9. Mark My Words #2
The force of the blow was staggering. Her thoughts exploded in her mind. The jarring impact stole the breath from her lungs. Sarah was going to kill her. The realization settled over her.
Sarah was going to kill her. Today was the day she was going to die.
Desperation clawed at her insides as she struggled against the haze clouding her vision, working the cloth free in a last ditch effort to save herself. Nash was close. So was his security. They had to be. She just needed them to find her.
Sarah reached up to slam her head down again, screaming the entire time.
"IRIS!" The roar of Nash's voice cut through the pain a moment before she felt the weight disappear. Her head fell painfully back against the concrete, but at least it wasn't slammed down. With her right hand, Iris fumbled with the cloth. She pulled it out after three weak attempts.
"Na—" Her voice was feeble, a hoarse croak of pain. But it carried in the dark alley. The glint of metal caught her attention, and Iris looked up to see Sarah standing above her. A knife held in one hand. Dread settled in her stomach. She tried to roll away, but her head was spinning.
The arc of the blade came down as if in slow motion. Iris was sure this was the end. One day of happiness.
She had one day to feel loved by Nash. Bitterness washed over her fear.
She spent most of life miserable. It figured that when she was finally happy, it would all come crashing down.
With a manic gleam in her eye, Sarah threw her whole body behind the knife.
It was coming down directly above her heart.
Iris tried to move, but her broken body wouldn't listen to her.
No matter how much she tried, she was stuck where she was.
Right in the way of a deadly blade. This was the end then.
Out of nowhere, a blur of motion collided with Sarah, diverting the strike. Pain exploded across Iris's shoulder, a fiery line of agony that caused her to release a bellow of pain. The scent of copper flooded her senses.
But the pain didn't last long. Soon everything began to fade. As if everything just seeped out of her. Everything felt cold. Her body, her mind… everything was nothing but ice cold. The pain became something distant.
Numbly, she saw Nash's fists slam into Sarah's smaller body.
He delivered a single devastating blow to Sarah.
The woman's body went limp, collapsing onto the pavement.
Nash stood, a towering figure of rage, his chest heaving.
He took one moment to make sure Sarah was out, and then he rushed to her side.
It took everything Iris had to focus on him. He collapsed next to her.
"Iris!" His hands were on her now, gentle despite the fury that still danced in his eyes. Her gaze locked onto his, drinking in the sight of him—the man she loved. She was glad she got to see him one last time.
"I love you," she choked on her words. The sound came out garbled and quiet. Fire raged behind his eyes, but she was too far gone to notice. Her eyes drifted close. She was powerless to stop them.
"Stay with me," he urged, his voice desperate. "Don't close your eyes." She wanted to listen to him. She tried to. But darkness crept along the edges of her consciousness, and the void that waited for her was much too tempting.
She tried, she did. With nothing but sheer willpower, she clung to the image of Nash's face.
Worry etched deep lines into his brow and softened the hard set of his jaw.
It was a look she had never seen from him before.
Dimly, she noticed men swarming around them.
Nash began barking out orders, but she couldn't focus on them.
And then, everything faded to black.
She floated in the dark. For how long, she didn't know.
Slowly, she became aware of a strange beeping sound.
It refused to go away. Gradually, it called her from the inky blackness.
At first, she wanted to ignore it. To stay in the dark.
But something kept her from falling. It was a warm pressure all around her, refusing to leave her alone. It was enough to keep her tethered.
Iris tried to fight her way out from the darkness, to follow the warm presence she felt. But escaping was harder than she expected. She could hear voices, but her eyes refused to open. There words were hard to understand, but she tried.
"She is extremely lucky, you need to understand. The knife was the least of her worries. The blow to her side caused internal bleeding. A lot of it." A feminine voice said, the edges hard. "Organs were damaged. Her liver needed major surgery. Along with several other organs needed repair."
"Will she be alright?" A deep voice asked, the sound of the voice was familiar. It brought a wave of comfort flooding through her.
"The surgery was successful in stopping the bleeding, but only time will tell. She lost a lot of blood, not to mention the severe concussion from the blow to her head." The woman's voice replied. She sounded confident, her words firm and strong.
"If she dies, this will be on your head." The man threatened, his voice was deadly. "You'll never practice again, do you understand me?"
"I will do my best—"
"Your best isn't fucking good enough, doctor!
I want everything possible done for her.
" All Iris heard next was a loud crash punctuated by a startled gasp.
"She is you number one priority or I'll burn this entire fucking hospital to the ground!
" The pain in his voice called to her. She wanted to help him, soothe him.
But she was powerless. She already felt herself fading.
"Mr. Nash! You destroying this room or this hospital will not save her life!" Whatever his response was, Iris never heard it. Oblivion called to her.
A faint knocking on a door roused her this time. But just enough to bring her aware of the room around her, her muscles still resisted every command she gave them. Iris heard the shuffle of feet before the smooth glide of a door.
"Oh Lily," a faint gasp.
"Lily!" Her name from another life was whispered through tears. A little girl's voice this time.
Dahlia. Oh, how she'd missed her. Iris desperately wished she could reach out and hold her. But, her body fought her.
"You'll need to be quiet. She needs her rest." Nash's voice again. He was still here? Time had passed, surely, but she had no idea how much. She wondered if he ever left at all.
"Will she be alright?" Dahlia's voice whispered. A warm hand settled on her hand lightly. What she would do to squeeze it back. But it was no use, her body refused to cooperate.
"Yes, little one. The doctors say she is mostly out of the woods now. The first forty-eight hours after surgery were the most critical. She'll need lots of rest, but should make a full recovery." His words are gruff, and not at all what she remembered the doctor last say.
How long had she been asleep?
"What happened, Nash?" Daisy whispered frantically. "She's barely been gone, and your man just shows up out of nowhere to tell me she's in the hospital in critical condition."
Iris felt the darkness pulling her back in, and as badly as she wished she could stay, she succumbed.
"Who are you?" A voice growled suspiciously, rousing her once more. She felt more awake than the times before. More aware. "Get the hell away from my sister!"
Ash.
Her brother had come. He sounded upset, distressed even.
"I'm a friend, and you better lower your voice before you wake up my daughter." Daisy's voice snapped back. Iris fought to open her eyes.
"I know her friends. And I've never met you before." Ash's voice was still harsh, but noticeably softer. "Excuse me for being suspicious after a mad woman just tried to murder my sister."
A long sigh.
A soft sniffle.
"I understand. I'm terrified, too." Daisy's voice sounded choked. As if she was fighting back tears. "Nash brought me here so that I can stay here with her when he can't be. You just missed him."
"I don't particularly care to see the man, to be honest."
A humorless chuckle. "That makes two of us."
Silence descended on the room, and Iris fought to stay alert. She was determined to wake up this time.