He kissed me, and it mattered little that I was in a hospital bed and suffering. The need for him began to rise inside me.
Someone cleared their throat, and Micah regrettably pulled away, glancing toward the door. The doctor gave us a warm, friendly smile, moving into the room. “I see the patient is awake. How do you feel?” he asked. “Are you in any pain?”
Color stained my cheeks as I readjusted myself on the bed, fixing the sheet draped over me. “Nothing that isn’t tolerable. It only really hurts if I move.”
“Good, that means the medication is doing the trick. We’re going to monitor you for a few days, but you’re going to need to take an easy for a few weeks. You were lucky. No organs were damaged. The wound itself was less than an inch deep. Would you like us to contact your parents?” the doctor asked while reading one of the machines beeping beside the bed.
I shook my head. “No, I don’t want to worry them.”
Micah continued to lie on the bed beside me. “It wouldn’t be a bad idea to go home while you recover and heal,” he said. “You know your mom would love to dote.”
“I’m fine, really.” The last thing I wanted to explain was how I got hurt or ended up stabbed in an abandoned warehouse. Too many questions I didn’t want to answer.
The doctor gave me the rundown of my care. I was also being treated for smoke inhalation, and they’d stitched my cheek. He informed me that it would most likely leave a scar, but after the healing process, I could consider cosmetic surgery or other methods to lighten and diminish the mark.
When he finished checking my vitals, the doctor ordered me to rest and went to check on his other patients.
A knock came a few minutes later, and Grayson’s face peered around the door. “What the fuck, asshole? You couldn’t let us know she was awake?”
Micah’s expression was unapologetic. “The doctor just left.”
Grayson was shoved inside the small room, Fynn filling up the space behind him. Then I heard Kenna’s voice. “Bunch of Neanderthals,” she mumbled under her breath as she waltzed through the door after them. Her brown eyes grazed over the guys and found mine. “Fucking hell, Mads. If you hadn’t just escaped death tonight, I would kill you for scaring me like that.” She pushed herself to the side of my bed, weaving around the guys standing awkwardly.
When I saw Kenna, the tears threatened to come back. She was safe. Her hair might have been messier than usual, her clothes sooty, but she was unharmed. “I’m happy to see you too.”
“Can I hug you?” she asked, her voice hitching.
Nodding, I swallowed. “I’ll be upset if you don’t.”
Arms flung around my neck. “I’ve never been so scared,” she whispered, clinging for another moment before pulling away and wiping at her eyes.
I brushed at my cheeks, mopping up the tears that had escaped. “You’re okay?”
“I’ve been through worse. The world is better off without him, remember that,” she said.
Fynn maneuvered around Kenna to lean down and kiss my cheek. “I always knew you were a tough chick.”
I grinned and then promptly winced. “Don’t make me smile or laugh.”
“Watch where you’re putting those lips,” Micah grumbled, scowling at his friend.
Fynn only chuckled, caring little about Micah’s half-hearted threats.
The real threat was over.
Maybe I could finally start enjoying college.
Grayson moved forward next, giving me a quick hug. “Josie and Ainsley are freaking out. Brock went back to the townhouse to make sure the two of them stay put,” he shared, knowing I would want to know. Everyone was accounted for. He rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. “The cops are going to want a statement.”
I fumbled with the IV cord stuck into my arm. “Is there anything I should know beforehand?” I glanced at everyone in the room. We had to have our stories straight. I didn’t want this to fall on the Elite.
“Just stick to the truth,” Grayson advised. “Tell them only what you want to tell them. No more, no less.”
Kenna scrunched her face up at her brother. “Did you take that from one of Brock’s playbooks?”
Fynn intercepted before the sibling war broke out in my hospital room. “Maybe it’s time this brat goes home.” He ruffled Kenna’s hair, further irritating her, but before she could open her mouth and protest, his eyes returned to me. “You don’t have to worry, Mads. We’ve made some calls, and none of this will blow back on us.”
Once again, the connections these four guys had staggered me. “I’ll be home soon. They’re releasing me in a few hours, assuming I don’t flatline,” I said in a sad attempt at humor.