Chapter Thirteen
Sunny
“You’re telling me someone drugged the cookies?” I ask Riley, who’s perched on the edge of my hospital bed.
“Yes,” she says with a sigh. “But apparently, there haven’t been any other overdose reports tonight.”
“So… just our cookies?”
“Apparently,” Spike says from his spot near the door.
“Well, that wasn’t very nice,” I pout.
Riley lets out a tired laugh…more exhaustion than humor. “No, Sunny. It really wasn’t.”
“I mean, if you’re gonna try and kill someone,” I mutter, sinking back into the pillows carefully, “at least don’t disguise it as dessert. That’s just rude.”
“Don’t make light of this,” Spike snaps, but not cruelly. “Someone tried to kill you and Riley.”
“But the cookies were meant for me, right?” I glance at Riley, guilt sitting heavy in my chest. “They didn’t know I was going to share them. I’m so sorry. This is all my fault.”
“No, it isn’t,” Riley says, leaning in to give me a quick hug. A sharp pain shoots through my chest, but I bite it back. “Besides, Spike was the one who ordered the food. They probably thought it was for him.”
“It’s still my fault,” I whisper.
“If you’d eaten both cookies,” Spike says, voice low and grim, “you’d be dead right now. As horrible as it was, sharing that cookie is the only reason you’re still breathing.”
“And it’s a good thing Bones knows how to break into an apartment without a key,” Riley adds with a weak smile.
“I am the key,” a deep voice mutters from the hallway.
My heart jumps. “Jack?”
He steps into view, and yeah, he looks like hell. Hair a mess, eyes bloodshot, shirt wrinkled. But he’s here. I’m alive. And suddenly, nothing else matters.
“You okay, baby?” he asks, voice rough.
“Yeah,” I breathe. “Aside from the stabbing pain in my chest, I feel fine.”
“What?” Riley yelps. “Why didn’t you say something? I just hugged you! Like, aggressively!”
“I broke two of your ribs doing CPR,” Jack says, stepping closer to the bed. Riley steps aside, retreating into Spike’s arms. “I’m sorry, baby. I never wanted to hurt you. Makes me sick just thinking about it.”
“It’s okay,” I whisper, reaching out for him. “I’d rather be sore and breathing than… the alternative.”
He takes my hand like it’s something precious. Like he’s afraid I’ll vanish if he blinks too long. “When I found you… you weren’t breathing, Sunny. Your heart wasn’t beating. Your skin was cold. Lips were blue. I thought I was too late. Hell, I was too late. You were dead.”
“But you brought me back,” I whisper. “You saved me.”
Riley clears her throat, pulling Spike toward the door. “We’re gonna give you two a minute. Just don’t start making out and trigger her heart monitor or anything.”
“Riley,” Spike groans.
Jack waits until the door clicks shut before leaning in, brushing his forehead against mine.
“You terrified me, Sunny. I’ve seen death.
Delivered it. Stared it down more times than I can count.
But nothing’s ever scared me like seeing you like that.
It was as if my very heart died right along with yours. ”
“You’re saying awfully romantic things for a broody biker,” I say softly, trying to lighten the moment. “You sure you’re not running a fever or something?”
He gives a broken little laugh but doesn’t pull away. “Nah. Just finally realizing that if anything ever happened to you… I’d never survive it.”
“Nonsense,” I say with a soft, breathy laugh, blinking up at him. “You don’t even know me. Not really.”
“Maybe not,” he admits, voice all gravel and regret. “And I sure as hell don’t deserve to know you. Don’t deserve to darken your life with mine. But that doesn’t change a damn thing.”
He brushes his thumb across the back of my hand, and even though I’m sore and still kind of floaty, my heart does this little flip.
“You’re mine, Sunny. I’ve known it since the second I laid eyes on you. Had I not fought it so hard, you might not have ended up where you are.”
My mouth falls open a little, because… what ?
“You mean like... yours -yours?” I ask, tilting my head, my voice light but my heart hammering. “Because I think that’s usually the kind of thing you say after at least three dates. Maybe a movie and a shared milkshake?”
That earns me a real smile. A little cracked, a lot tired, but it’s there . And it’s perfect.
“Well,” I say, trying to be casual even though I’m grinning like a total goober, “guess it’s a good thing I’m already half in love with you, huh? I mean, can you be half in love with a stranger? Mama would say yes. But she just wants me to settle down and have babies. Anyway, I’ll shut up now.”
His smile fades. Not because he’s upset, but because something serious flickers in his eyes. Something deep.
“Sunny…” he murmurs, his forehead resting against mine again. “You scare the hell outta me.”
“I scare you ?” I giggle, absolutely delighted. “You’re like six-foot-something of terrifying biker energy, and I scare you ? I don’t even scare butterflies.”
“You do,” he says, quietly. “Because you make me want things I don’t think I deserve. Things I thought were off the table for me a long time ago.”
“Like cookies?” I tease softly.
He chuckles, but his grip on my hand tightens ever so slightly. “No, baby. Like hope.”
And that’s it. I’m done for.
Melted. Puddled.
“Everyone deserves hope,” I say, my voice catching just a little. I ignore the frog in my throat, blinking fast. “Life without hope is no life at all.”
Jack pulls back and looks at me like no one else ever has.
“When I saw you on the floor…” He breaks off, jaw clenched. “My soul went dark, Sunny. Just…gone. Like someone flipped the switch. I thought I’d lost you before I even had the chance to love you.”
My breath catches…again.
“It woke me up,” he says, voice rough, low, full of something so big it barely fits in the room. “Made me realize how fucking stupid I’ve been in thinking I was protecting you by staying away. Thinking I didn’t deserve you. That ends now.”
He leans in, forehead touching mine again, and I swear the whole world gets quieter.
“Be mine, Sunny,” he whispers, and it’s a plea wrapped in a promise. “Be my hope. Be my future. Be the reason I fight every damn day to keep going.”
Tears spill over my lashes before I can stop them.
“Jack…” I breathe, my heart cracking wide open. “That’s the most beautiful thing anyone’s ever said to me.” I smile through the tears, sniffling like a total mess. “Also, I think my heart monitor just had a minor freak-out, so thanks for the emotional whiplash.”
He laughs, low and hoarse, and presses a kiss to my forehead. “I got you, baby. I’m not going anywhere.”
“Good,” I whisper, squeezing his hand. “Because I think I kinda like being yours.”
I pause, then wrinkle my nose. “But I should probably warn you…”
His brow lifts, like he’s bracing for something dangerous. Poor man has no idea what he’s in for.
“I’m not normal,” I say, spilling the words out fast. “I only wear bright and colorful clothes. I’m talking, glittery unicorn bright.
I sing all the time, even when I shouldn’t.
I laugh at everything, especially the weird stuff.
I’m almost always happy, and when I’m not, I pep talk myself back into being okay.
I ignore the ugly things in the world and look for the magic instead.
People say I’m naive… and I guess they’re not wrong. ”
I glance at him, cheeks burning a little. “But I like who I am. I like making people smile, even if I look ridiculous doing it. I like being the light in a dark place.”
His silence is loud but not in a bad way. In an overwhelmed-by-feelings kind of way, maybe?
Then finally, he breathes out, voice low and reverent. “Good. Because I don’t want you to change. Not a damn thing. My life has dark moments, but I’ll shield you from every bit of it.”
I grin, leaning back on the pillows. “Just so we’re clear… for all intents and purposes, I am basically a golden retriever in human form. Cheerful, loyal, enjoys cuddles, impossible not to love… and prone to knocking things over when I get excited.”
He chuckles, eyes soft. “And I’m the grim reaper who just fell head over heels for a golden retriever.”
“Yup,” I say, already mentally designing matching T-shirts. “Welcome to the chaos, Grim Reaper. You’re gonna need a leash. Preferably pink.”
Jack shakes his head and stands up.
“Susannah Mae Whitaker?”
“Oh no,” I groan dramatically. “Don’t use my government name, Doc. I feel like I’m about to get hauled into the principal’s office. Pretend you didn’t hear that, Jack.”
“Already knew your government name, doll,” he mutters.
“Miss Whitaker…”
“Sunny,” I correct quickly. “ Please , just call me Sunny.”
The doctor smiles. “Sunny, your labs came back clean. You’re good to go home.”
“What about… you know. This.”
I give a pointed nod to my chest, trying not to make Jack feel worse about the rib-breaking CPR that saved my life.
“Unfortunately, there’s not much we can do besides pain management,” she says gently.
“I’ve written a prescription for pain meds, and you’ll need to avoid any strenuous activity for at least four to six weeks.
No lifting anything over five pounds for the first two weeks, and nothing over ten pounds after that until you’re cleared.
No sudden or jerky movements. No lifting your arms above your chest. And, if you need to cough, squeeze a pillow against right above your broken ribs.
It’ll still hurt, but it will help a little. ”
She glances between me and Jack like she already knows I’m about to do something I shouldn’t.
“You’ll be in a lot of pain this first week, so the meds I’m prescribing are strong. No driving while you’re on them. Actually, no driving at all for two weeks. Also…no baths, only showers. And be careful washing your hair. Lifting your arms that high is going to hurt. Take it easy. Take it slow.”
“What about binding her ribs?” Jack asks, eyes sharp with concern.