Chapter 23 ~ #2
“It’s okay, Angel. He has to ask. We won’t let anything happen to you,” Mase promises, his hand holding one side of my face.
“What Mase said.” Jace lifts my hand, pressing his lips to my knuckles.
I exhale and nod. Mase kisses my forehead and I lean into him as I turn back to face the doctor.
He’s smiling at us. “Sooo…I’m guessing not your partners?”
My eyes bug out of my head and I quickly shake my head. “No, the guys would never hurt me.”
Flynn nods. “I had to ask,” he tells me. “When you were first brought in, we contacted immediate family and it was flagged in our system that you requested emancipation from your father prior to you turning eighteen.”
My body stiffens.
“Did you call him?” Luc demands, getting to his feet.
The doctor shakes his head. “No, I didn’t. As Rory’s injuries are not life threatening, I was waiting for her to wake up and tell me whether or not she has him to blame for her ribs, out of proportion fingers and the scars in places you wouldn't normally see.” Flynn lists things off his fingers.
“Luci,” I whisper. Luc comes over and sits on the edge of the bed. He entwines our fingers over Mase.
“Rory?” Flynn prompts.
My eyes flick around the guys. I don’t know what to tell him. If Alec was awake…he’d know what to say.
“Umm…” I lock eyes with Maverick. He nods slightly. I bite my lip and nod.
“Y-yes,” I stumble. “It was him.”
There’s a collective sigh around the room.
Flynn pats my ankle. “Thank you, Rory. I know this is hard.”
“I don’t want to file charges or whatever,” I tell him before he can ask.
“Ro, maybe you should consider—“
“No, J.” I cut Jace off. “I’m finally free of him. I am not doing anything.”
It’s clear Jace disagrees but he doesn’t want to argue. He falls silent, clutching my hand.
“Ultimately,” Flynn interrupts and we turn back to him, “it is your decision, Rory but I do suggest thinking it over.”
I reluctantly nod. I know exactly what would happen if I testified against him. He has the Dark Riders backing him—I’d never make it out alive even if I did manage to get the asshole in prison. At least this way there’s a small chance that he’ll forget about me and move on.
“Do you believe he will come after you here?” Flynn questions.
I think for a moment before shaking my head. “No, I don’t think so. There’s too many people around—there’d be witnesses.”
“Would you like me to add security personnel to your door?” Flynn asks.
I’m already shaking my head by the time he finishes his sentence.
“We’re taking turns staying up anyway,” Jace informs him. “We’re better off doing this ourselves. With Alec still…unconscious, it’s better that it’s just us.”
I’m thankful that Jace takes the reins. I squeeze his hand. He turns his head and smiles softly.
“Okay. Back to your injuries. I’m sure your partners told you but you have a concussion and three stitches on your forehead from where I’m presuming you hit the dashboard,” Flynn carries on.
My hand instinctively gravitates towards my forehead. So, that’s what hurts.
“Actually, we hadn’t gotten around to that,” Luc says guiltily.
Flynn rolls his eyes. His lack of professional attitude helps make me feel more comfortable.
“You also have some bruising on your ribs from the seatbelt,” he tells me. He turns to Mason. “How are yours?”
“Fine.” Mase shrugs, not happy with the attention shifting to him. Flynn raises one eyebrow at me.
“Mase,” I say in a warning tone. “Answer the question.”
Mase grumbles. “Fine! They fucking hurt.”
I realise I’m probably leaning on them and scooch a little further away. Mase’s arm tightens around me and tugs me back to him. I just shake my head.
Flynn comes around and studies my forehead, making sure I hadn’t ripped the stitches in my sleep. He gives Mase and I some painkillers. I take them but with the pain still buried, I don’t feel a thing. It would be weird to explain that though.
Flynn moves to Alec next. He fiddles with a few things on his chart.
“Will he be okay?”
Flynn looks up when he realises I’m talking to him.
“I can’t say anything with absolute certainty but yes, I think with time, Alec will be fine. His collapsed lung was troublesome but it seems to be doing well,” Flynn answers honestly.
“And the brain bleed?” I ask, my heart in my throat.
“We won’t know until he wakes,” Flynn tells me. “I don’t expect any long term issues but as I said, we won’t know until he wakes up. For now, he’s resting and he needs it.”
Okay. That’s good. Right? He doesn’t expect long term issues, that’s good.
I exhale heavily and turn my head back into Mase. His thumb pushes up my gown sleeve slightly and rubs circles over my shoulder.
I struggle to keep everything buried. It’s harder around the guys. The good wants to pop up but if the good does then the bad can too.
Flynn tells me that I need one more night with the drip thingy and he’ll come in the morning and take it out. I thank him but he simply brushes it off.
I know the guys would have been pains in the ass with Mase, Alec and I in hospital beds.
He hangs out for a bit until he’s called away. We chat about how he got into doctoring while the guys scowl at him. Overprotective but I can’t really blame them after everything that’s gone on.
“My parents are coming in an hour,” Jace announces. “I can’t hold them off anymore.”
“Okay, so we need to do this now?” Luc asks but doesn’t wait for a response.
He gets up from beside my bed and kisses the fuck out of me. It takes a moment, then passion swarms me.
I moan into his kiss but don’t even attempt to move as a flicker of pain echoes through my head. It’s like colour blossoming in my world that was black and white.
I welcome it as my hand curls around Luc’s neck.
Luc pulls back swiftly and studies my eyes. I breathe heavily, confused by the sudden start and stop.
“She’s back,” Luc announces and my confusion deepens.
“How do you know?” Maverick questions.
“Because I can do that shit too. Or I did. The point is, I know she’s back.” Luc falls back into his chair.
“What are you talking about?” I stare at him, feeling the pain return like Luc’s kiss broke the spell.
“For someone with a serious concussion, you were way to fucking calm.” Luc crosses his arms. “And for someone who can’t swallow tablets to save themselves, you knocked back the ones Flynn gave you pretty easily.”
“I—“
Luc raises one hand, interrupting what was going to be a flimsy excuse.
“I know what it looks like, Rory. I did it for years in order to survive. You pushed down the memories, the pain, but also your emotions.” Luc softens when tears glimmer in my eyes.
I look at him for a moment, a spark of anger creeping in when I realise he wasn’t kissing me because he wanted to. He was doing it to snap me out of it.
He could have just talked to me or asked me not to do it. But no, instead, he used my feelings for him against me.
“Well, thanks for bringing the pain back,” I say quietly.
Luc flinches. His eyes grow wide as though he can’t believe I said that. I don’t wait for his response and roll to face the other way. I brush off Mason wanting to talk. I’m sick of talking.
Part of me knows Mase didn’t do anything but I know he’ll just take Luc’s side and I can’t deal with that right now.
I watch Alec as my eyes droop. Flynn warned me that the medication might make me sleepy but because I was shoving the pain down, I was struggling to feel the effects of the drugs until now.
Dom sits down on the chair beside Alec. He pulls his phone out from somewhere in the leather.
I close my eyes before he can glance up and see me watching.
A door in the room slams and I flinch violently. I’m raw and exposed without that barrier between me and my emotions. I don’t draw on the darkness. I don’t pull the barrier back up.
Instead, I dream.
I remember.
I fall.
. . .
Mason ~
A scream has me jolting awake.
My eyes fly around the room as the guys leap to their feet.
As another scream bubbles out of Rory’s throat, the door flies open and Flynn storms in.
“What is—“ When he realises that she’s dreaming, his hand flies out and halts the security behind him. He says something to them and shuts the door.
I’m disoriented and slow to act when Flynn drops down beside her. He reaches for her.
“Stop,” I blurt out. “Don’t touch her.”
Flynn slowly retracts his hands.
“Can you calm her?” He asks me, seriously. “I need to take out the drip or she’ll hurt herself.”
“Yeah,” I mutter, still drowsy from the meds.
The guys crowd around Rory, pushing the doctor out of the way.
“Ro,” Jace calls out, taking Flynn’s place on the floor beside her. Rory’s thrashing stills before starting up again.
“Angel,” I murmur, putting my hand on her shoulder. “Sweetie, calm down. You’re dreaming.”
Her movement stops long enough for Flynn to swiftly remove the drip.
“Mase,” Rory whimpers in her sleep. “Alec. Alec!” She says louder.
“Shit, she’s dreaming about the accident.” Luc curses. I bet he feels really shitty about pulling her out of it now.
“Sunshine!”
Dominic yanks the sheet dividing us across and freezes. “Alec,” he breathes. “Oh, thank fuck.”
“Dom? What’s wrong with Rory?” Alec says weakly. He tries to sit up but his arm catches and he crumbles with a cry.
“Shit, A. Stay still, baby.”
Alec looks confused by Dom’s term of endearment but doesn’t attempt to move again.
Flynn rushes straight to Alec’s side asking him a series of questions. Alec ignores him.
“Dom, what's wrong with Rory?” Alec coughs.
“She’s dreaming,” Dom tells Alec. “Just stay still, A.”
Hearing Alec’s voice coaxes Rory awake.
“Alec?” Rory sits up, everything still warring in her eyes as she clings to me.
“Yeah, Sunshine.” Alec coughs violently.
Rory bursts into tears.
“Angel, baby. He’s okay,” I coo, cradling her trembling form in my arms. Luc hovers like he’s not sure what to do.
“Don’t cry, Sunshine,” Alec calls out to Rory.
With all the people in the room, Rory starts to panic when she can’t see him. The after effects of her dream must still be present in her mind.
I scoop her up, ignoring the sharp pain in my ribs as well as Flynn and Mav’s protests. I carry her over to Alec’s bed, gently lowering her beside him. There’s enough space that she’s not hurting Alec.
“Hey, Sunshine,” he murmurs, enlacing their fingers.
“Alec.” Rory’s bottom lip wobbles.
I take a step back, nudging Dom forward. He’s so fixated on Alec that he doesn’t even notice I’ve given him an extra push.
Dom doesn’t get to say anything however, as Flynn jumps in. “Good to see you awake, Alec. I’m Flynn, your doctor. Your friends and partners said you prefer Alec?”
Alec just nods, probably confused as to why Flynn said partners.
Flynn continues. “They also said to speak in medical terms because that’s your language.”
Alec cracks a smile and nods again. Being the person injured and not the doc in the situation seems to have left Alec unsure what to say.
“So, it’s Friday afternoon and you’ve been here…” Flynn looks at his watch, “….approximately twenty hours. You had a pneumothorax, a clean fracture in your right arm and on the way to the hospital, you experienced a mild intracranial hematoma.” Flynn pauses to give Alec a moment to process that.
“What—“ Alec’s voice comes out all croaky.
Dom grabs a water bottle from Alec’s bedside table. He ignores Alec’s shaky hand reaching for it and presses the bottle straight to his lips.
Alec tries again after thanking Dom. “What’s my expected recovery time frame and the after effects of my intracranial hematoma?”
Flynn suggests five days but possibly up to a week in the hospital and tells him what we already know: the effects of his brain bleed are unknown but he expects Alec to make a full recovery based on previous diagnosis.
Alec nods slowly, not seeming happy about having to stay so long.
Flynn then asks Alec similar questions to what he asked Rory and I. He also asks some questions that require more in depth responses to check for any brain damage on the surface but Alec passes with flying colours.
Jace turns and murmurs to me, his phone still in his hand. “Mum and Dad are here. I’m going down to meet them.”
“Yeah, okay,” I say distractedly, not taking my eyes off Alec or Rory.
Jace gives Rory one last look before he leaves to get Helen and Devon.
Rory seems to have settled down and is listening acutely to everything Flynn is saying, despite having heard it already.
Alec’s rubbing his thumb over Rory’s knuckles as he listens to the doctor. Despite his calm exterior, he is freaking out. He’s paying way too much attention to his hand holding Rory’s. Like he’s afraid of letting go because she could slip away.
I’m not even sure Dom’s paying any attention to Flynn—his complete focus is on Alec.
Fuck, I feel sorry for the dude. He hasn’t slept pretty much since Wednesday night and on top of that, he’s in love with someone he let go.
But hey, I warned him.
Alec seems hopelessly confused. He’s only just woken up from a car accident and Dom’s giving him mixed signals.
Those two are in for a whirlwind, because something tells me that Dom’s done holding back.
“Rory?”
I tear my eyes away from Rory and see Helen and Devon in the doorway, Jace behind them.
Tears flood Rory’s eyes at the sight of them.
Ah, fuck.