Chapter Thirty
Alice
W aking up to the sound of beeping machines was something I had hoped not to encounter for a long time, if ever. Yet, here I am, in a dimly lit hospital room once again, my body blessedly numb thanks to whatever pain meds they have me on.
Though, the difference between now and weeks ago is the man pacing the small corner of my room is no longer a stranger.
He’s the man who owns my entire heart and soul.
A man who, along with his brothers, risked it all to save me.
Despite the fact that I am tied to the monster from their past and the tormentor of their present.
It’s been a tough pill for me to swallow. I’ve always known Andon was evil, but not my father, not until I had to be the one to pay for his sins. I will never think of him again as the loving father I once knew, his memory forever tainted and unforgiven.
“Is it just me or are you having a serious case of deja vu?” I croak, my throat still raw from all the smoke.
Braxten spins around at the sound of my voice, his tortured expression softening with relief as he rushes to my bedside. “Hey, Wonderland.” He sits in the chair next to my bed and picks up my battered hand with the IV in it, kissing my bandaged wrist. “How are you feeling?”
“Like I just escaped death,” I joke, hoping to lighten the moment.
It doesn’t work.
Regret darkens his expression. “I’m sorry I left you. I should have let you come with us. I should have—”
“Stop.” My hand lifts to his soot covered face. “You have nothing to be sorry for. You saved my life…again.”
He shakes his head, refusing to accept those words.
“Yes,” I counter gently. “This was all bound to come to a head eventually. I’m just sorry it happened when Hannah was with me.”
His jaw locks down, the muscle pulsing beneath his skin. “Yeah, well, Pierce paid dearly for that one.”
A chill runs through me as I think about the gruesome sight of the deputy outside the barn. “How’s Craig dealing with it?”
Braxten shrugs. “I think he’s mad at himself more than anything else. He’s always known he’s a corrupt son of a bitch, but didn’t have the proof he needed. Now he does, not that it matters anymore since they are both dead and burning in hell where they belong.”
A sense of solace fills me at that knowledge, a heavy weight lifting off my chest to know I don’t have to look over my shoulder any longer.
“What about Knox?” I ask next, remembering all that he risked when he jumped on the other end of that cable. “Is he okay?”
“Yeah, he’s good. A little torn up, but if you ask me, it just adds to that asshole attitude he likes to cart around.” He follows up the joke with a smirk.
I burst into laughter, feeling the painful effect in my chest, but it quickly turns into a sob when I think about how many people have been hurt over this.
Braxten leans in closer, giving me the opportunity to wrap my arms around his neck.
“I’m so sorry he hurt you. That they both hurt you all so much.”
I don’t need to elaborate on who the other person is that I am talking about, he knows.
“I would go through it all over again if it meant finding you.”
That beautiful confession only makes me more emotional. Probably because, I too, would suffer through it all again if it meant ending up right here with him.
“He’s dead, Alice. He can’t hurt you anymore. No one will ever hurt you again.” His lips brush my cheek as he kisses away my tears, his touch and words healing every wound I bear.
A knock on the door has us breaking apart. Wiping the tears from my cheeks, I look over and smile when I find Nurse Linda in the doorway.
“Well, look who’s awake.” Rushing inside, she pushes Braxten out of the way and moves in for a hug, her touch as gentle as ever. “I’ve been so worried about you. How are you feeling?”
“I’m okay…thanks to Braxten,” I add, glancing in his direction.
Linda pulls back, looking between us. “Okay, so I was wrong. Very wrong,” she admits. “And I’m glad I was.”
“Me too.” I smile back at her.
“Look, I can’t stay long, I’m headed to another department, but I wanted to check on you before leaving. Doctor Carter is on call. He will be in to see you soon.”
“Thank you.”
She touches my cheek in a sweet gesture. “One day soon we will go for that coffee.”
“I look forward to it.”
Before walking out she turns to Braxten. “Take care of her, Mr. Creed. And yourself.”
At his nod, she walks out of the room, leaving Braxten and me alone once again.
He turns to me with that handsome smirk of his. “I told you she had a crush on me.”
Another laugh flees me, this one throwing me into a painful coughing fit.
“Shit, I’m sorry.” He passes me the glass of water that’s next to my bed. “I shouldn’t be making you laugh.”
After a generous sip, I hand it back and relax into my pillows. “But I love to laugh, especially with you.”
His expression softens at that response.
“So what happens now?” I ask, unsure where to go from here. I’ve spent so many years of my life living in fear and being punished for the sins of my father, that I don’t know what normal is anymore, but I do know I want to find it with him.
“Now, we go home and live how we were always meant to.”
His response brings warmth to my heart and a smile to my face. “And how is that?”
“With you in my arms forever.”