The whole ordeal seems to take forever, and by the time they leave the room, I’m exhausted.
Sighing, I turn to the surly man standing in the corner. “Matthew…”
His name barely leaves my mouth when I hear a commotion in the hallway. My brows pull together just as the door opens, and more people file into the room.
“You know, if you wanted to get our attention, all you had to do was bring your hot cop boyfriend home. There was no need for you to die,” Amy mutters dryly as she sits on the bed next to me. Although she’s trying to keep a straight face, her eyes are red-rimmed like she’s been crying.
“Be nice.” Emily nudges Amy in her side.
“Amen, sister,” Mae mutters as she extends her palm toward Amy for a high five before she takes the other chair, her narrowed eyes glaring at me. “Seriously, Jessy? You up and get yourself kidnapped?”
“Jealous that it wasn’t your b-brilliant idea?” I ask dryly.
“Don’t joke about that!” Mae grinds out. “You could have died!”
“I—”
“You’re not going to die, are you?”
I turn to the foot of the bed, where Carly is nibbling at her lip, watching me with worried eyes.
“I’m not going to die, Carly,” I reassure her softly. “The two of them are being dramatic.”
“A little ironic coming from the girl who’s lying in the ICU after being shot,” Amy comments, giving our youngest sister a side-eye. “I wouldn’t bet on it.”
Carly’s lip wobbles. “You can’t die, Jessy!”
“Now you’ve made her cry!” Em hisses at Amy, slapping her over her head.
“Girls!” Mom chastises loudly. “How about we give Jessy some grace? She went through a lot.”
They continue fighting among themselves. Apparently, everybody has their opinion on me getting kidnapped and shot, and they’ve decided they’re going to put it out in the open. Their yelling makes the throbbing in my temples grow stronger, piercing pain jabbing through my skull.
“What in the ever-loving world is going on in here?” A new voice joins the conversation.
I blink a few times to find an older nurse in the doorway, her hands propped on her hips, sharp eyes zeroing in on my family. “This is the ICU, for God’s sake! Who let y’all in here anyway?” She shakes her head. “Out with you.”
“But we’re her family!” Amy pouts.
“I don’t care. Only two people can be here at any given time. Rules are rules.” The nurse waves them off. “Y’all figure it out outside and then two people can return. Though, considering she’s as white as a sheet, I think she could use some peace and quiet so she canrest.C’mon, don’t make me force you out of the room.”
Amy stomps her foot. “That’s not fair.”
I grab her hand with my good one and give her a gentle squeeze. “I’m fine, Amy. I’m not going anywhere.”
“You better be fine.” She narrows her eyes. “You still owe us an explanation about a certain somebody!”
I chuckle softly, which makes me flinch in pain. My head feels like it’s a hive that was tossed off a cliff. Although, considering the little snapshots that I can remember of what happened…
I shudder visibly, pushing the memories back.
Later.
I’ll deal with all of it later.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” This time Amy’s voice is gentler.
“Y-yeah. Just need some rest. I promise to explain everything. Sneak me in some coffee tomorrow?”
