Pain…
Fear…
It hits me now, flooding back in.
But Lucky’s face appears above me, those warm blue eyes filled with tears somehow soothing the panic almost instantly.
“Hey!” Her soft hands cup my cheeks and she smiles, but it’s such a contradiction to what I see in her gaze. “Welcome back.”
Back?
The low, constant beeping sound at my left slowly registers.
A hospital.
I’m in the hospital…
And then that memory returns.
The gunshot.
The blinding, searing agony in my shoulder.
Fuuuck…
As my brain fully comes back online, the dull ache there registering now, even through the haze of drugs they must have given me.
Lucky’s fingers drift across my cheeks, as if she needs to feel me to really believe I’m here. “How you feeling?”
I groan, shifting slightly in the bed, trying to find a more comfortable position, but moving isn’t a good idea. Pain spikes, and I grit my teeth. “Like I got shot.”
It’s meant to be funny, but the small laugh it brings only makes my shoulder hurt more. I wince, instantly regretting it.
Joking is bad…
Noted.
Tears stream down Lucky’s face, and she bites her trembling lip, trying to keep from completely breaking down.
“Hey…” I lift my hand, to reach for her, but something tugs at it. The IV cords prevent me from raising it too high. I manage to get my palm around her wrist and squeeze. “Don’t cry. I’m…okay.”
At least, I think I am.
The pain sucks, as does this feeling that I’m missing something.
A giant gap in my memory that ends with my axe in the back of the man threatening all of us…
“What happened, Bluebell?”
She sniffles, finally releasing my face to swipe away the tears from her cheeks. “Don’t worry about that right now. Everyone is safe. The nurse will be here soon.”
I shake my head, trying to push myself up slightly despite the pain it causes, needing to be closer to her. “I don’t want the nurse. Just want you.”
Lucky is the only thing I can even think about in this moment. Holding her. Soothing her distress. Feeling her pressed against me and knowing she’s all right.
But she gently places a hand on my right shoulder, nudging me down. “I’m not going to let you hurt yourself.”
She leans in, kissing me softly, letting her lips linger over mine in an assurance that she can’t voice. When she pulls away, her gaze has cleared a little. Some of that panic and worry has melted away, but enough lingers there that I can already tell what she’s going to say before she does.
