Doc nods in my direction. “Bring her home. Take care of her. Make sure she rests. She's been through a lot.”
“But Dad—” I start.
“He's sleeping. You're no good to him like this anyway. Rest. Eat. Sleep. Fuck. Whatever you need to do to disconnect. He'll be here in the morning.”
“But—”
“We're going home,” says Bear, scooping me right out of Hawk's lap. He holds me tight as he carries me out of the hospital, flanked by the rest. I don't have the strength to argue. Maybe Doc's right.
Quickshot’s waiting with the van. This time I get a proper seat, but squeezed between Viking and Snark, my space feels small. I don't mind, because it means I'm pressing up against both of them at once.
I'm asleep again by the time we pull into the club compound, and only have vague memories of them carrying me in, undressing me and putting me to bed in Bear's room after helping to clean off the blood.
“Wait.” My eyes pop open again. “Izzy.”
“I'll get her.” Viking's back a moment with a sleepy bundle who blinks in confusion until she sees me. Then her eyes light up and she's paddling in Viking's hands like a dog held over a bathtub as she tries to get close. She babbles excitedly, telling me about her day until she's snuggled up in my arms. Then she goes right for the boob.
Right. Should've expected that, I suppose.
I hold her close, savoring each tiny moment because I’m hyper aware of how close I came to not having them. It doesn't take much for Izzy to zonk out again, though, and Bear slips the little bundle back to her crib before I pass out from exhaustion. “Emily's sleeping in Viking's bed tonight, making sure she's okay while you're gone. Just relax, and we'll all catch up in the morning.”
I nod gratefully, my eyes already sliding shut. They all get into the bed with me, and I sleep, feeling safe for the first time since this mess began.
40
ALESSA
When I wake up, it takes my mind a little while to figure out the shape of bodies around me. There's a big arm under my neck, serving as a pillow. Another is wrapped around my waist, holding me close. There's a hand on my shin, obviously awake, since it's softly stroking my skin, and another touching my hip. Even as small as I am compared to the guys, they've found a way to position themselves so each one is touching me.
It’s sweet.
I shift, just a little, but it’s like the guys have sensors. Immediately, the guys start to move, gruff faces looking at me with sleep-tousled hair as they all sit up. No one's wearing a stitch. They look good like that.
“How are you feeling?” asks Snark. He was the one playing with my shin. He's still running his hand up and down my leg, though he's moved up to my thigh. I'm still waking up, so I'm not quite there yet, if you know what I mean, but I won't claim it's not moving me in the right direction either.
“You have no idea how fucking worried we wore,” adds Bear. He caresses my hip with his huge hand.
I think about it. How do I really feel? The memory of what was left of Dario after I… no, I push that memory as far away as I can. The warehouse was yesterday, and will never be again. Not for me. I wet my lips and force a little smile. “I'm fine,” I try to say, as lighthearted as I can.
Viking captures my chin and turns me to face him. His expression is suddenly stormy. “If this is going to work, we can't have you lying.”
“What? I'm not—”
“You just blew out the brains of someone you've known most of your life, after he fucking kidnapped you, threatened your baby and shot your father. You are not fine. Don't bullshit us.”
Bear nods. “We're asking how you feel, because we're here for you. We can't be that, if you're not going to fucking tell us how you're actually feeling. You’ve got to be honest with us.” The hurt in his voice is terrifying.
“Oh. But I—”
It's Hawk who's got his arm under my neck. He squeezes a little harder. “Don't fucking try it. Remember Dario’s messages. This could’ve gone very differently if you’d told us about them. You’re never hiding something like that again, got it?”
“Got it.” My tone gets a lot meeker. “I’m sorry. So yeah, maybe not fine, but feeling a lot better. Izzy's safe. You guys are safe.” I reach out and gently touch Bear's bandage. “Dad's going to be okay. It's not all bad. And Dario will never threaten me again.” I shudder as the memory comes back, but Bear pulls me to him as soon as he notices. He's so warm. “And now I have all four of you.”