Chapter 32
Deliverance
Carter
I opened my eyes, feeling famished as if I hadn’t eaten in days. I straightened up and blindly reached for whatever smelled so delicious next to me when several voices gasped.
“No!”
“What?” I murmured, blinking rapidly because everything was blurry. The white walls danced around me, along with a ceiling. There was a strange smell in the air, similar to a disinfectant. I moved my hands and felt soft fabric under my palms, which told me I was in my bed.
When my vision cleared, I saw Shelly standing by my bedside, pale-faced and wide-eyed. I frowned in confusion because… what was she doing in my room? Then I noticed Adam standing next to her, snickering as always, and Jordan by his side. Chief Bibb was yelling at the man dressed in a white coat in the corner of the room. Wait, was that a doctor?
“They stitched you up, Carter,” Shelly whispered, her voice shaky. “You shouldn’t move, or your wound will open up.”
Suddenly, it all came back to me. The club. The darkened alley. The bald man and the knife headed my way.
“How are you feeling, Carter?” Jordan whispered, staring at me as if I were a ghost. “Honestly, we thought you’re not going to make—”
“He’s a strong lad,” Chief Bibb boomed behind him. “I didn’t have a doubt in my mind.”
“I’m fine,” I said, looking around for the only face I wanted to see, and which was missing. “Where is…?”
Then the door opened, and Tye came inside, carrying a tray filled with cups of what smelled like coffee in his hands. When he saw me, he paused in his tracks, gulping. And he looked like shit. His face was deadly pale, and he had dark circles under his eyes. His shirt was wrinkled as if he’d slept in it for days. His eyes were bloodshot blue.
“Thank fuck,” he muttered, heading toward me.
Shelly took the tray from him as he walked up to my bed, bent down, and kissed my lips. “If you ever do this to me again, I will kill you myself,” he murmured against my mouth as I mumbled an embarrassed, “Everyone’s watching.”
Chief Bibb passed by the bed, grumbling, “I saw nothing. But do this in front of me one more time, and one of you is getting transferred.”
“What happened?” I said, trying to remember, but everything was a blur. “How long was I out?”
“Two days,” Tye replied. “They operated on you after it happened, and then… it just took you a while to…” He shook his head, as if it was impossible to finish the sentence. “To… erm… wake up.”
He bit on his lip and reached for my hand, lowering his gaze. It was strange to see a man built like a mountain barely able to rein in tears.
“I’m…” I muttered, wishing to say I was sorry, but I knew it wouldn’t help. “Sit down next to me.”
He did what I said, still holding my hand.
“How are you?” I asked him, squeezing his fingers. “Have you slept? Ate?”
“Yeah.”
“He’s lying,” Shelly said, sniffling. “He was sleeping in the hall outside your room and refused to eat.”
“Tye,” I said reproachfully, when he leaned in, his lips trembling. “Just three inches lower, Carter. Just three inches and I would have lost you. Don’t… don’t scold me. I would have slept on the floor next to your bed if they let me.”
“Okay, but I’m fine now. Please don’t look so… It hurts me when you’re in pain.”
He nodded and forced a smile. “I know. I’m relieved. I am. I just need a minute.”
“What about the others? Is Bazooka okay? And Luz?”
“They’re fine. Bazooka has a bump on his head, and Luz has a Band-Aid on his neck. I believe they’re presently arguing in the hall.”
“And the perp?”
“Dead. Cyrus Miller is his name. A cab driver, dishonorably discharged from the army after he slaughtered a family with three children in the Sommet province. His mother killed herself when he was ten. His father liked sex workers more than his mother, and it was what ultimately sent him on the killing spree. My bullet hit him a second after he had thrown a knife at you. I almost died then, by the way.”
I caressed his face. “I’m sorry. It was a stupid plan, wasn’t it?”
He shook his head. “It was a perfect plan because we caught him. And you’re still alive, and you’re mine. But endanger yourself like this again, and I’m breaking up with your ass. Understood?”
I nodded, blushing when he kissed me again, although no one seemed interested in us.
Adam was looking out the window, seemingly bored, or maybe just annoyed because I still breathed.
Jordan was looking at Adam from a safe distance, while Shelly stared at the handsome doctor passing by my bed.
So, in a way, things turned out… Well, not ideal, but okay.
We caught the killer, which was the most important.
Sophie Malik, Roxie Brokowich, and all the other victims have been avenged, and for once, justice has been served in Smitsville.
Chief Bibb didn’t fire us for going rogue… yet. Shelly seemed sober for once, and they told me Bruce was recovering from his heart attack.
That same night, Bazooka returned to New Mesa with his duffel bag, which was missing a few knives. Luz went home, promising to “stay in touch” because “we’re pals now”. The last I heard, he got ahold of Bazooka’s phone number, so... poor guy.
And I felt blessed. I was still alive, and I had the love of my life by my side.
Maybe the operation “a disaster waiting to happen” wasn’t such a disaster after all.