Chapter Forty-Four
ELLIOT
I almost think she’s an apparition when I open my eyes to see Lily curled up in a chair beside my bed, her head resting on a pillow, her body covered in a blanket.
Looking to my left, I find River on the other side, his eyes bloodshot.
“Hey, how are you feeling?” he whispers, leaning forward in his chair.
“Like I’ve been shot.”
His face pales, and I immediately feel guilty.
“Fuck, too soon.” I raise my hand towards his, the IV pinching my skin, and I immediately want to rip it out. No matter how much time I’ve spent in the hospital in the past, it’s still as annoying as hell.
“You scared the shit out of me, El,” his voice cracks as he takes my hand in his.
I lick my dry lips and clear my throat. “Shit, I’m sorry,” I croak.
His face softens as he reaches for the jug and pours me some water. His callused palm cups the back of my neck as I lift my head and take a few sips.
I flinch at the ache in my shoulder. It’s heavy and uncomfortable, but I’ve had worse.
“You were really fucking lucky, El. It was a through and through. You’re lucky it didn’t hit your artery or clavicle.”
I cringe when he says it like that, but he’s right. It could have been so much worse.
“Is everyone else okay? Is Mia safe?”
A small smile lifts his lips. “Yes, and yes. She’s in the room next to yours. Lily spent the day cuddling her, but I don’t think she slept.”
His eyes drift to Lily beside me.
“From the looks of you, I’d say you haven’t either.”
River scrubs his palm over his rough jaw. “Tell me how you really feel,” he says, trying for a playful tone, but it does nothing to hide his concern for me. “It’s been a stressful thirty-six hours.”
My eyes widen. “Fuck, was I really out of it for that long?”
He nods. “Yeah, you lost a lot of blood. You’ve been in and out of it.”
I blink, not recalling anything other than the searing pain of taking that bullet and it knocking the air out of me before I hit the ground.
“That makes sense. When did Lily get here?” I ask, turning to look at her once more, wishing I could reach out and touch her but also not wanting to disturb her either.
“Within a few hours of you being admitted. Mason spoke to Caleb and sorted out a private flight without Jax even having to ask.”
I nod. “So what happened? Where’s Richard?”
River spends the next twenty minutes filling me in on everything I missed while I was under. About Louis and Gabriel being Interpol. I never saw that coming.
“And still no sign of Richard?” I ask.
He shakes his head. “Not yet, no. But we don’t think Lily’s at risk, at least not from him. From the Intel they were able to share with us, it would appear this Syndicate doesn’t deal with what they class as ‘second-hand goods.’” His jaw locks when he stares at Lily. Because yeah, that term associated with another human being, let alone one we love, makes my blood boil, too.
I close my eyes and take a deep breath. “So when can I get out?”
That makes him laugh. This isn’t my first rodeo, and just like before, I’m eager to get out of here.
Lily stirs at the sound and sits up, her hair messy, but damn if she isn’t a sight for sore eyes.
“You’re awake,” she says, quickly unwrapping herself from the blanket and approaching me.
“Hey, Sweetheart.”
She leans in and kisses me softly before drawing back and scanning my face.
“How are you feeling?”
River scoffs beside me, a reminder that my last response didn’t go well.
“All the better for seeing you,” I opt for instead.
River rests his palms beside me as he leans over me towards Lily. “Hey, Vixen,” he says, giving her a sweet kiss.
“Hey, where’s mine?”
He pulls back and looks down at me before his lips find mine. I expect it to be chaste, but it’s far from it, as his tongue slips past my lips.
I’m aware my breath is probably rank, even more so with the pain meds and antibiotics they’ve probably pumped me with. I don’t care what anyone says, but I can always taste meds, even through an IV.It always leaves an unpleasant taste in my mouth and a weird odour.
When River draws back, he momentarily rests his forehead on mine before leaning back in his seat.
Even lying in a damn hospital bed, the man still has the power to render me breathless, and when I glance at him, he winks, knowing exactly what he does to me.
Lily’s cheeks are flushed. “He has the same effect on you, too, huh?”
She smiles. “Yeah, you both do… I love you,” she admits, her eyes moving to River. “I love both of you,” she says before her gaze returns to mine.
“God, Lily, I love you too,” I reply.
“Me three,” River says, causing Lily and me to laugh, although mine is quickly broken when I’m reminded of why I’m lying in a hospital bed, which brings me back to the question I asked before Lily woke.
“Seriously though, when can I get out of here?” I ask again, glancing up at River.
“As soon as the doctor examines you and gives the okay. But you need to rest for a few weeks. I mean it, Elliot, rest. No thinking you can grab your tablet or your laptop and work remotely.”
I’d take not being plugged in for a few days over having to stay here longer than necessary any day.
“Good, the sooner, the better,” I reply through gritted teeth as I try to sit up.
Lily begins fussing over me and adjusting my pillow as River uses the remote to adjust my bed slightly.
“If this is the kind of aftercare I can expect, maybe I’ll get shot more often.” Lily gasps at my words, her mouth parting. “Something tells me our girl would look very sexy in a nurse’s outfit.”
Lily pops her hand on her hip and raises her brows. “Firstly, don’t say things like that. There will be no more getting shot. And secondly, sexist much, why am I the one dressing up and not River?”
I can’t help but chuckle. “Listen, I’m not picky,” I reply .
“Notice how she didn’t refuse to dress up, though,” River says as I glance at him, his hazel eyes sparkling with humour before returning to Lily as she becomes increasingly flustered under our perusal.