Also, the man can’t take no for an answer. As I can fully attest to. I explicitly rejected him more times than there are stars in the sky, purposely calling him some of the foulest names in creation. Still, he keeps coming back like a dog chasing a bone.
The man is stubborn as a mule.
Okay, someone needs to stop with the noise. It’s too loud, and I want to go back to the wonderful dream with the younger versions of Jester and me. The dream is fading, and the heartbreak and sorrow, and pain, are returning. There’s lots of beeping and talking. And it’s bright. Too damn bright, I can see the white light through my eyelids. No use keeping them closed anymore, and when I blink them open, I’m blinded by the intensity of the glare.
It takes a few seconds for me to understand what’s happening and remember where I am. I track the IV tube from my arm to the metal stand, noting a bag of dripping fluid. Still, I can’t wrap my brain around why I’m in a hospital. Or why I, Faith Decker, who never cries, have tears seeping into my tangled hair.
Oh, God…
That’s right. The memory of what happened comes back to me in horrific, vivid detail. I swallow a groan and turn my head to see Jester fighting against two orderlies, two cops, and Havoc, who are trying to restrain him.
“Jester,” I rasp, and it stops him dead. “Stop making a scene.”
He throws up his hands. “Get off me.” His growl, coupled with his surrender, has the desired effect. They let him go, and he darts over to me quick as a lightning strike. The movement makes my already muddled mind spin. His hands are cold and clammy when he wraps them around mine. He’s pale, his hair is a wreck, and he stinks like a brewery. “Hey, Fizzle.”
I offer him a weak smile that opens the cuts on my lips and spills blood into my mouth. He watches the flow, his expression, for once, grim.
“I’m sorry I called you.”
“I’m not.”
I try to wipe my tears, but my body is too relaxed for my arms to cooperate. They must have given me some super-duper pain meds, because, holy shit. Jester does it for me, though. He’s as gentle as a butterfly’s wing when he touches my face.
“I didn’t want to die alone.”
He slides his eyes closed, and when he opens them, I’m struck by the intensity burning in those amber depths. “You’re too stubborn to die.”
I want to laugh, but it would hurt too much. “I wasn’t stubborn until I met you.”
“Bullshit. You were always a tenacious wench,” he teases.
“I need to tell you something.” My throat aches when I talk, but I need to make him understand. I shift my attention to the two police officers. “But not now.”
Jester’s crooked smile is adorable. I can’t hate him when he smiles at me like that. “It’s all good. They’re with us. So is Dr. Addison.”
“You can go.” Havoc shoves the orderlies out the door. When he spins back around to face me, he looks all sorts of murderous. “Nice to have you back.”
I frown at his statement. “How long was I out?”
“Too long,” he snaps.
“A few hours,” Dr. Addison says from his place on the far side of the room. “You’re a tough woman, Faith. None of your injuries are severe, but you were hyperglycemic, obviously from the trauma. I gave you insulin to bring you down. Unfortunately, you’re going to be on a roller coaster for the next few days.”
That’s another little gem that comes with diabetes. Everything affects blood sugar. I’ll be chasing numbers until my body levels out because even something as simple as sunburn can make the difference between a good day and a bad one.
“Awesome,” I groan. “This is exactly how I wanted to spend my week.”
Jester’s hands tighten around mine. “I’m going to fucking kill them.”
“Jester,” I say between gritted teeth and shift my gaze pointedly to the police standing not ten feet away.
The stockier of the two shakes his head. “We hear nothing, ma’am.”
“Not one word,” his partner says. “Actually, now that you’re awake, do you care to make a statement? What’s that, ma’am? You can’t recall anything? Hear that, Lewis? The lady has no memory of the break-in. Shame. We’ll let you rest now, ma’am, and follow up in a few days. Jester. Havoc,” he says to them. “Give Crow our regards.”
And just like that, they’re gone, leaving me to stare at the space where they stood. “You weren’t kidding when you said they were with you.”
Jester snorts out a laugh. “The cops won’t find the guys who did this.”
