"Th...thank you." I can barely form the words. I can feel a warm hand on my shoulder.
"Cassie, how is your pain level, 1-10." Pain? It is constantly throbbing everywhere, but it isn’t as bad as it was before.
I hold up my fingers for the number 7. I don’t want them to push too much pain medication, though.
"She doesn’t like pain medication, so please don’t give her a high dose. Her... well, someone she knows has had issues in the past." Who is this person speaking? How the fuck would they know about my mother.
I rub my eyes. The fogginess finally starting to subside. Shapes are coming into focus. Dark blobs now have defined edges and colors. I look up into the most gorgeous dark brown eyes I’ve ever seen. Dark brown hair. His jaw is now covered in a small beard, but it’s him. It’s actually him.
"Lucian?" My voice is cracked as I burst into tears. He sits down next to me and gathers me in his arms.
"Shh, Cass. It’s ok. Breathe. I’m here now." He strokes my head, calming me. I inhale his delicious scent. God, I’ve missed him.
"How? He killed you,” I cry, barely able to form words between my sobs.
"No, he could never kill me. Jayme never said if I was alive or dead when Theo asked. He didn't answer him." I cry even harder as I bury my face in his chest.
"Don’t go." I cry harder.
"Never. I love you, Cassie. I’m here, and I’m never letting you go again." He puts a finger under my chin, gently tilting my face up. His lips meet mine, and it’s as if the whole world melts away. I don’t care if my body is screaming in pain. I’m not even sure how much permanent damage there is. I know I’ll get through this because he is here. He is alive. I tuck my head back under his chin. I feel safe. I slowly drift back to sleep in his arms.
When I finally wake back up, it is dark. A small light on the bedside table casts a soft glow over the room. And there, sitting in a chair next to me, with his head asleep next to my thigh, is the man that I love—my Lucian. I run my fingers through his hair. He hums in approval and turns his head to look at me.
"Hello, beautiful." He says. "How are you feeling?"
"Like,” I cough. “Like I was hit by a truck." I chuckle but instantly regret it. My rib cage feels like a vice grip on my organs. "Ok, how bad is it?" He looks at me as if he is worried that I am going to shatter apart at any moment.
"I’ll get the doctor; he can tell you everything."
"I’ll go get him." Jayme stands up from the couch. I didn’t even realize he was here.
"Thank you," I say. He smiles and nods as he walks out.
"Cassie, just try to stay calm. We love you, and you have so much support." He tries to reassure me.
Damn, Theo must have really messed me up.
67. Cassie
Doctor Adams comes walking back in smiling, but with a hesitant look on his face.
"Hello, Cassie. How are you feeling now? We did not push too much pain medication; your boyfriend explained your situation and was very insistent on your preferences. So we were very cautious about respecting your wishes, but if you need more, please let a nurse know." Boyfriend? I look at Lucian, who is blushing. He told them he was my boyfriend. I can’t help the smile spreading across my lips. I glance back to the doctor.
"How bad is it? I haven’t even looked.” I chuckle. The doctor tries to keep a straight face, but I can tell it isn’t good.
"Well, to start, you were in a coma for two weeks and four days. It gave your body time to heal, but I won’t sugarcoat it; you have a long road to full recovery. But it can be done! From what I can already see, you have a great support system, and that is one of the most important parts."
He blows out a huff of air. Is it really that bad? He picks up the chart on the end of my bed.
"Ok, so do you want to start from the top or bottom of the list?" He asks me.
"Um. Whichever is least damaged, I guess.” Work my way up to the worst shit.
"Ok, so bottom. All right, your right knee and both hips were out of place. Umm." He glances at Jayme and Lucian.
"It’s okay. They can hear whatever it is; they probably already know." I tell him with confidence. I’m not going to hide whatTheo did to me; everyone will know what a monster he is. He will not be able to run from this, and no amount of money will protect his ass.
"Ok, well, you had severe bruising internally; you also had a hairline fracture on your pelvic bone. And lacerations internally as well." He gives me a moment to process. "Your vertebrae are bruised, but nothing was broken or fractured in your spine. Your ribs were very damaged, though. Four were broken. There are some pins and other hardware we used to fix them. One of the broken ones chipped off and pierced your lung, so we repaired that surgically. The punctured lung was deflated almost completely; thankfully, they got you here in time. No other organs or arteries were pierced. That would have caused massive internal bleeding." He pauses again, looking at all the stuff on my chart.
