Chapter Thirty-Seven
Greyson
Any moment I’m not at PT or taking a quick shower, I’m by Scarlett’s bedside. Lucifer, the furry little fuck, managed to survive the carnage by hiding in my bedroom.
When I let him out, he tears apart everything he can sink his claws into and yowls at me day and night to get back to Scarlett.
After he shreds my mattress to pieces, I bring him by the scruff to Scarlett—with Ross’s approval, of course.
Ross says the demon won’t harm Scarlett, and as soon as the creature sees its mother, he climbs onto her and rests his head on her chest.
The cat doesn’t move from that position for several days—won’t eat unless I put his food bowl on the mattress next to Scarlett—and for the first time, I gain some gratitude for the thing. With him and Eric watching over her, I’m able to leave her for brief windows of time.
At the end of the week, Scarlett’s vitals and wounds improve enough that she’s taken off the breathing tube. But she still doesn’t wake up, and every moment without her is a moment I come closer to taking my own life. If she dies, so do I.
It’s late one night—close to 2am—that I’m dozing off in the chair beside her. Eric’s off sleeping in a guest room for the night, leaving me and Lucifer watching over her.
Lucifer abruptly lifts his head from her chest, and releases a loud yowl, snapping me to alertness. For the first time since he got here, the furry fuck stands up. He moves restlessly over Scarlett’s body, meowing loudly, rubbing his cheek against her neck and licking her chin.
“Ease up,” I warn him. “If you put a scratch on her, I’ll euthanize you.”
My warning goes completely ignored. Lucifer continues grooming Scarlett, rubbing against her, meowing… and a few minutes later, a miracle happens.
Scarlett’s eyes begin to flutter. Her legs twitch a little, followed by her fingers. My heart stops. My brain short-circuits. I hold my breath as I watch her, as if the slightest disturbance in the room—even my breathing—might harm her.
Then, she opens her eyes.
I’m at her bedside in a heartbeat, taking her small, warm hand in my own.
Her eyes look a bit dazed and unfocused, and as they fix on me, swimming with confusion and unspoken questions, my heart sinks for the thousandth time this week.
She doesn’t remember me. There’s no recognition in her green gaze.
Fucking. Damnit. This is just my goddamn luck. Any moment and she’ll start screaming for help.
Waking up to a stranger leaning over you after a brain surgery and subsequent coma can’t be comforting. I should do the right thing and leave. Send the doctor and her brother in here and give her space.
I should, but I can’t seem to move. Not yet. I’ll wait until she freaks out, until I have no choice but to go. I just can’t leave her yet. Not when, against all odds, she’s alive.
“Monster,” she whispers, eyes softening.
Monster. I’ve never been so goddamn glad to hear that nickname, because it means she remembers. She remembers everything, otherwise she wouldn’t be staring at me with such gentleness and affection.
My knees buckle with relief. I sink down to the mattress, fighting the urge to cry. She remembers me.
She remembers me.
“Flower,” I murmur.
She sweeps a disoriented gaze around the room. “Why am I in medical?”
How much does she remember?
“Do you remember the fight?” I ask. Ross told me that her most recent memories are the ones most likely to be impacted… maybe she has no recollection of the day Luther invaded.
Her wince tells me I don’t need to be worried about that. “Yeah. Dad and James smashed my head against a lot of objects.” She clears her throat, then focuses on the cat, who takes the liberty to wrap around her neck like a necklace.
“Hey, Luci,” she whispers. “Aw, I missed you too.” Lucifer lets out an unnecessarily loud purr, and unreasonable jealousy sparks inside of me. All of her attention should be on me. My entitlement to her focus isn’t fair, but I can’t turn it off.
“The—” I cut off as my breath catches, forcing back the tears of relief and belated grief in my eyes. I nearly lost her, but here she is, memories seemingly intact. “The doctors didn’t know if you’d make it. Or if you’d remember me. You… you almost died, Flower. You almost left me.”
Her eyes fill with tears as she stares at me. “I couldn’t ever forget you, Greyson. You’re my Monster. You live in my soul.”
That’s when I can’t hold the tears back any longer. The floodgates open, and I cry for the first time in my adult life. I lower my head to Scarlett’s chest, listening to the steady beat of her heart, and sob like a fucking baby.