Page 69 of Stolen Salvation

“Yes, baby, I’m here.”

Lifting her hand that seemed to weigh a tonne she stroked at the tears coursing down his handsome face. “What happened?” Her voice was so hoarse she hardly recognised it as her own.

“Can you remember anything?”

Charlie felt her head begin to pound as memories began to pierce the fog of her brain. “I.. I… Andrea?”

“Andrea is fine. She’s resting and Lotus is keeping a really good eye on her.”

“Was I hurt?”

Noah looked down and away from her before lifting tear-filled eyes back up to her. “You were shot, Charlie. The bullet went through your hand and into your brain.”

“I was?” She didn’t know why she was asking that, Noah would never lie to her.

“Scared the fucking life out of me.”

Her fingers grazed the stubble on his face, and she noticed the shadows under his eyes. “Sorry.”

His lips grazed her fingertips and he shook his head. “You don’t have a damn thing to be sorry about, baby.”

Baby. Why did that word trigger such a visceral sense of fear and hope inside her?

“Hey, what’s wrong? Let me call a doctor.”

Charlie held on to his hand as he went to move and Noah looked back at her with sympathy.

“It’s okay, I’m not leaving you. I’m never leaving you again, Charl. I just want to press the buzzer.” True to his word, Noah pressed the buzzer and sat beside her.

A nurse bustled in, her curly brown hair bouncy, her pretty smile filled with happiness. “Well aren’t you a sight for sore eyes. Let me just do a few checks and the doctor will be in to see you.” The nurse checked her monitors and temperature before nodding. “Looks good. How are your pain levels?”

Charlie wasn’t sure, she kind of felt numb and disjointed like she didn’t really know what was happening like this was a show and she was watching. “Okay, I guess.”

“Well, we want to keep on top of it, so once the doctor has seen you, I’ll be back.”

Turning her head, slowly she saw Noah watching her as if she might disappear at any second. “How long have I been here?”

“All told, ten days. After you were shot you were placed in an induced coma, and they weaned you off the drugs about three days ago.”

“Have you left at all?”

Noah smirked but it felt forced. “Do l look that bad?”

“Like roadkill.”

Her touch of humour made him smile and this time it reached his eyes. “I love you, too.”

Tears stung her eyes at his words. She would’ve given anything to hear them and maybe almost getting ghosted was worth it. “I love you more.”

“Impossible.”

“Ah, look who’s awake.”

Charlie dragged her gaze away from Noah to see a beautiful woman walking towards her rubbing alcohol gel on her hands. “Dr Decker?”

“I see I don’t need to ask you what year it is, but let’s go through a few questions anyway, okay?”

Charlie nodded and then wished she hadn’t when her brain seemed to bounce around her head like a pinball with nails attached. Wincing, she squeezed Noah’s hand and he kissed her knuckles.