I’ve hardly slept or eaten anything. I gently lift her unbandaged hand and hold it to my face. I kiss each of her fingers. Her skin is warm beneath my lips. I look at the damage done to her hand. Scratches, bruises, and broken nails from fighting back. My woman’s a fighter. She will fight this, too.
“I promise…I swear to you, Mina, no one will ever hurt you again. I’m never leaving you. So, I need you to wake up, baby.”
I rest my head on the bed next to her. I hold her hand in mine and rest my cheek against it. Her heart rate monitor picks up from 73 BPM to 80 BPM. I hold my breath, begging the universe for her to open her eyes. I’m watching her so intently I don’t even hear the door open, and the nurse walk in.
“She might be dreaming,” the nurse says softly. I jump up and immediately grab my side in pain.
“Shit!” I wince.
“I’m so sorry, Sir. I knocked a few times, but when there wasn’t any answer, I thought you had left.”
“No, it’s okay. I was just…Wait, did you say dreaming?”
“It’s never been proven, but a lot of us like to think that they’re in a calm dream. Somewhere where their mind can be free while their body lies here healing. At least that’s what I hope for them…”
“I’d like to think that, too.” I glance back over at Mina. Her heart rate has dropped back down to 74 BPM.
“If you don’t mind, Sir. Can you please wait in the hall while I perform this test?” She looks down at the box in her arms, then back at me.
“Can you tell me where my friend is at? His name is Cassius London.”
“Oh, he was just brought to the ICU a few minutes ago. He’s four doors down.” She points to the left, and I nod. “Everyone on duty right now is aware of the accommodations being made for you and your friends…” Her last words were said with a hint of disgust. I don’t care, though. If money is all it takes to make sure I could always be near her, then I’d give up every fucking cent I have to my name.
“Will you come and let me know when you’re finished, please? I don’t want her to be alone.”
She looks at Mina, then up at me with a soft smile.
“Of course, Sir.”
“Thank you.” I turn to leave, but her words stop me.
“She’s lucky to have you…The doctor let us know as to why she had the injuries she does…You saved her.”
“I may have been the one to rescue her, but she’s the one who saved me.”
CHAPTER 37
Mina
Three Weeks Later
Darkness and silence.
My body feels like it’s been weightlessly drifting through dark clouds for God only knows how long. An endless expanse of darkness with not even a single flicker of light.
I’ve fully accepted that I’m dead. Doomed to drift in this void forever…until I hear a noise. It starts as just a sound, like the way wind whistles through the trees as it whips around the forest. But then it grows louder. It becomes clearer. It isn’t just a sound…It’s my name.
It's Myles's voice calling my name.
I can feel my heart pounding in my chest. My pulse echoes in my head, sending a throbbing wave throughout my body. But then a warm sensation spreads over me, and I drift back into the void. I scream…But not a single sound comes out.
Maybe I really amdead?
Nope…Not dead.
My throat burns. Like when you inhale water down the wrong pipe and it leaves you gasping and coughing for even a taste of dry air. It feels like my soul is being dragged out of my body. A pressure builds in my stomach and tightens in my throat. I try to breathe, but something is blocking my airway.
My head is beginning to spin. The feeling of being dragged back down into the void is starting to come back.
