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Chapter Twenty-Four

I liked the feel of the wind through my hair. I hugged Beau even closer as he pushed his Harley even faster. I felt safe holding onto him. I knew that no matter where he took me, he would always keep me safe. I rested my cheek on his leather-covered back.

No, that wasn’t right. He wasn’t wearing a leather jacket. Why wasn’t he? My cheek was resting against his skin. I could smell him, practically taste him.

Nothing made sense.

“Maddie? Can you wake up now? Come on baby, I want to see your pretty brown eyes.”

How could I hear Beau so clearly if we were riding on his Harley?

Wait a minute. He didn’t have a Harley. Grizz had a Harley. Grizz was the biker.

I whimpered.

Grizz.

I hurt. My skin felt like it was on fire.

“Honey, are you in pain? Let me help you.”

Beau. He’s here . I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. I tried to open my eyes, but I was too tired. I felt his hand touch my face, his thumb traced my bottom lip. It was Beau’s touch.

“Where?” I finally got out the one word.

“You’re in the hospital. You’re in the ICU.”

He wasn’t making any sense.

I wanted to cry. Nothing made sense and I hurt.

“It’s okay, honey, I’ve just pressed the button for more pain medication. You’re going to be feeling better in just a minute or two.”

Beau stopped touching me, and I whimpered again. Then I felt his breath against my lips, and he kissed me. I sighed. He made my pain go away. His kisses always made my pain go away.

* * *

“I promise you, Trenda. She was awake a few hours ago. The doctor said it was good she was sleeping. Her body needs to heal.”

Beau was talking.

Who needed to rest?

“Chloe, you should go down to the cafeteria. Being here isn’t good for you. You hate being in hospitals.”

That was Trenda, always the big sister.

I tried to hear what Chloe said, but I couldn’t.

Then I felt warm breath next to my ear, and I knew it was Beau. “Can you open your eyes, Sleeping Beauty? Your sisters need to see that you’re getting better. They’re girly girls and might cry. They don’t kick ass like you do.”

Did I just choke out a laugh?

“That’s right, Maddie. Open your eyes. Save me from their tears.”

I concentrated with all my might, and then I felt my eyelids lift. I slammed them back shut when the light slammed into my brain.

“Ow,” I hissed.

“What’s wrong, baby?”

“The light,” I whispered.

“Hey, Simon, can you turn off the light? It’s hurting Maddie.”

“Yeah. I’ll open the door, to let in just a little.”

“Good call.” Beau lightly squeezed my hand and kissed my cheek. “The light’s off,” he whispered. “You can open your eyes now.”

I found him staring at me as I opened my eyes. He hadn’t shaved, and he looked exhausted. There was still some black paint smeared on his face from when he rescued me at the house.

“I’m in the hospital? How long have I been here?” I croaked out the question.

“You’re in the ICU. The piece of glass nicked your spleen. They had to operate. It’s been fifty-hours and thirty-seven minutes since you’ve gotten out of surgery.”

I licked my dry lips. “Not that you were counting.”

He laughed.

Good, I hated to see the worry and tension on his face.

I looked over his shoulder and saw Chloe, Trenda, and Simon. I was shocked.

“Chloe’s here,” I whispered.

He looked over his shoulder. “Only two visitors allowed, Simon. I’m staying. Figure it out.”

I watched Simon grab Trenda’s elbow. “You can come back after Chloe’s visited with Maddie.”

I noted the look of indecision on Trenda’s face, but after a moment’s hesitation, she nodded. After they left, Chloe stood silently in the middle of the room. I turned my attention back to Beau. “Is Chloe okay?”

“God, I love you,” he said as he lifted my hand and kissed my palm. “Here you are in ICU and you’re worried about your sister. No, I don’t think she is,” Beau answered my question.

I nodded. “Tell her to come here.”

Beau hesitated, then picked up my hand and placed a kiss in the center of my palm. He got up from the side of my bed, careful not to let the mattress move too much. He went over and said something to Chloe. Somehow, he made her smile. Of course he did. He was Beau.

Chloe came over and sat in the same place that Beau had vacated. She picked up my hand and held it to her cheek.

“You scared me.”

A tear dripped down her face.

“You shouldn’t have come,” I admonished. “You should have waited to visit me when I got home.” I started to cough. Then I coughed some more.

Fuck, that hurt.

I felt my eyes water.

“Mads, don’t talk. Do you need a sip of water?” Chloe asked.

I nodded the best I could.

Suddenly, there was a cup with a straw in front of me. Chloe was lifting my head so I could sip from the straw.

“Not too much. You’ve been out of it for over two days. Your tummy can’t handle too much.” Chloe set the cup back on the stand beside my bed, then she stroked my hair from my brow.

“It’s greasy, right?”

Her lips twitched. “You’ve had better hair days,” she admitted.

“Beau’s acting like I almost died. It’s freaking me out,” I whispered. I knew he had bat-like hearing, so I whispered really soft.

Chloe kept stroking my hair. “You lost a lot of blood. Apparently, you were in hypovolemic shock by the time they got you into the OR. The piece of glass that was embedded inside you nicked your spleen. They had to take you into emergency surgery as soon as you arrived. It was bad, Maddie. Simon told Trenda that if they hadn’t had found you, in another couple of hours you would have died.”

I winced. “Poor Beau.”

“How can you say that? Poor all of us! Losing you would have killed us, Maddie. I should know. I don’t think I could survive if I lost you, too.”

She had my hand in a death grip. She was grinding my knuckles together so hard that for the first time, the rest of my body didn’t hurt. “Chloe, I’m not leaving you. I’m not, sweetheart.”

I watched as tears trickled down her face.

I tried to reach up to pull her down so I could hug her, but I was connected to an IV. “Chloe, I need a hug.” And I did. I needed to comfort my little sister.

Chloe reached down and wrapped her arms around my neck. I gathered her close as best I could, with my one free hand.

My sister sobbed for a long time, and I stroked her hair for a change. I said a bunch of nonsensical words, just trying to soothe her. I blocked out my pain and concentrated on her. Her sobs came to a shuddering stop and lifted her head.

She looked like she had the weight of the world on her shoulders, and that it was killing her.

“Sweetheart, you need help. You have to know that.”

She touched my cheek and shook her head. “I’m handling this. I just need more time. I was able to come here, wasn’t I?” One side of her mouth curled up, offering the saddest excuse of a smile humanly possible.

“Yes. Yes, you were, Chloe. And I adore you for it. You’re not driving back to Gatlinburg tonight, are you?”

“It’s only five p.m.”

“Still. Promise me you’ll stay with Trenda or Zoe.”

She sighed. “I promise.” She bent over and kissed my temple. “I love you, Mads.”

“Love you more.” I smiled.

I watched her walk out of the room, and Beau came back to my side. “How much of that did you hear?” I asked.

He gently sat down on the bed and I pushed my body against his warmth.

“I heard all of it,” he replied. “And yeah, you so easily could have died, Maddie.”

“I’m sorry.”

He barked out a half-hearted laugh. “Baby, you have nothing to be sorry for.”

Things were becoming clearer. “Oh. Yeah. What about Grizz and Bishop?”

“They’re in real trouble. You were kidnapped and taken across state lines. They’re going down.”

Beau looked savage. I could see a vein in his forehead pulsing. I needed to stop this.

“What about Lana?”

“This is her third strike, and it’s a big one. The D.A. told Roan that she’s going to be behind bars for at least twenty years, unless she takes a plea and turns state's evidence.”

I winced.

“Do you need more pain medicine?” Beau immediately asked.

“No. It’s not that. I feel sorry for Lana. She was so mixed up. She was so in love with Grizz that she was willing to work as a prostitute just to stay with him.” I wondered if she had it in her to testify against Grizz. What a mess.

Beau gave me a funny look. “Do you want some water?”

I nodded.

He held the straw for me as I took four long sips. I leaned back against my pillows. The water helped clear my head.

“Hey, wait a second,” I cried out. I didn’t give a shit that it hurt my head. “That bitch tried to kill you! She should get life in prison.”

Fuck! I twisted my shoulders, trying to relieve the pain I’d just caused. Note to self, no more yelling.

Beau’s lips twitched.

“The doctor said you might not remember everything that happened the night we rescued you.”

“Oh, I remember everything now just fine,” I assured him. I opened my mouth to thank him. To tell him just how damn much he meant to me, but instead I yawned. Then yawned again.

“Maddie, you need to sleep,” he murmured.

“Don’t want to.”

“It will help you heal faster.”

I felt sleep pulling me under.

“Are you going to be here when I wake up?”

“You can count on it.” The gentle kiss he whispered across my lips was sublime. When I closed my eyes, I drifted off to sleep and found myself in a meadow. Beau was there with me. Then I realized something.

Beau was always going to be there.