This isn’t a pity party, and none of this is about me. It’s about Willow and her recovery. But the thought crosses my mind… What if she doesn’t want to reconcile after this? Could I blame her if she didn’t? I’m partly to blame for her getting into this mess when I could’ve been upfront in the beginning.
“Nova’s right,” Sawyer says. “Gotta stop feelin’ sorry for yourself and see what we all see — that you and Willow are meant to be together.”
He’s right. We are. But it should be me in the hospital, not her. Not my precious angel.
I look up as Casey comes busting through the doors, looking around for me. I stand as she makes her way over. “She’s going to be okay,” Casey says.
I close my eyes, my brother gripping me by the shoulder because I could very well topple over.
“While she isn’t completely out of the woods, the injuries aren’t life threatening. A broken collarbone, smashed knee, concussion, and some bruising. She was lucky, there were no major organs damaged, or head trauma,” she goes on. “I shouldn’t really be discussing this with you until her doctor comes out, but I wanted you to know. She’s going to be okay.”
“When can I see her?” I ask as Max and Cameron come racing over.
I haven’t said much to Sinclair, but he orchestrated an entire search, so I’ve cut him some slack. Not much, but some. I’ve never seen him look as pale as a sheet, but somewhere deep down I know he thought he was doing the right thing. As did I. That’s still no excuse for his comments to Max, who honestly has been a rock for Willow since he’s been back. I’m glad they’ve made amends.
“The doc will be out soon. Act surprised,” she says, squeezing me on the arm, and I wince. “And you really should get that shoulder looked at pronto.”
“Thanks, Case, appreciate it,” I say as she nods and takes off.
Logan approaches, pulling me into a hug. “Told ya.”
I feel my throat thickening. Nope. I’m not gonna lose it. Not in front of my brothers or MC.
When the doc finally comes out half a century later, only immediate family are allowed.
“Dad, Haze needs to go first,” Max says.
Cameron steps back. “For what it’s worth…” He clears his throat. “I’m sorry.”
I give him a chin lift. “I guess we both did things we shouldn’t have done, but what matters is Willow is gonna be okay.”
“She did good,” Max goes on. “She’s a warrior.”
I turn away before my emotions get the better of me. I don’t want to waste time standing around when I can be with her. When I get to the room, the nurse looks up, then tells me to come in.
“Ten minutes, then she needs to rest,” she tells me.
I give her a chin lift.
Willows awake, groggy, but awake. She smiles softly. “Austin?”
She looks like a train wreck, and there’s wires and a monitor next to her. Bruising is starting to show under both her eyes, andshe has numerous cuts, plus her arm is in a cast, and her leg is elevated.
I rush to her side, careful to not crush her when I fold my arms around her tiny body and rest my head in the crook of her neck. “I love you so much. I’m so sorry. Please forgive me.”
“I’m sorry, too. I shouldn’t have left when I was mad at you. We said we’d never do that if we gave things another try.”
“But I lied to you,” I whisper. “And I’m so sorry.”
“You can beg on your hands and knees later.” I glance up, and she smiles. “I missed you.”
“Fuck, baby, I missed you, too. You took down both your kidnappers,” I say, brushing the hair out of her eyes. “That was so ballsy.”
“I guess I’m a ballsy kinda gal.” She glances at the blood on my shirt. “Haze?”
“I got shot.”
“Oh, my god! What?”
