Chapter 3
Chapter Three
Star
Waking up didn’t hurt as much this time.
That was the first thing I noticed, and the second thing I noticed was that I didn’t trust it.
Pain had a way of lying to you. Sneaking up when you got cocky. I kept my eyes closed for a few extra seconds, breathing through it, waiting for the familiar hammering in my skull to announce itself.
It didn’t.
Instead, there was a dull pressure. Like someone had wrapped my head in cotton and forgotten to take it off. My stomach still felt like it had been used as a punching bag, but even that had shifted from actively trying to kill me to deeply offended and holding a grudge.
Progress.
I cracked one eye open.
The hospital room was brighter than yesterday.
Not aggressively bright, but morning-bright.
Sunlight slipped through the blinds in pale stripes, landing across the foot of my bed and the scuffed linoleum floor.
The steady beep of the monitor had become familiar enough that my brain filed it under background noise instead of immediate panic trigger.
I blinked a few times and tested my fingers again.
They worked.
Excellent.
I flexed my toes under the blanket. They worked too, though my legs felt heavy, like they were filled with wet sand. Still, the fact that my body was responding at all felt like a win.
I turned my head slowly.
There was a tray table beside my bed now. Closer than it had been yesterday. On it sat a plastic cup with a lid and a bendy straw, a packet of crackers, and what looked suspiciously like the most moist piece of chocolate cake.
Mom loved me.
Or at least pitied me by giving me cake.
The chair beside the bed was occupied.
My mom was slouched in it, chin tipped to her chest, arms crossed, mouth slightly open. Her hair was slicked back into a messy ponytail that said she’d been sleeping in that chair more than she’d been pretending not to.
I watched her for a moment.
Mac in producer mode was terrifying. Focused. Efficient. Capable of organizing chaos and turning it into something that paid the bills.
Mac in mom mode was… softer. Still strong. Still intense. But softer around the edges in a way she probably didn’t even realize.
I swallowed and shifted slightly.
The monitor beeped louder.
My mom startled awake with a small snort.
“Oh—” She blinked rapidly, eyes snapping to me. “Star?”
“Hi,” I croaked.
Her face went through about five emotions in three seconds: relief, exhaustion, joy, fear, and then something that looked dangerously close to tears.
I smiled at her. Or tried to. My face felt weird.
“You’re awake,” she said unnecessarily.
“Been awake,” I rasped. “Just… quieter about it.”
She stood immediately, leaned over me, careful not to jostle anything. Her hand brushed my hair back from my forehead. “How do you feel?”
Yesterday, I had been awake longer than I had since being in the hospital, but I think Mom was still traumatized by what happened last week.
I considered that. “Like I lost a fight with a parking lot.”
Her lips twitched. “That checks out.”
“I think I won,” I said.
She huffed a laugh that sounded suspiciously like a sob trying to escape. “You survived. I’m counting it as a win.”
I glanced at the tray table again. “Is that cake?”
Her shoulders relaxed just a fraction. “Yes.”
“Did you bring it?”
“No.”
I raised my brows as much as my head would allow. “Then who did?”
She hesitated. “Your… girls,” she said carefully.
“My what?”
“The club,” she clarified. “The girls. Some of the guys. Mostly Cole. They’ve been rotating.”
I frowned. “Rotating like shifts?”
She winced. “A little.”
I sighed and closed my eyes for a second. “I’m not a zoo exhibit.”
“I told them you wouldn’t really be into them being here while you sleep,” she said quickly. “Several times.”
“And yet.”
“And yet,” she admitted.
There was movement in the hallway outside my door, followed by voices. Familiar ones.
The door opened without a knock.
“Don’t panic,” Alice said immediately, holding her hands up like Mom might throw something at her. “We come bearing gifts.”
Karmen followed her in with her arms loaded with a paper bag and what looked like a folded blanket. “And snacks.”
“Hospital-approved snacks?” my mom asked, narrowing her eyes.
Alice grinned. “Define approved.”
I cracked my other eye open and smiled weakly. “If there’s chocolate in that bag, I will forgive everything.”
“There is absolutely chocolate in this bag,” Karmen said proudly. “And also socks. The fuzzy kind. With little coffee cups on them.”
My mom sighed. “You people are impossible.”
“And yet you love us,” Alice said, already moving to set things down quietly.
Behind them, Clove slipped into the room like she didn’t want to be noticed. She wore leggings and a sweater two sizes too big, her dark hair braided over one shoulder. She smiled at me softly, eyes warm.
“Hey,” she said. “How are you feeling?”
“Like I could sleep for another week,” I admitted. “But better.”
“That’s good,” she said, genuinely.
She moved closer and picked up the cake. “You haven’t touched it?”
I snorted softly. “I’ve been unconscious.”
“Yes,” she agreed calmly. “But still, chocolate cake.”
I laughed and immediately regretted it. My head pulsed in protest.
“Okay,” Alice said, pointing a finger at me. “No laughing. Doctor’s orders.”
“I don’t think that’s a real thing,” I muttered.
“It is now.”
More footsteps approached, heavier this time. The door opened again.
Ender stood there.
He didn’t say anything at first. Just leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, dark hair falling into his eyes. He looked uncomfortable. Not in a I don’t want to be here way, but in a I don’t know where to put myself way.
The room was getting crowded. Loud. Busy.
And I realized something then, as I lay there watching all these people exist around me.
They were all talking around me.
Not intentionally. Not meanly. Just… naturally. Decisions were being made. Plans discussed. Rotations scheduled.
I cleared my throat.
Everyone froze.
“I’m still here,” I said.
Alice blinked. “We know.”
“I mean—” I paused, choosing my words carefully. “I know I was out for a while. But I’m awake now. And I’d like to be included in decisions about me.”
My mom’s expression softened. “Of course, sweetheart.”
“I don’t need a guard schedule,” I added. “Or whispered conversations.”
Alice grimaced. “Okay, but in our defense, we whisper about everything.”
“That’s fair,” I admitted. “But I’m not fragile glass. I know I got hurt,” I continued. “And I appreciate all of you. I really do. But I don’t want to feel like a problem you’re managing.”
The room was quiet for a moment.
Then Karmen nodded. “Okay.”
Alice nodded too. “Okay.”
Clove smiled. “Okay.”
My mom hesitated, then nodded as well. “Okay.”
Ender didn’t say anything.
But his eyes stayed on me, steady and intent.
A nurse poked her head in a moment later, clipboard in hand. “Well, look at this,” she said brightly. “Awake and alert.”
“Mostly,” I said.
She laughed. “I like your honesty.”
She checked my vitals, shined a light in my eyes, asked me to squeeze her fingers and push against her hands. I complied, even when it made my head throb again.
“Good,” she said finally. “Very good.”
“Can I eat real food?” I asked hopefully.
She smiled. “We’ll start light.”
“Define light.”
She grinned. “Jell-O.”
I groaned.
Alice patted my arm. “I think chocolate cake is the same as Jell-O, so we can just do a little switch-a-roo.”
“Alice,” Mom scolded.
Alice winked at Mac. “You had to have known that you were going to run into the loudmouth ol’ lady that does whatever she wants, right?” she asked. “Which one of the Iron Fiends ol’ ladies gave you grief?”
“All of them,” Mac confessed.
“Just stick to Jell-O to start with,” the nurse laughed again. “The doctor should be in to see you in a little bit.” She finished typing away on the computer and then escaped the crowded room.
Alice grabbed the chocolate cake and took off the plastic wrap. “Dr. Alice says you can eat the cake now. You deserve it after being here for a week.”
Alice reached for the fork, but Mom grabbed it.
“Um, I think maybe we should save the cake for later,” Mom suggested. “Or at least until the doctor clears her to eat.”
Alice quirked her lips. “Am I being too pushy?”
Mom finally smiled. “I think you’re just being you, and I am going to be me right back.”
Alice tipped her head to the side. “I mean, I can respect that.” She nodded to Clove. “Just make sure you eat this before Carnie gets here because she slaved over it, right, Clove?”
Clove waved her hand at us. “Please, Mom makes at least two cakes a week. I don’t think she’ll be offended if the doc says Star can’t eat it.”
“If you’re not going to eat it, I’ll eat it,” Ender offered.
Clove glanced at him and blushed. “I’m sure there is more at the house if you want it.”
“I don’t have time to run over to your house, Clove.” Ender moved to grab the piece of cake, but Karmen cut him off.
“Boy, keep your hands off that cake if you know what’s best for you. Go get some from Clove’s if you want it,” Karmen scolded.
Clove blushed uncontrollably and shifted her weight.
Ender scoffed and glared at Karmen.
I looked from Ender to Clove and couldn’t help but feel that there might be something more going on under the surface. Though I might have been the only one to see since everyone else didn’t feel the connection between the two.
“I’m on watch for the rest of the day, so I’ll have to take a rain check on the cake.” He tipped his head to my mom. “I’ll be around.”
She nodded.
He turned on his heel and walked out of the room.
I wrinkled my brow. “He’ll be around?”
“You’ve got a Lord on you until they find the guys who jumped you,” Karmen said as if that was something normal to say.
“What? Don’t I get to have a say in that?” I asked.