Chapter 43 Thea
THEA
The scent of warm coffee is the first thing I notice as I wake up again.
This time the room is filled with natural light.
Micah is still holding me. Does he know what it’d mean for me to have him here when I wake up again?
When I woke up the first time, panic ran through me until I saw him at my bedside.
I hear hushed voices nearby. I can’t see with my face buried in Micah’s warmth.
“He’s gone too far; he can’t be in bed with her while she’s in such a state.
The nurses need access to her to check vitals,” Liam mumbles, trying to stay quiet but his frustration is bleeding through.
How long was I actually asleep? Last night almost feels like a dream.
If Micah wasn’t still next to me, I probably would think that.
“Relax, will you? We’ll just wake him up and everything will be fine,” Ben replies lowly. Where are they? The light in the room last night was low so I really didn’t see much of it. They sound close. I want to say something but I don’t want to wake Micah, but if they’re going to it anyways…
A scoff cuts off my train of thought. “You clearly don’t remember what he was like in college. He’s impossible to wake up.” Eli’s voice sounds different. Strained?
“You’re all dumb since none of you have noticed you actually woke Thea up,” Micah says, startling me.
Moving slightly, he looks down at me with an easy smile.
“Good morning.” Okay seriously what’s happening?
This has to be a dream. Before I can respond, I see a hand clamp down on Micah’s shoulder and yank him back, making him nearly fall off the bed.
I can’t even check on him as Liam is suddenly taking up my entire field of vision.
His green eyes look duller, like the lights gone out.
There are bags under his eyes. Whatever the reason I’ve been stuck here in the hospital must have drove him crazy.
His eyes move back and forth checking each of mine.
“Hi?” I blink, trying to break the tension. Suddenly the bonds are exploding with relief from all of them. Oh, I guess they’re all in the room then?
“Damnit. Liam move,” Eli says impatiently, making me laugh.
Liam’s tired face softens at that. Then it’s as if he’s been electrocuted, he’s pulling back and now I’m able to see more of the room that he’s running out of it.
I don’t have the brain capacity to wonder about that when the rest of my mates are all looking at me with varying degrees of relief and happiness.
They all look exhausted. Parker and Ben look a little rumpled for some reason.
Micah is at my bedside, though a few steps away.
Eli is the closest on that side, Ben next to him.
Keelan is at the foot of my bed. Jake is sitting in the chair at the opposite side of the room, and Parker is on a small couch by the window.
The two of them are quickly moving from their spots to get closer to my bed.
The pain in my head that was starting to come back is receding the more their scents surround me.
Before any of us say anything, chaos bursts through the doors, led by Liam. A doctor and nurse are trailing him. I smile to myself. I should have expected that, my ever-diligent doctor.
Apparently when I hit my head on the dresser in my escape attempt, it was just the right spot and force to cause a severe concussion.
I was unconscious for a long time and by the time I was treated, they had to wait and see if I’d wake up.
I guess it took two days. By the time the doctor and nurse left, I was exhausted all over again.
“What’s wrong?” Micah asks worriedly.
“Tired all of a sudden.” I frown. “I don’t want to sleep. I want to go home and be in the nest with you all.”
“You need your rest in order to heal. We’ll all be here when you wake up again, promise,” Jake says seriously and it seems that’s all I needed to hear before falling back asleep.
The next time I wake up it’s dark again. Everyone is still here as Jake promised. I wanted to ask last time but the moment never came. “What happened to him?” I ask the room.
“He’s dead. Taz shot him.” Jake reaches for my hand. The tears hit me without warning. I felt it last night; I had a feeling he was dead and with Micah’s scent, it was too much.
“I’m actually free,” I laugh through the tears. Jake squeezes my hand. I can feel them all in the bond, sending me their strength. I look to Micah and his expression, the softness in his eyes, says the same even without a bond.
Free. No one is after me anymore. Connor’s killer is gone. The darker part of me knows he probably died too quick of death after everything he did to Connor and me. It almost doesn’t feel real, after a year and a half since the stalking started, it’s over. I actually have a future with my mates.
Sophie needs to know. I try to sit up but Liam is quick to nudge me back. It doesn’t take much and my body still feels like shit. “Whoa, rest. There’s no need to get up yet,” Liam says.
“No, we need to call Sophie and the dads, they need to know it’s over,” I rush out. Almost everyone looks to Parker, who shrinks a little at the sudden attention. But when our eyes meet, he stands up tall.
“I actually called them the day you were admitted once we had information on how you were doing. They’ve been here a bunch.
After you fell asleep earlier, they were here for hours and left not long ago for the hotel.
Liam called in a favor for them to let us all stay here again tonight.
” Parker’s eyes never leave mine. I’m not surprised he was the one to call them.
I push my gratitude down the bond to him and seeing his eyes light up in response is the best feeling.
“Baby Girl, you need to rest. You’ll see them tomorrow. The only priority is you getting better,” Keelan says in that low gravely voice of his. There’s no arguing with him or any of them, not that I want to.
A burst of pain flares in my head. The guys felt it and Liam reaches for the nurse call button. I grab his hand before he can. “Wait.”
His brows pinch together in confusion as he looks at me. “I just need your scents around me. That helps control the pain. I know it doesn’t make sense but it’s true.”
Liam opens and then closes his mouth, looking so perplexed it makes me want to laugh.
“Good job Sunshine, you broke the doc,” Eli teases with a small smile forming on his lips.
He leans over and gives me a light kiss.
Then he’s pulling off his sweatshirt and laying it on top of me, his crisp apple scent filling my senses.
Soon I am now surrounded by various clothing items, gloves, scarves, sweaters.
By the time Liam places his scarf as the last item, I’m in heaven.
The pain is gone now, though I’m stuck lying here.
I stare up at the ceiling. This is going to get old fast. The doctor said earlier that they’ll keep me here a day or two longer and keep checking my CTs to make sure everything is okay before I can go home. And with Liam, there’s no way we’d leave before they give the okay.
“I’m bored,” I pout, making my entire pack burst out laughing.
A loud squeal has me turning my gaze to the door.
Sophie nearly launches herself at my bed, Max, James, and Mateo following close behind.
Fuck, I’m crying again. I’m so tired of it but at least this is for a good reason.
Sophie is hugging me so tightly but I don’t have the strength to return it like I used to.
Out of the corner of my eye I see Liam panicking.
Ben is laughing under his breath next to him as he holds his shoulder, preventing our overprotective doc from coming over here.
“You are not allowed to scare us like this ever again,” Sophie scolds me. I think it’s impossible to take her seriously when she tries to be stern. Connor felt the opposite, which was always funny to me.
I give the only acceptable response. “Yes ma’am.”
Each of the dads come over and kiss my forehead. No more tears, Thea. When Max comes over last and after he kisses my head, I see the slight glimmer of tears in his eyes and yeah, I’m a goner. Just a weeping mess now. It’s not long before Sophie follows, sending all our mates into a panic.
When we all calm down, Sophie says, “My new son-in-laws aren’t too bad.
They’ve all been doting on you since we’ve been here, especially that one.
” She glances over to Micah who’s talking with James.
“He wouldn’t leave your side no matter what.
The rest of the pack tried to convince him to go to the hotel to clean up and get a few hours of sleep, but he wouldn’t budge.
” That’s news to me. I didn’t think much about that.
I guess I assumed it was a rotation like they do for most things.
Micah’s words that night filter back to me but they don’t take root as Sophie states loud enough for everyone to hear.
“Once you’re better, I’m going to come over and make your favorites.
These guys need to finish getting to know each other, right?
” She pointedly looks at her mates, making me hold back a laugh.
“Parker and Jake are good, the rest are on probation,” Max says, void of emotion. I roll my eyes at his shit stirring. Sophie and I both know he just wants to see their reactions. Parker is beaming at Max’s approval, which does make me laugh.
I never believed I’d really see this day. I’m so happy I don’t know what to do with it all.