and it just so happens, the limo driver, acting as a second witness, approved all of it since he’ll do whatever Duval tells him to.
And while he was at it, Zeus pinned the campus murders on Elijah too.
Antisocial, unstable student kills his peers.
The craziest part of this fake story is that for the first time, I remember everything. The whole truth. Peach being shot was like a shock to the system, bringing me back to reality so fast I didn't get a chance to let my mind protect me from the horrors I'd committed.
Now I'm waiting to hear from Duval. We're only communicating through Chris and Achilles. He's too scared to see me.
"Wren, the nurse told you not to write on her anymore," Chris says calmly.
I look at Peach's arm next to mine. I keep writing on hers too, keep hearing her voice promising me she's going to wake up. Except she's not waking up.
I wipe a hand across my face. "I know," I say in a raspy voice. "I tried to stop."
It's weird. I can't find my normal voice without her. Nothing about me is the same. I feel empty. I have nothing to give to people.
They eye each other, but don't say anything more regarding my odd behavior.
"My dad agreed to your demands," Achilles says, approaching me. "You can't technically leave the Circle, but you will be a passive member. You have no official role anymore, and you can't ask members for favors. There will be no repercussions, but you can't access the temple…or wherever the new temple will be, I guess."
I nod. This is what I wanted, and Duval is scared enough to grant it to me. I don't care that I won't have the privileges the Circle brings. In fact, I couldn't care less.
"That applies for you and…" His eyes dart to Peach as his voice dies from emotion. "And Peach," he concludes.
She's his friend too. We all grew up together. And I might be the one who fell so deep for her there's no way out, but it doesn't mean he doesn't love her too.
"Alex and Ella are outside," Chris says. "They want to check on her."
I nod, taking Peach's hand in mine. "Of course. Can I just have another minute with her?" As if I haven't spent every second of the last three days in her presence.
The only time I left was because I was forced. They had to stitch me back together after the beating. She was in surgery, and I couldn't follow. That's the only reason I let them take care of me. I took a shower and was right there when she got out of surgery.
The guys leave, and I turn to her again.
"Everyone wants to see you. Everyone misses you," I say. "You have to come back to us, Trouble."
She bled so much, there wasn't enough oxygen going to her brain for her to stay conscious. She lost a kidney. They're still transfusing blood because of some internal bleeding. And she's not awake. Still. Not. Awake. Yesterday morning, the doctor came in, telling us her blood pressure was too low, and we don't know the brain damage that's been caused.
And he stomped on my heart with a sorry face when he said to her dads and me…
The next forty-eight hours are crucial.
Since then, I've been counting the minutes. Her dads don’t leave her side either. They’ve just gone to get some food.
I open the marker again, writing on my arm. "I promise that you can be as strong headed as you want, whenever you want."
I take her arm. "If you just…promise to wake up," I say, my throat tightening again as I write on her again.
A tear drops on the ink, mixing with it.
"What the fuck are you doing, Hunter?"
Her voice is a rasped whisper, weak, barely audible. But it startles me, my eyes snapping to her face.
God, she looks so tired. Gray skin, matted hair, sunken eyes looking up at me.
But she's awake.
I open my mouth, no sound coming out. This can't be real.
She smiles smugly. "Don't look so shocked. I'm too stubborn to die."
My heart jumps in my chest, and I jump off the bed. "Oh my god," I cry out. "Peach! Don't move… D-don't move, baby. Don't hurt yourself."
She rolls her eyes, and I hear her mutter, "Where the hell am I going to go?" as I run out of the room.
"Doctor!" I yell. "She's awake… She's…" There are four people on me, none of them a doctor.
Alex, Ella, Chris, and Achilles surround me.
"Wait," I pant. I'm scared. So scared that this won't last. "We need a doctor. We need to make sure she's okay."
Nurses rush in, the doctor not far behind.
"Call her dads," I tell Ella as I follow the staff into the room.
They do all sorts of tests on her, getting her grumpy and sarcastic, and making me smile because grumpy Peach means she's alive. It lasts forever, and her dads are here by the time the staff leave, telling us she needs to rest, but that there’s no brain damage, and her life is no longer in danger.
Her dads are surrounding her, holding her hands, kissing her forehead. Slowly, the brightness in her eyes comes back. She's shining, so her…so alive.
I wait hours for her dads to get their fill. They leave the room when she asks them to give her some space, and I finally step up to her bed, feeling like I'm walking on a cloud as I approach.
"Wren." Her smile spreads everywhere. To her cheeks, her eyes. It reaches my heart, seizing it harshly. "What is this?"
She points at the writing on her arm.
"That's you promising me that you'll wake up," I say, a rush of relief leaving my lungs as I sit next to her and drop a kiss on her forehead. "Thank you for keeping your promise."
"You're welcome." She giggles, and my stomach swoops. "And this?" She points at my arm this time. "What's this?"
"Those are all my promises if you woke up."
"Fun," she says as she looks up at me. "Which one do we start with?"
I rub a hand over my face, not believing that this is real. She's here. She's back. With me, in my arms.
"Whichever you want, Trouble."
"I did hear something along the lines of I can be as strong headed as I want ?"
I laugh, the fear and anxiety of the last few days finally falling off my shoulders.
"I think you heard that wrong."
She takes my hand in hers, nestling against the crook of my chest. Where she belongs.
"Oh, no, Wren Hunter. I heard it loud and clear. Now I get to make your life a living hell because you wanted me back."
"Please do," I whisper, emotions still tight in my chest. "As long as I get to live this life with you."
She laughs, but the words are strong, and the affection intense when she says, "I love you."
"I love you too, Trouble."
This woman is incredible, and I've always known it. Deep in my bones, I knew she was made for me.
This woman is a miracle, and she's all mine.
This woman… I waited forever for her to love me, and I would have waited another lifetime for her to wake up.
Penelope Sanderson-Menacci. Who knew you could make me fall even deeper in love with you…by simply loving me back.