Chapter 21
Chapter Twenty-One
brISTOL
The first thing that I realize when I come to is that I’m in the hospital and can hear Beast talking softly to me. My body hurts. I don’t think there’s a part of me that doesn’t feel a bit of pain.
Memories come back to me about what happened, and panic starts to seep in. Is everyone okay? Was anyone else hurt? Beast was out there with the first explosion.
“Sheesh, Butterfingers, you’re okay,” Beast murmurs, having picked up on the fact I’m awake, though I haven’t opened my eyes yet.
Slowly, I peek through my lower lashes to meet Beast’s dark gaze. I notice immediately that we’re not alone. Not far behind him is my brother, and on the other side of the bed sits my dad.
“What are you doing here?” I croak, my throat dry, and it feels like razor blades were in it.
“Here, baby, drink this,” Beast says, holding a small cup with the straw pointed at my lips. “You’ve been asleep for the past three days.”
Three days.
Oh God.
“Was anyone else hurt?” I whisper, finishing taking a couple sips, unable to get the thought out of my head.
“Just some bumps and bruises,” Beast answers, setting the cup back down, his eyes never leaving me. “But I’m not going to lie to you because you have the right to know. Giselle is dead.”
“What?” I barely get the word out as I find it hard to believe.
“She tricked you, Bristol.” It’s my dad who answers, getting my attention, and I see the pain in his features.
“She and your mother were in on whatever they were trying to do. To get to you and try to drive you away so they could find a way to control you, they set this all up. Giselle stabbed one of the members of the club and was going to kill Beast.” Shaking his head, he closes his eyes.
“I’m sorry, sweetheart, but it’s over now. ”
“She tricked me?” A part of me doesn’t want to believe it, but another does. She was always close to my mom. Some would say thick as thieves.
God, how could I be so foolishly blind?
Tears prick my eyes, and I suck in a breath to keep them from shedding. I won’t cry, not for her.
“This is all my fault,” I whisper, my thoughts going to the very fact that this all happened to the club because of me.
“Don’t even think that shit, baby,” Beast remarks harshly. “This isn’t on you, and no one blames you.”
“But . . .”
Beast leans in, getting nose to nose with me. “You are not to blame for this shit, so get the thought out of your head.”
I take in the tone of his voice and nod. Granted, I still feel it and will apologize to the others later. For now, I’ll drop it.
“Now, someone’s going to get the doctor so we can make sure you’re okay,” Beast states, looking over his shoulder to my brother.
Closing my eyes, I relax in the hospital bed, wishing I were home with Jagger. Without opening my eyes, I whisper, “Jagger.”
“He’s at Reaper’s. Paxton and Sage are loving up on him.”
That’s good.
My poor cat must think I’ve abandoned him.
“When we get you out of here, we’ll be staying at Reaper and Ivy’s until you’re well enough to go home. He’ll be waiting for you when we get there.” Beast must’ve sensed my thoughts because those words eased a part of me.
“Okay,” I utter, feeling myself growing exhausted. “I think I’m going back to sleep now.”
“Rest, Butterfingers,” he murmurs and presses a kiss to the back of my hand with the IV.
I should ask him why my other hand is in a cast, but I don’t. It’s not something I want to know at the moment. That can come later, when I’m not so tired.
“I want to go home, I’m tired of being in here,” I proclaim two days later, glaring at Beast.
“Baby, you’ll go when they say you can,” he remarks, a slight smirk curving on his lips.
“They can release me. All I’m doing is lying here, watching mindless TV and reading trashy magazines. I don’t have anything new on my Kindle to read, and I don’t want to do any rereads right now.” Huffing, I wish I could just get up and go, but Beast won’t allow it.
“Bristol, you need to be patient.”
“Screw patient. I want to go home.”
“Let’s see what the doctor says when she comes in. How’s that?” he offers.
“I guess.” Shrugging, I roll my head against the pillow.
My body still hurts really bad, but I can handle it better if I wasn’t going stir-crazy being in this hospital room. I want to go home, or at least to Reaper and Ivy’s house, where I can get in my old bed and curl up with Jagger while Beast holds me.
Beast moves into my line of view and leans in bracing hands on each side of my waist, taking care not to hurt me in any way.
“I know you want out of here as fast as you can, but for me, baby, let them do their job in taking care of you. If something were to go wrong, I’d lose my shit because I can’t lose you. ”
“Beast.” His name comes out no more than a whisper.
“Listen to me, Bristol,” he commands gently. “We dug you out of the debris. I didn’t know if you were okay or not. I carried you out of there. We brought you to the hospital, and I didn’t know if you were going to be okay or not. I need you to be okay, so please don’t argue about this.”
My chest tightens, and I lick my lips while nodding. “I love you.”
“Love you too, Butterfingers, and I swear the moment you’re out of here and healed up, I’m marrying you. I’m not about to let you go. Not again. Not ever.”
“Is this your way of asking me to marry you?” I can’t help but giggle.
“Damn right, it is.” Beast presses a tender kiss to my lips.
“Then it’s a good thing I have no problem with saying yes or holding on to you as you hold me.”
I don’t know what else is going to happen.
I know it’s not over with. Not when it comes to the Scarlet Needles.
Beast told me what he could about it all, and it’s scary to think about, but I trust him and the others to protect us all.
He’ll do whatever it takes to see to my safety.
I’ll hold on to him to make sure he stays alive to have a future with me so I won’t ever be without him again.