Chapter 44
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
JESSICA
A soft beeping greets me as my eyelids flutter. I groan in protest. My head is throbbing. My body feels heavy and my limbs are stiff.
What the hell—
I blink my eyes open, only to be blinded by a bright light.
My eyes fall shut again, searing pain jabbing through my skull making my stomach roll.
Inhaling deeply, I try to even out my racing pulse as I fight through the pain. It feels like it lasts a lifetime before I can try again, slower this time.
The pain is still present, although a bit more manageable. My body feels like it was run over by a train, every inch hurts.
I breathe for a moment as I take in my surroundings.
The white ceiling.
The insistent beep-beep-beep of the heart monitor.
I look down, my gaze landing on the man sitting in the chair next to my bed.
Matthew.
His fingers are curled around mine, holding tight even in his sleep. His head is resting on the mattress next to my leg. His hair is messy, face ashen, dark bags under his eyes.
“He’s been here the whole time.”
My head whips around to find my mother sitting in the chair on the other side of my bed.
“M-mom?” I croak out, my voice coming out tight.
Mom presses her lips together, forcing out a smile as she gently brushes my hair away. “Hasn’t left your side once. The nurses told us they had to pull him off you when they brought you in. You gave us a scare, you know that?”
A low chuckle escapes me, but it comes out more like a cough. “T-try h-harder n-next time.”
“Don’t even joke about that,” Mom chastises. “Water?”
I nod slowly, and she grabs a cup sitting on the nightstand, bringing the straw to my lips. I take a few tentative sips before lying back.
Soft stirring on my other side draws my attention.
Mom gently touches my arm. “I’m going to find a doctor.”
She slips out of the room silently as I watch Matthew open his eyes. He blinks a few times, his brown eyes hazy with sleep as they meet mine.
A few heartbeats pass as we just stare at one another, neither of us saying anything.
Surprise, relief, love, and guilt pass over his face in quick succession, settling on the last one, and it hurts me to see him like this.
“D-don’t… this.”
“Trouble…”
Matthew’s gravelly voice sends a shiver down my spine. I squeeze my fingers around his, the motion sending a jolt of pain through my hand and wrist.
“N-no.” I shake my head stubbornly. “I kn-knew you’d find m-me.”
Matthew’s jaw tenses. “We can talk about this later. When you feel better.”
“I r-ran to you.”
“You did.” He places his hand over mine. “You did so good.”
“What happened with…” My throat bobs, my words trailing off as the panic returns along with flashbacks of what had happened. They’re hazy, but I remember the anger directed at me. Remember the pain jolting through my body.
Matthew squeezes my hand, something dark passing over his expression. “He can’t hurt you anymore.”
I suck in a long breath and then let it out slowly, the relief slamming into me as the realization sets in.
It’s over.
Actually, truly over.
The heart monitor starts to beep faster as my heart races. My lips part, but before I can say anything, hell, even wrap my head around it, the door bursts open, doctors and nurses filling the space.
Reluctantly, I let Matthew pull back so they can work. My eyes dart to him, making sure he hasn’t snuck out of the room, but he’s still here, standing in the corner, watching every move the doctors make, the muscle in his jaw twitching if even the slightest sound of pain comes out of my mouth.
They poke and probe, checking my charts and examining me.
Turns out, I’m the lucky winner of a sprained wrist, a concussion that led to brain swelling, a bullet wound to my side, and major blood loss, on top of all the lacerations and bruises on my body.
The whole ordeal seems to take forever, and by the time they leave the room, I’m exhausted.
Sighing, I turn to the surly man standing in the corner. “Matthew…”
His name barely leaves my mouth when I hear a commotion in the hallway. My brows pull together just as the door opens, and more people file into the room.
“You know, if you wanted to get our attention, all you had to do was bring your hot cop boyfriend home. There was no need for you to die,” Amy mutters dryly as she sits on the bed next to me. Although she’s trying to keep a straight face, her eyes are red-rimmed like she’s been crying.
“Be nice.” Emily nudges Amy in her side.
“Amen, sister,” Mae mutters as she extends her palm toward Amy for a high five before she takes the other chair, her narrowed eyes glaring at me. “Seriously, Jessy? You up and get yourself kidnapped?”
“Jealous that it wasn’t your b-brilliant idea?” I ask dryly.
“Don’t joke about that!” Mae grinds out. “You could have died!”
“I—”
“You’re not going to die, are you?”
I turn to the foot of the bed, where Carly is nibbling at her lip, watching me with worried eyes.
“I’m not going to die, Carly,” I reassure her softly. “The two of them are being dramatic.”
“A little ironic coming from the girl who’s lying in the ICU after being shot,” Amy comments, giving our youngest sister a side-eye. “I wouldn’t bet on it.”
Carly’s lip wobbles. “You can’t die, Jessy!”
“Now you’ve made her cry!” Em hisses at Amy, slapping her over her head.
“Girls!” Mom chastises loudly. “How about we give Jessy some grace? She went through a lot.”
They continue fighting among themselves. Apparently, everybody has their opinion on me getting kidnapped and shot, and they’ve decided they’re going to put it out in the open. Their yelling makes the throbbing in my temples grow stronger, piercing pain jabbing through my skull.
“What in the ever-loving world is going on in here?” A new voice joins the conversation.
I blink a few times to find an older nurse in the doorway, her hands propped on her hips, sharp eyes zeroing in on my family. “This is the ICU, for God’s sake! Who let y’all in here anyway?” She shakes her head. “Out with you.”
“But we’re her family!” Amy pouts.
“I don’t care. Only two people can be here at any given time.
Rules are rules.” The nurse waves them off.
“Y’all figure it out outside and then two people can return.
Though, considering she’s as white as a sheet, I think she could use some peace and quiet so she can rest. C’mon, don’t make me force you out of the room. ”
Amy stomps her foot. “That’s not fair.”
I grab her hand with my good one and give her a gentle squeeze. “I’m fine, Amy. I’m not going anywhere.”
“You better be fine.” She narrows her eyes. “You still owe us an explanation about a certain somebody!”
I chuckle softly, which makes me flinch in pain. My head feels like it’s a hive that was tossed off a cliff. Although, considering the little snapshots that I can remember of what happened…
I shudder visibly, pushing the memories back.
Later.
I’ll deal with all of it later.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” This time Amy’s voice is gentler.
“Y-yeah. Just need some rest. I promise to explain everything. Sneak me in some coffee tomorrow?”
Amy rolls her eyes. “Maybe.”
My sisters all give me a hug before slipping out of the room, followed by my parents, who kiss the top of my head, promising they’ll be back soon.
“You need anything?” Mae asks as she too stands up.
“I’m good, I—”
Movement from the corner of my eye catches my attention. I extend my hand, looking up at Matthew. “Not you.”
Mae hums softly. “I guess you have everything you need. Call if that changes or, you know, if you need me to kick somebody’s ass.”
I don’t say anything as she slips out of the room, the door softly closing behind her, leaving us alone.