Odin’s blue eyes look me over, making sure I am all right. His jaw tightens when he sees my arm in a sling and the bandages covering the bullet wound. He lightly traces his fingers around the bandage.
Zeus is standing at the end of the bed. He gives me a big smile that warms me from the inside out. I gently tap the bed beside me. He stares at the vacant space. Worry lining his face. I tap it again, wanting him to know I need him too. He walks over and gently sits down beside me, trying not to move me too much. He takes my hand in his and holds it tight, squeezing it three times. I don’t know what that means, but I feel the need to do it back. His eyes light up, and he looks beyond happy.
Midas is still standing by the door, his arm crossed over his broad chest. Giving me a look like he wants to be close, but he is scared. He doesn’t look like the man he normally does. Gone is the cocky asshole who isn’t afraid of anything. In his place is a man who looks so unsure about everything.
His usual slicked-back hair is standing up, and his clothes look like he grabbed the first thing he could find. He is wearing grey sweatpants and a long-sleeved matching shirt. My eyes can’t help but wander to the very visible outline in the front of his pants.
No wonder grey sweatpants are like catnip to girls.
Midas doesn’t say anything. He barely looks like he is registering everything that is going on around him as he just continues to lurk by the door.
“Thank you,” I say to Midas.
He looks almost shocked that I am thanking him, but I don’t understand why. He saved me last night. He took care of me until the ambulance arrived. He was my knight in shining armor. All three of them were.
“You don’t need to thank me, angel.” His dark voice is quiet.
I looked over to Zeus, leaned over, and kissed his cheek. I turned to Odin and kissed him too.
“How are you feeling?” Zeus asks me.
“Like I’ve been shot.” I chuckle, and once again that joke falls flat. “I’m all right. I just can’t wait to get out of here. They only kept me overnight because I went into shock. Besides that, everything else is fine. Just a few stitches.”
They all look relieved at that. Midas steps closer but still doesn’t come near the bed. His penetrating gaze examines every inch of my body, mentally calculating every injury on me. I can see guilt in his eyes that doesn’t belong there.
This is no one’s fault but the man who did this. No one should feel guilty for what happened last night, least of all him. Midas and I didn’t have the greatest start, but this proved to me the man he can be. He is still young, we all are, and he made a mistake, but he has made amends with me. Last night was the amends that I needed to move past everything.
Another knock sounds at the door before it opens, revealing the doctor. Dr. Kendell has such a warm aura around her. It makes sense she went into medicine. Her pale blonde hair is pulled back into a bun, but a few pieces frame her slim face. She looks like she is in her thirties. Ignoring the guys that look like they are ready to attack if they need to, she walks over to my right side and examines the bandages on my arm and foot. Her smile never left her face.
“Good morning, Ms. Gold. Everything looks great. How is your pain level?”
“I would say like a three or four right now,” I replied. Midas, Odin, and Zeus looked instantly concerned at my pain levels.
Thank God they weren’t here last night then. I may or may not have screamed a few times because the pain became unbearable. After they dug the bullet out, stitched me up, and gave me a hefty dose of medication, I couldn’t feel it anymore. But my body went into shock, and the convulsions I had would have freaked everyone out. After that, I don’t remember much.
“That’s normal. I am prescribing pain medication for you to take home. I have already got your discharge papers ready, so whenever you are ready, you can leave.” Dr. Kendell types something up on her iPad before tucking it under her arm.
“Thank you,”
Dr. Kendell pushed Odin and Zeus out of the way so she could have a better look at the bandage on my arm. She pulls it back slightly, checking the wound before retightening it. After a few routine questions, she says goodbye and exits the room.
The second the door closed, the Odin and Zeus descended. Fluffing my pillows, asking if I needed anything, trying to do anything to make me feel better. I tried batting them away, but they wouldn’t stop, so I just sat back and enjoyed the pampering.
My eyes never leave Midas through it all. Watching as he battles with himself to come closer or not. As much as I want to make the first step with him, it needs to be him. If he is going to fight with himself over this, then nothing can happen until he is ready.
Serena
The guys never left my side in the hospital room. I could feel they were on high alert as if they suspected he would come back in the middle of the day to take me, or worse, shoot me again.
Despite my trying to reason with them that he wouldn’t be brazen enough to strike in broad daylight, they wouldn’t listen. They made some good points. We know so little about who this was, we can’t be sure that he is sane enough not to attempt anything.
When Mom showed back up an hour later, she brought back coffee for the four of us and a bag of clothing for me to go home in. I groaned in pleasure as the first taste of coffee hit my tongue. I never considered myself someone who has an addictive personality, but with coffee, I did. I can’t start my morning without it.
After a few more sips of my liquid gold in a cup, I relayed to mom what the doctor had said. Mom was almost as excited as I was to get out of here. I have nothing against hospitals, but being in one makes me feel uneasy. Memories of a life I wish I hadn’t lived have a nasty way of sneaking back in.
Compartmentalizing those thoughts for a later date was the only way I could get through it. Putting them in a tiny box labeled Evan and shoving it to the back of my mind, never to be seen again.
A slight tension fills the room as mom looks at the three guys standing at the head of the bed. Though she wears a thankful smile on her face, I can see the wariness in her eyes as she looks at the four of us together.
