“Liam?”
I lifted my head to find Annabelle just a few feet away. “Does the doctor have any news? Emmie wants Natalie and I to do another press conference updating everyone on her progress in about two hours.”
“He should be out to speak with us soon, Anna-Banana.” I shifted my gaze from her to the shorthaired chick standing with a phone in her hand, Devlin Cutter right beside her. “Nat?” I called out to her and her head immediately snapped up. “Can I talk to you?”
She moved forward and Devlin started to follow. “No,” I told him and he stopped. “I need to talk to her alone.”
My friend shrugged and leaned back against the wall where he’d been the majority of the time he was in the waiting room. Natalie pocketed her phone as she drew closer and I took her hand, pulling her out of the room. Outside, I pulled her down the corridor to a spot that looked discreet enough before stopping and facing her.
“What’s up?” she asked, her blue-gray eyes full of concern. “Is she really going to be okay?”
I nodded. “Yeah, I think she is.” I thrust my hands into the pockets of my jeans and leaned against the wall. Now that I had her out here, I didn’t know how to ask for what I needed. Muttering a curse, I jumped right into it. “You’re as good as Emmie…right?”
Her eyes widened. “I like to think I am, but no. I’m not even in Emmie’s hemisphere yet. Why? What do you need?”
I swallowed hard, nervous as hell. Why, I couldn’t have said. I knew what I wanted, knew what I had to do—or at least hoped that I knew—to get Gabriella back. So what was my problem?
Maybe because I knew how much was riding on it…
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Gabriella
I heard someone moving around and once again I tried to open my eyes. If it was the doctor or his evil nurse coming back to poke and prod my aching body again, I was going to seriously slap a bitch. They had spent forever moving me every which way and touching parts of my body that were still screaming in agony.
Both had left with the promise of pain relief. I wasn’t sure how long ago that had been or even if someone had already brought me the medication. All I knew was that I was in some serious pain and all I wanted was to see Liam again.
Had he really been there or had that been a dream? I was almost scared to ask. If he hadn’t really been there, then that meant he hadn’t actually said he loved me… And I wasn’t sure if I could handle knowing that just yet.
“Who’s there?” I called out when I couldn’t get my eyes to fully cooperate. I was so tired, in so much pain, that I could barely lift my lids.
“You’re awake!”
Everything inside of me went still and then I breathed a sigh of relief as I lifted my hand. “Lee-Lee.”
Her fingers were trembling when she wrapped them around my hand. “Oh, God, Gabs. You scared me so bad.” I heard a sob in her voice and felt my eyes sting with tears. “You can’t do things like that to me. If something happened to you, I don’t know what I would do.”
“Sorry,” I whispered and tried to keep my eyes open so that I could see her beloved face. “I had to do…something. Mia…” I broke off and closed my eyes tight, fighting back flashes of what had happened leading up to being shot. “Liam said she’s okay… Or was that a dream?”
“It wasn’t a dream, baby.”
A small gasp escaped me at the sound of his voice. I hadn’t realized that there was more than one person in my room. So it hadn’t been a dream. Liam had been there, and he’d said he loved me. I swallowed hard and kept my eyes closed, feeling suddenly shy. It was a new feeling to have, especially around this man.
I heard footsteps approaching and found the energy to tighten my hold on Alexis’s hand. Moments later I felt my hospital bed shifting near my head before his lips brushed over my closed eyes. “How are you feeling, baby?” he asked in a quiet voice. “Are you in pain?”
“A l-little,” I murmured.
“I’ll speak to the doctor,” he promised and I felt him moving away.
Part of me wanted to stop him, but another, bigger, part wanted a few minutes to gather myself. I wasn’t used to feeling like this. Vulnerable, shy, weak. Was it because I was so helpless right then, needing help from everyone around me because I was as weak as a newborn? Or was it just Liam who was making me feel like this? I didn’t know and I hated feeling like that.
“Hold on just a second, Gabs. Let me pull a chair closer so I can sit with you.” Alexis released my hand and then I heard the sound of a chair’s legs scraping on the floor seconds before she grasped my hand once more. At her soothing touch, I let out a relieved sigh and turned my head toward her.
“How long have you been here?”
Alexis rubbed her soft hands over the back of my knuckles. “I got here the morning after the shooting. I’ve been here for three days. Mom’s here, but I don’t think you should see her just yet. She’s running her mouth and we’ve been arguing.”
I grimaced. “What did she say to him?” I knew she had to have said something to Liam.
The few times I’d brought Liam around her, she’d seemed to take pleasure in annihilating him. She hadn’t been able to find one good thing about him. He had too many tattoos. His hair was always messy. His clothes were never good enough. He drove the wrong kind of car. I was sure that if Liam had been anyone other than a rocker, my aunt wouldn’t have batted an eye at the man I’d told her I was in love with. She’d been the same way when I’d been with Axton, but even then it hadn’t been nearly as extreme as the way she was around Liam.
“We can talk about that later. Just know that she’s in the waiting room and I’m not letting her through the ICU ward doors anytime soon. You don’t need to be upset.”
I nodded. “Okay. Is Jared with you? Jordan?” Christ, I really wanted to see my precious little man right then, but I didn’t want to scare him. I probably looked hideous and I didn’t want to give him nightmares about seeing his Aunt Gabs like this.
“Jared got here not long after I did. We had to take different flights because there weren’t enough seats and it was impossible to charter anything the other night. Vince brought up Jordan. They are all at the hotel right now. Jordan has been impatient and cranky so I had Jared take him for a good sleep and something to eat. He’s been playing in the pool at the hotel, so he’s content for the moment.”
“Good.” Some of the tension in my chest eased and I blinked over at Alexis, finally able to keep my eyes open for longer than a few seconds.
When I finally got a good look at my beloved cousin, fresh tears burned my eyes. “Oh, Lee-Lee.” Her hair needed brushing and her beautiful face was pale with dark circles underneath her eyes, which were bloodshot from lack of sleep and crying. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry, Gabs. I’m fine. And I know this wasn’t your fault. It’s not like you wanted to be shot. What you did? That was a really brave thing. You’re a hero.”
I nearly snorted. “Not quite.”
Her lips lifted in a smile that calmed some of the ache in my heart. “Everyone is saying you are. The media, the feds, even Emmie.”
My eyes widened at that last part. “Emmie?”
“She was here most of the last three days. She’s been working with Annabelle to make sure that everything is taken care of. No one has had to do anything. The Feds are up-to-speed on your condition and the media has been getting regular reports. The only time I saw her leave was hours ago when her husband showed up and asked her to return to their bus. Mia needs her mother.”
I shook my head in disbelief. I didn’t know what to make of that, but I didn’t want to examine it too closely. Not yet.
The door to my room slid open and Liam entered with a nurse right behind him. My eyes found him and stayed, unable to look away from the best sight I’d seen in forever. He looked tired and he was limping, making me wonder how much pain he was in right then. I bit the inside of my cheek as I took the rest of him in.
&nbs
p; He was just as pale as Alexis and his eyes were glassy, bloodshot. “Are you okay?”
His lips lifted into a tired half smile. “I think that’s my line, baby. Now that you’re awake, I’m perfect.”
The nurse moved around to the other side of my bed with a needle-less syringe in her hand filled with some kind of clear liquid. I watched as she went about cleaning off my IV line. “What is that?”
“The good stuff,” the nurse told me with a grin. “You’ll be feeling nothing in about sixty seconds.”
“No!” I told her as she started to put the syringe into my IV line. “I don’t want to be out of it yet.” Fuck, I was barely awake as it was. I wanted to soak up the sight of Alexis and Liam. I wanted to ask more questions. I wanted… So many damn things.
“You’re in pain, Gabs.” Alexis rubbed her hand up and down my arm, trying to calm me. She was right. I was in pain, more pain than was probably humanly possible to withstand. “Let her give you the medication. We aren’t going anywhere.”
Two tears spilled from my eyes. “P-promise?” I whispered as I looked up at Liam. He was the one I was really asking. I was glad Alexis was there, but I needed Liam to stay.
Something in his eyes darkened, or maybe I was just seeing things from all the pain I was in. He leaned over the bed and brushed a kiss over my forehead. “I promise, Brie. As long as you’re here, so am I.” He lifted his hand and used his thumb to wipe away my tears. “It’s okay, baby. Let the nurse do her job and get some rest. I’ll watch over you.”
The hand that the IV was in lifted and I caught his fingers. Turning my face into the pillow, I held on tight as a few more tears fell. “You’ll be here when I open my eyes?”
“Baby, you’re killing me with those tears,” he muttered with a groan. His lips were on my cheek now, kissing away my tears. “I swear on Marissa’s life that I’ll be here. Okay? I’m not going anywhere, little Brie.”
He took my hand and held it while the nurse put the syringe into the IV line. I didn’t watch as she pushed the liquid inside, but I knew the instant she did. My arm burned from the medication, causing my arm to ache for a long moment. I kept my eyes on Liam, wanting him to be the last thing I saw before the pain meds took over and I was pulled under again.
My vision blurred and I blinked my eyes, fighting the effects of the powerful narcotic. “Liam.”
He smiled down at me. “Right here, baby. I’m right here.”
***
I didn’t dream. At least, I didn’t think I did, because I couldn’t remember dreaming.
I woke up twice over an unknown period. The first time, Alexis and Liam were sitting beside my bed. Alexis was holding my hand and running her nails up and down my arm in the way I knew Jordan liked. Liam sat closer to the head of my bed, his hand resting beside my face and every now and then he would caress my cheek with the back of his knuckles.
I’d watched them for a while. Neither had spoken, but they seemed to be comfortable enough with the silence. Without realizing it, I’d fallen back to sleep.
The second time I’d opened my eyes, Alexis was gone but Liam was still there. He’d switched seats and was leaning forward. One of his big, rough hands was holding onto mine as he rested his head on the bed, kissing my fingertips tenderly. The lights were dim so I couldn’t make out much of his face, but he looked tired.
I should have told him to go back to his bus or even a hotel. It was obvious he needed some decent sleep. Yet the thought of asking him to go—and him actually leaving—terrified me.
Noticing that I was awake, Liam lifted his head. “Okay?”
I nodded. The pain meds were still doing their job, even if they had lost some of their original effect. “Thirsty,” I mumbled. My mouth felt like it was as dry as a desert, but oddly my lips didn’t feel cracked like I would have thought they would have been, considering what the rest of my body had been through over the last few days. Licking my lips, I found them coated in something minty and realized that someone had been putting salve on them.
Liam got to his feet quickly and moved to the end of my bed where a rolling table had a pitcher of water and a cup waiting. He poured half a cup and opened a straw before coming back to me. His blue eyes went from me to the water and then back, a frown scrunching up his face. “I’d lift the head of the bed if I knew it wouldn’t hurt you. Let’s play it safe.” He lowered the cup and angled the straw toward my lips.
The first taste of the iced water felt like heaven on my tongue. I couldn’t help but moan as I took a thirsty swallow. Liam pulled the cup away far too soon. “Easy,” he murmured, wiping away a few drops that had spilled onto my chin. “You don’t want to drink too quickly or it might all come back up.”
My mouth and throat ached for more, but I didn’t argue. I definitely didn’t want to vomit at the moment. Not only was I sure that it would make me wish I was dead from the pain of it, but I didn’t want Liam seeing me like that. For the next several minutes, Liam gave me one small sip after another until I’d finally had my fill.
He put the cup back on the table and sat back down in his chair. I couldn’t help but notice his grimace in pain as he bent. “Your leg’s bothering you.”
Liam shrugged. “Dallas will be in to give me my shot in a little bit. I’m good until then.”
My eyes widened. “Dallas? As in Dallas Cage?”
“Do you know another Dallas?” He smirked at me. “Yeah, baby. Dallas Cage. She’s been here since you were brought in. Hasn’t left. It’s because of her that you made it to the hospital. The doctor told me…” His voice trailed off and a haunted look passed over his face. “He said that if she hadn’t been there, hadn’t been so well-trained, that you wouldn’t have lasted more than a few minutes.”
Seeing his pain was like having a knife cut into my heart. I couldn’t bear it. The last thing I wanted was to cause this beautiful man pain. When he hurt, so did I. “I’m glad she was there and that she’s been here with you. She’s a really good friend to you.” I bit the inside of my cheek, thinking about the blond woman.
Groggily, I wondered how shocked Liam would be if I told him that Dallas had been the one who had been keeping me updated on his continued recovery? It had surprised me, too, when I’d gotten that first email from her. She had been the one to reach out to me first, mere months after she had married Axton.
When I’d seen her email in my inbox, I’d been skeptical about opening it. I’d known that she was pregnant with her first child and I’d also known that she and Axton were happy. So I’d wondered what the blond chick had to say to me. I wasn’t anything to her. It wasn’t like we were going to start being BFFs or whatever.
After opening it, I was so glad I had. The email had been simple, strictly to the point. She had wanted to know if I was okay and if I still wanted to know how Liam was doing. I’d put her wanting to know if I was okay down to her pregnancy hormones working overtime and had emailed her back with a definite yes.
I had been almost to the point of desperation wanting to know how Liam was doing. I’d tried to ask several other people—roadies, mostly—but no one would tell me shit. Two days later I’d gotten my first update on Liam. He was doing well, was working out hard and staying clean. She hadn’t gone into any personal details, like if he was seeing anyone—or, more to the point, sleeping with anyone. For that, I had been thankful.
After that I’d gotten a regular email monthly, sometimes twice a month if she was feeling particularly good-humored. We never shared details about our own lives, but I’d felt as if we had been able to at least put my past with her husband behind us.
Looking at Liam now, I decided that it wasn’t the best time to tell him I’d been basically stalking him via one of his friends. Not exactly what he needed to hear right then and I wasn’t sure I was strong enough to deal with it if he did get upset. So I kept my mouth closed.
The meds were still holding strong and it didn’t take long before I was drifting off to sleep again.
&nb
sp; CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
LIAM
Two days passed before the doctor thought Gabriella was showing enough of an improvement that she could be moved out of ICU. They put her in a large, private room and pulled a reclining chair up beside the bed. I wasn’t sure who had told them to get the chair, but I was thankful for it. I hadn’t left Gabriella’s side except to use the bathroom, eat, and when the doctor kicked me out to do whatever it was he did to my girl when I wasn’t around.
My leg was hurting again. I hadn’t worked out in over five days and my muscles were protesting it, especially the ones in my leg. Dallas was coming in to give me a shot every few hours, but otherwise she was back at her bus with her family. Our tour was over, the last few stops on it having been canceled by Emmie, and no one was moving on until I was ready. I was thankful for that, too. Having them all, not just my band-brothers but Demon’s Wings as well, to stand behind me at the moment meant a lot to me.
Gabriella was getting stronger with each passing day. She slept more often than not, but that was because of all the pain meds they were giving her. When she was awake, we didn’t talk much. I preferred it that way because I didn’t want to get into anything heavy until she was out of the hospital. Plus, talking seemed to cause her more pain and lowered her O2 levels even with the oxygen tubes in her nose. So, I kept quiet beside her bed and just played with her fingers, making her smile even in her sleep.
Today was day two in her private room and I knew that our reprieve from the outside world was going to be over very soon. Annabelle had told me the night before that the cops and Feds wanted to talk to Gabriella. I didn’t want to put her through reliving the shooting but knew I was powerless to stop it. She would have to talk to them so that they could continue with their investigation.
Also on the list of things that I didn’t want to have to put my girl through, but knew I couldn’t prevent, was getting her out of bed. Doctor Schiller wanted her up and moving around, getting the soreness out and building up her lungs. I was going to be a nervous wreck. I couldn’t stand it when she was in pain. The day before, she had sneezed and the whimper that had left her had nearly made me climb the fucking wall. It killed me. When she hurt, I hurt right along with her.