Chapter Fourteen
W ith the three of us, the car seat, and Lily, the drive to the hospital was so cramped that there was no room to move.
It had been enough of a distraction that the shooting had stopped replaying in my head.
But we’re now in a small waiting room at the hospital, and it’s no longer just me, Savannah, and Killian.
It’s all of them. I sit in the corner with a sleeping Lily, pretending to be rocking her to sleep, but she passed out almost twenty minutes ago and has been peacefully sleeping since.
Truth be told, they all scare me. Malakai Farrow and Sebastian Levine have this kind of aura that immediately tells you to steer clear.
They’re forces, men of brutality hidden behind handsome masks.
Killian too, and now they’re all here, and I’m watching them, Dean is no different.
They all wear it differently, but deep down, it’s all the same.
My palms haven’t stopped sweating since they got here, and not even Savannah’s constant company is enough to push away the nerves at their presence.
Malakai holds his wife close, her belly swollen with their unborn child, as worry twists her face, and Sebastian rocks his own daughter while Willow talks with Killian.
Savannah is still by me, but she’s silent, watching the door as we all wait for news on Dean.
Last we heard, they took him into surgery in a rush almost three hours ago.
How does this happen!? Sure, shootings occur on a regular basis, but never did I believe I’d ever be in the middle of one.
They could have hurt Lily! The shooter could have killed someone, but I guess that was their intention.
The police have been crawling through the hospital and down on the street, patrols are now out on every corner since the shooter was never caught.
Was it targeted, or were we just in the wrong place at the wrong time?
Targeted !? What the hell am I thinking?
But for a split second, I wonder if it was me who was the target?
Had he found me? Then I remember the monster in my past much preferred the dark, he liked his torture to be personal and only for him and I highly doubt he’d try to kill me in a way that wouldn’t give him an up and close view of the pain he has caused.
I shudder and push away the thoughts. I’m in shock, I’m tired, and scared. The last thing I need to do to myself is drown in memories of a past I don’t intend on ever going back to.
A knock sounds at the door, drawing everyone’s attention before the doctor who advised us of Dean’s surgery comes in.
“Mr. Archer,” He addresses Killian directly, “Your brother is out of surgery.”
“And?” Killian urges, the stress clear on his face. It was only a few months ago that we were all here wondering if Savannah would ever wake up.
“He’s okay. We were able to stop the bleeding and fix up his shoulder, but I’m afraid he’s taken some extensive nerve damage. The bullet went through his shoulder joint and caused significant damage to the cartilage and the surrounding ligaments, as well as some soft tissue damage.”
“What does that mean?” Savannah asks.
“It can cause mobility issues within the arm, and it’s possible he could have limited feeling, but until he is awake and we can get him into rehab, we won’t know the extent of the damage.”
“But he’s okay?” Savannah presses.
“Yes,” The doctor assures, “He’ll be coming out of his anesthesia shortly, but his pain medication may leave him disorientated, we have placed him in a private suite, you’re welcome to see him once we have him awake. I’ll have the nurse fetch you when that happens.”
“He’s going to need someone to stay with him when he’s released,” Savannah steps over to Killian, and I sink further back into the corner, observing. The others seem to have forgotten I’m even here.
“He’ll hate that,” Killian sighs, “Dean doesn’t handle company well.”
I quirk a brow, listening to them talk.
“He’ll have to get over it,” Olivia huffs, waddling to one of the chairs to lower herself down.
Poor woman looks about ready to pop. Her husband watches her with concern, the love between them a tangible thing in the air.
A stab of jealousy hits me in the chest. I had dreamed of that kind of love once upon a time, wanted it so badly that I dated men who weren’t right, gave them parts of me they had no right having, and got hurt time and time again.
I suppose it wasn’t all bad. I dated a guy called Felix a few times who ended up marrying my sister, Shelly, after I called it off.
Nothing had happened between us other than one kiss, and they were perfect for each other.
They ended up getting married within a year of meeting.
I grew up with love everywhere; my parents have been madly in love for over forty years, my sister is happily married, my best friend is with the man of her dreams, and everyone here right now has it too.
“He’ll refuse,” Killian sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose.
“He doesn’t have a choice,” I finally talk, and eyes whip my way as if they had truly forgotten I was there to begin with. “It isn’t just him who needs to be cared for. If the doctor is right and his mobility becomes compromised, who will feed Lily? Bathe her? Change her?”
“She’s right,” Willow gives me a soft smile that has an apologetic touch to it.
“He can stay with us?” Savannah suggests.
“He’ll hate that even more than someone staying with him,” Killian glances over his shoulder at me. “You’re working for him now, right?”
“I don’t do nights,” I immediately say.
“Kill,” Savannah touches his arm in an attempt to draw his attention away from me. A sweat breaks out across the back of my neck.
“Not even for double the salary?” He broaches.
“I don’t really care about the money,” My arms tighten around Lily.
“You said it yourself; he needs someone there all the time. He’ll hate having any one of us there with him, but Sloane…”
I look to Savannah for help, but I see it on her face too. I’m the only one here who could do it, and yeah, Dean would hate it as much as I would, but that didn’t matter as long as Lily was taken care of. Still…
I open my mouth to refuse again, but a nurse interrupts me, and in the next second the room empties.
Dean’s awake.