Chapter 33
~Elle~
Since the chaos of last night, I haven’t had a moment to truly reflect.
Morning has already broken. As I check on Jimmy, I fight to keep the exhaustion from overwhelming me, the adrenaline that carried me through the night now fading fast. He sleeps peacefully, no doubt eased by the opiates given to dull his pain.
With Doctor Samuel and Jane’s help, we managed to treat every man wounded in the skirmish. Their injuries ranged in severity, though none as grave as Jimmy’s. Now, he’s the only one who remains in the infirmary.
He is lucky to be alive. If Dominic hadn’t arrived in time to stop that second bullet.
I shudder to think of what would have happened.
Luckily, the bullet didn’t cause as much damage as I originally anticipated.
I had to painstakingly dig it out from where it was lodged into his muscle, close to vital blood vessels.
Jimmy is not out of the woods yet, he did lose quite a bit of blood and is at risk of infection.
Hopefully, his recovery will go smoothly.
He’ll be monitored for the next twenty-four hours for complications.
As I was checking Jimmy’s dressing, Dominic stepped into the room.
His voice jolted me from my thoughts. “Damn it, Angel, why are you still here instead of in bed? You were up all night,” he muttered.
“I just wanted one last look at Jimmy’s wound before I rest. What are you doing?
” I asked, startled. “Put me down, now.” My protest carried little conviction as Dominic lifted me in his arms, bridal-style, and carried me out of the infirmary.
My husband was right—I was exhausted. “Don’t worry,” he said firmly.
“Doctor Samuel and Jane will watch over Jimmy and call you if anything changes. You need sleep and I need to hold you.”
His words silence me and I nestle my face into the crook of his neck.
Savouring the comfort of his embrace as he carries me to our bedroom.
Mid-morning sunlight streams through the windows, bright and unyielding.
After laying me gently on the bed, Dominic draws the drapes closed, shutting out the light and wrapping the room in shadow.
He begins to remove his suit which he changed into at some point within the last few hours.
Shedding the black clothing he had on earlier.
Following suit, I begin to undress removing my jeans and bra, tossing them on the chair beside the bed.
Too tired to change into my sleepwear, I climb under the covers in my T-shirt.
Dominic joins me, dressed only in his usual sleepwear—just his underwear. He pulls me close against his chest and together we savor the quiet comfort of the moment. “Elle, I’m sorry. You were supposed to be safe here at home,” he murmurs.
“You’re not God, Dominic. You couldn’t have foreseen what happened last night,” I reply, tracing the tattoos across his chest. “Besides, you didn’t leave me unprotected.”
“If anything had happened to you. I don’t know what I’d do.
” He murmurs. “Well, it’s a good thing that nothing did.
” I tease, pinching his nipple to lighten his mood.
He chuckles, then crushes my lips with his.
It is so easy to lose control when he does that.
But Dominic pulls away abruptly to my disappointment.
“No, Angel. You need to sleep. We have a lifetime for this.” I close my eyes, a smile tugging at my lips as hope swells inside me.
Just before sleep claims me, love overwhelms me.
I whisper, “I love you.” The only indication Dominic gives that he hears is the subtle tightening of his arms around me.
I don’t know if it’s wishful thinking, or just my desperation to hear those three words spoken back to me.
But I could swear his breath tickles my ear, as he whispers, “I love you too, Angel.”
And just like that, all is right in my world.