I’m safe.
He came for me. He can’t hate me if he’s brought me here.
That pain in my chest subsides slightly.
“Mmph,” I mutter, not sure what I’m trying to convey. But the doctor must understand.
“Hello, Ansel. Nice to see you again. Hold on. I just need to check your vitals. We’re fetching Cade for you. He’s been in already, but I told him to leave so I could focus. He’s been very impatient.”
That has the pain in my chest easing entirely. He still cares about me.
Hopefully, I haven’t ruined everything. Just my hands, but it’s a small price to pay if it means Cade and his family are safe.
I would’ve paid a lot more. Everything, in fact.
But it wasn’t necessary.
Because of Cade.
Dr. Ramsey goes through my vitals, noting them in a folder. After he’s done, I hold up my hands. They’re bandaged, and from what I can see, my fingers are swollen from the ordeal. Fuck, it will probably take a while for these to heal as my gaze moves to my arms. Those are bandaged too, and when I move them too much, a thrum of pain slithers through me.
It’s worth it. All of it.
I hope Cade killed them, though. I remember a second gunshot. A huge figure falling beside me. Was that Orin?
It’s all so blurry. Hopefully, it’ll become clearer with time.
Or maybe I just want to forget. I don’t know. I really don’t.
I glance down at the bandages once more. Some things aren’t worth remembering.
I sigh, but then my attention slips away from the pain to something else.
Something more important.
“Butterfly,” Cade breathes as he rushes into the room. His hair is slightly askew, his eyes worried and strained. But he’s never looked more beautiful to me than in this moment. Because he’s alive.
The memories become clearer. My mind flashes back to him lying on the dirty concrete floor, my screams wild as they careened off the metal walls.
But then my Titan rose, like the moon itself over Saturn’s horizon, and all hope was restored.
His colors spilled into the galaxy around me, visible from light years away, piercing my heart and soul.
I can see that love, that light.
I can see it in his eyes now.
Bright, hopeful, full of love.
“You’re awake. How do you feel?” He kneels next to my bed andtouches my leg gently. He must know that everything hurts, but the medicine Dr. Ramsey gave me has dulled it. Thank god for that. I don’t know if I could push through without it.
“Terrible, but also so fucking happy you’re not dead.”
Cade’s lips twitch slightly. “I’m happy too. Because I have plans for you.Wehave plans—you and I together.”
His hand squeezes me gently, and I feel that touch all the way to my heart.
“Dr. Ramsey told me you’ll make a full recovery. There will be some rehab, but he’s confident you’ll be back to normal in no time.”
