Page 129 of Beautiful Trauma

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX: KELLAN

As I started coming into consciousness, I relished the feeling of being without searing pain. Wait, if I wasn’t in pain, I had to be dead. The last thing I remembered was Mila trying to save me from the torture chamber. But then there was an enormous man coming towards me while Mila begged for my life.

No, no, no!

I couldn’t be dead. I didn’t want to leave Mila. She needed me, and I needed her.

“Kellan?” a voice called.

I snapped my eyes open and then immediately closed them back as the fluorescent light burned my retinas. Fluttering my eyelids, I finally opened them again. “Oh my God! Are you awake?”

I tilted my head to the side to see Mila staring wide-eyed at me. “You’re safe,” I pronounced.

She grinned. “I am. And so are you.”

My gaze flickered around the room. “Where am I?”

“The Caruso’s hospital bay.”

“Seriously?”

“Yes, Callum arranged it all.”

I grunted. “I’m sure he’s standing by to say he told me so.”

Mila laughed. “He is in the hallway, but I think he’s just so glad you’re all right.”

“He’s outside?”

She nodded. “All your brothers are. They’ve been waiting for you to wake up.”

“How long have I been out?”

“About twelve hours.”

“Jaysus.”

With a sad look, Mila said, “Your body had been through so much trauma, so the doctors sedated you for a while to help you heal.”

“What’s the damage?”

“Thankfully, no broken bones. But your back is a mess from the…” Mila couldn’t bring herself to say the word whip. “You’ll be bandaged for the next ten days. I think Caterina is going to take care of changing them, so you don’t have to worry about getting a nurse.”

“Anything else?”

Oh, you also have some bruised ribs and whether you needed one of your kidneys removed was an issue at first.”

I groaned. “Can’t say I’m surprised about that since the bastards used a pipe on my lower back.”

Mila winced in pain. “I can’t believe Dima oversaw your torture,” she whispered.

“I can, and it’s not about him believing I crippled him.”

“What do you mean?”

“He thinks I brainwashed you into turning against him and your family.”

“What?”