Frustration rises in my chest, and I push back from the table to stand. “What the hell did you want me to do? Let him sit there? You saw the way he looked! That man that is sitting in the next room is not the man who left here two months ago. I don’t care if I could have gotten myself killed. I knew in my gut that he was down there and I couldn’t stand by and let him think for a moment longer that he was alone and no one was coming for him. I know that feeling and—.”
I stop myself before I confess to the men who are the leaders of this organization my deepest, darkest shattered pieces that my therapist is barely privy to.
The room is silent for a moment and my chest rises in rapid succession as I stare at the men, their eyes filling with pity.
Fuck this. I hate pity. I got out. Aries got me out of the hell I was living in and gave me a chance to help thousands like me.
Taking a deep breath, I slow my breathing and straighten my spine, leveling my gaze with theirs. “I understand your concern. And I am very sorry that I disobeyed orders. I respect all of you very much and will forever be grateful for a place here. But if I was faced with the choice again, I would make the same decision. No one deserves to feel alone at their lowest. And for that, I will never be sorry for risking my life for the sake of someone else's. Especially not Ari, of all people.”
Movement catches my eye and we all turn to see Ari sitting in a wheelchair in the doorway of the Heart, Doc standing behind him.
Dammit. How the hell did I not notice him come in?
His brows are furrowed, and his dark eyes are locked on mine.
A silence falls over the room and we all wait with bated breath for Aries to say something, but Doc is the one to speak up first. Wracking a hand through his gray hair, a look of exhaustion written over his face, he lets out an exhausted breath. “Prez needs rest. A lot of it. I’ve wrapped his wrists, but they will need to be cleaned. Make sure one of you hooligans drops him off tomorrow for a dressing change. He made me stop here when he heard yelling, but now I’m taking his ass to bed.”
Ari raises one bandaged arm, signaling one moment. Doc sighs, clearly annoyed and judging by the bags under his eyes, very exhausted.
A yawn escapes me, an overwhelming sense of exhaustion hitting me at once.
“We will talk more once I don’t feel like I’m going to fall over. But from this moment on, this conversation will not happen again. Taylor did nothing wrong. Every person in this room would have done the exact same thing. What Tay did was brave and the true definition of what we do here. Now everyone needs sleep, so the Heart is closed.”
Zoro, Boone, and Indy rise and nod towards their president.
Ari turns his attention to me, and I give him the same respect as the men did. “Tay. Come with me, please?”
“Ari. I’m exhausted. I promise I’ll come see you tomorrow once I get some sleep.”
Ari signals for Doc to move, his gaze never leaving mine. “Now Hellhound. I won’t keep you long.”
My head drops to my chest and I follow him and Doc.
On the way to Ari’s room, Doc gives Ari basic instructions on sleeping with his bandages and what medications he needs to take.
We get to Ari’s large room at the back of the Clubhouse and I hurry ahead to open the door. Aries’ room is spacious. A large bed sits at the back of the room with a large flat screen tv on the wall across from his bed. A desk sits in the corner of the room. It’s filled with computer screens and files. Finally, a recliner rests off to the side; I suspect we moved it from the game room when Tuck added another beanbag chair to the room, thus not allowing enough space for the chair.
Another yawn escapes me as I watch Doc help Ari into bed.
Aries lets out a groan in pain and I can’t hide the wince that rackets through my body.
Get it together, Tay. You can break down in your room. Not here.
Doc whispers something to Ari, then makes his way out of the room, patting me on the shoulder on the way out and shutting the door.
I stand there awkwardly for a moment, looking around the room before Ari breaks the silence.
“Come sit. I know you’re tired,” Aries says, patting the bed next to him.
I hesitate for a moment before heading to the opposite side of the bed, kicking off my shoes, and climbing onto the gigantic bed.
His dark eyes meet mine, and he reaches for my hand. I do my best to hold his bandaged hand gently as he levels his gaze with mine.
“I want to thank you for everything you did.”
My mouth opens to tell him he doesn’t have to, but he shakes his head. “No. Let me speak.”
Unable to stop myself, I roll my eyes and glare at him.
