“You two talk too much for this early in the morning,” Finn grumbles, and I look over as he stretches while yawning from the chair he slept in. Maverick is still out cold. “Does anyone want coffee?”
“Yes,” Lincoln and I say in sync, making Finn chuckle.
“Okay, I’ll go get some,” he says, looking down at his watch. “I’ll grab some food too, then we should be able to go see East before getting the hell out of here. I assume he brought you up to speed?”
He says the last bit just to me and I nod. “He did. Mostly. Thank you. For everything.”
Moving across the room until he’s standing in front of me, he captures my lips with his while I’m still curled up in Lincoln. “Nothing to thank me for, V. You know I’ll always come for you. We all will. I’ll be back in a minute.”
He turns to leave, and I lean back into Lincoln. I can’t help but be surprised at how well they all seem to take sharing me. I can honestly say that sharing any of them would drive me to murder. “We should probably get up.”
“In a minute,” he says, tightening his hold on me while being mindful of my ribs. So I lie with him until Finn comes back with coffee and food, waking Mav as he turns the light on.
I eat my croissant quietly, sipping at the coffee while they talk quietly about something I’m not in the loop with, but I know they’ll tell me later if I ask. We’ve come a long way since I got back to the Cove and I’m pretty sure they’re past keeping stuff from me.
I really freaking hope so anyway.
I finish my breakfast and the doctor comes around to check on me. Once she takes my blood pressure and she’s happy enough with it, I’m given the all clear, and we pile out of the room and head toward East’s room. I clench my hands to stop them from trembling. I hate that he’s here because of me. It occurs to me that Lincoln never did answer my questions since Smithy interrupted us, so I have little idea of what I’m going to find.
I move a little faster, walking ahead to the room number Linc gave me for East, and push the door open.
My heart about stops when I find him hooked up to a dozen or so machines with a giant gauze bandage down the center of his chest. He smiles at me, but I can’t help but gaze back down at his chest.
“He was shot in the heart?” I question before East can say a word as I turn to face Lincoln, who winces again.
“He was, but he’s okay. He’s getting out of here today too.”
I grumble under my breath about stupid boys and only giving half the fucking information, and turn back to East. The man in question is still smiling as I enter his room at last and head straight for the bed. I want to hug him, but he was shot in the fucking chest. I’m not going to hurt him any more by being an idiot.
“Are you okay?” I ask the stupid question because I can’t help myself, and he barks out a laugh.
“I’ve been better, but I’ll survive. Are you okay?”
“Meh, same.” I shrug as I perch on the edge of his bed; the others stay outside giving us some privacy, shutting the door between us. Guilt slams me as I take stock of him. “I’m so sorry.”
The words are choked as I speak them, but he takes my hand and squeezes it tight. “V, I’d die to keep you safe. I didn’t die, and you have nothing to be sorry about. Besides, I took the bullet for my idiot brother. If anyone should be sorry, it’s him for getting in the way of yet another gun.” He laughs softly and I roll my eyes.
“Are you seriously making jokes right now?”
“I’m not joking.” He shrugs and I shake my head. “They have a lot more power in the world than I do, but that is something I can do. And for you, there’s no limit to what I’ll do.”
I lean forward and kiss him chastely, aware that I don’t want to hurt him, but I can’t not kiss him. Not when he says shit like that.
“I won’t break, you know?” He grins as I pull back.
I laugh softly, shaking my head. “You look pretty breakable to me right now.”
“This?” he says, waving to his chest. “This is nothing.”
“You’re an idiot.”
“I’m your idiot though.” He grins at me, eyes sparkling. He does at least look okay, and he seems perky enough. “Now, can we get the hell out of this place? I’ve been losing my mind trapped in here.”
“Yeah, Linc said he was getting me discharged. I assume he meant you too. I need a bubble bath. A really long bubble bath.”
“Want company?” he asks, wagging his brows as the door opens behind us.
“You, Mr. Saint, will not be having bubble baths or any other exertive activities for some weeks.” I blush as the woman's stern voice reaches me, turning to see her standing in front of a smirking Lincoln. “We’ve already been through this. If you won’t stick to your care plan, I will not be discharging you.”