Page 3 of Resurrection (Devil Dogs of the Apocalypse #3)
“You fucking scared the shit out of me, man.” I huff the words under my breath but they’re loud enough in the silence that everyone hears them. Everyone except Cole it seems, as he begins to drift back to unconsciousness, the medication slowly pulling him back under, his eyes unfocused and heavy.
Although Hawk’s hands are shaking and clenching with repressed rage, his voice is restrained.
Monotone. Deadly serious. “So, you’re saying the muscle relaxers knocked you out…
which explains why you were incoherent and groggy as hell.
Then, you wake up to Jax saying you ‘scared the shit out of him.’” He points a quick finger to me in emphasis.
“ Him, the man who’s rarely scared of anything, and you’re not even phased by it? ”
Within seconds Cole’s out again but doesn’t stay that way long as Hawk loses his absolute motherfucking shit.
“FUCK YOU, ASSHOLE!” Hawk yells, pulling Cole’s face towards his, holding it carefully but shaking within his grasp, his anger officially untethered and on the war path now, causing Cole to yell out in pain at the sharp movement.
“AAAAAH! What the fuck?!”
“Do you have any idea what any of us were thinking? What we were dealing with? You motherfucking insensitive bastard! We thought we were fucking losing you!” Tears form again in Hawk’s eyes, falling down onto Cole’s face beneath him.
Cole’s brows pinch in confusion before he looks at me and Aly, then back to Hawk.
“Wait… Hold up… Why would you think that?” When none of us have the energy to respond, he continues.
“How long was I out for?” He looks to each of us, truly and remorsefully empathetic, now.
His hands rub his face vigorously as he tries to fight the pills’ side effects.
“A day and a half.” You can hear the tension in her voice as Aly quietly responds, drawing Cole’s gaze.
“You have been unresponsive for a day and a half and we had no idea you took anything. The first sign of any change in your condition was this morning when you... When you...” Tears flow freely down her cheeks as she continues.
“Cole, we all thought…,” Aly stops, her voice choking up on the words that threatened to break us all.
At her explanation, Cole turns his face to me—to the gun still loaded and ready at my side—and then back to Hawk, understanding finally taking over his face. “ Fuck…. Holy shit.”
“Yeah,” I clip. “It was a fucking close one, bro.”
“For your information, the past two days have been absolute Hell, and you just—,” Hawk starts, failing to finish his thought when I take over, refusing to hold in the truth a moment longer.
“I was a second away from putting your ass down. From ending your existence. One fucking second.” I sniff, clenching my jaw at what I almost did... again . “It was fucking terrifying.”
His eyes go round, breaths quickening as he processes just how close it was.
He lifts his hand, placing it on Hawk’s shoulder.
“Hawk, I’m so sorry. I am so fucking sorry.
” He closes the distance once again, placing his forehead against Hawk’s.
“Look, I am right here, bro. And I have no intention of leaving or giving up that easily,” Cole says softly, almost as if they were only meant for Hawk’s ears, but loud enough for Aly and myself to understand the meaning behind the words.
“I’m ok. Do you hear me? We’re gonna be ok.
Yeah?” He nods, pushing Hawk to mimic the movement against him.
“Yeah. We’re gonna be ok. ”
“That’s a good fire chicken.” Cole pats Hawk’s cheek, kissing his forehead before lying back down. The endearing nickname brings a soft smile to Hawk’s face as he turns his gaze to Aly.
“Come here, beautiful. Fuck, are you ok?”
She takes his hand in hers before replying, “Yes. No. Fuck, I have no clue.”
He looks down at their joined hands. “You’re shaking….”
“Yeah,” she scoffs. “That tends to happen when you think the person you love is dying.”
Cole sighs dejectedly as he nods, “Right. Fuck. Ok. No more muscle relaxers.” He takes her face in his palms, bringing her close enough that their noses touch.
Close enough to see the truth in his eyes.
“Aly, I promise you, I’m ok. I’m so sorry I scared you like that.
It wasn’t my intention.” She nods quietly before Cole kisses her lips softly. “I love you so much, Aly.”
“I love you, too, Cole.”
He pulls her down to the cushions with him and, with a low, painfilled groan, turns so he’s on his side, cradling Aly into his chest, a contented sigh releasing from both of their lips as he does so before he turns his eyes on me.
“And you….” He points to me seriously, knowing I need his stern guidance to not fall apart right now.
“I’m telling you right now, I’m ok... No more trying to shoot me in the face.
Got it?” I don’t respond, still reeling from th e unfolding events.
“For what it’s worth, though... Thanks for giving me that extra second.
I didn’t mean to put you through that. Not at all.
I’m sorry, Jax. I’m so fucking sorry, man.
” A small nod is all I can muster but he seems to accept it for what it is.
“Now, someone do me a favor and go get me my antibiotics and a handful of good old-fashioned acetaminophen so we can all get some more sleep before this day has the chance to fuck us over anymore.” Hawk stands up and does as Cole asks, returning with a closed fist of pills as well as a bottle of water.
Cole takes them and, with a big gulp, swallows everything at once before wrapping his arms around Aly, kissing her softly on the top of her head. Within seconds he’s passed out again.
Can’t say the same for the rest of us….
After that scare, there’s no use in even trying to get anymore shuteye.
We’re just gonna roll around hoping to sleep but end up getting frustrated over the lack of achievement.
Regardless, when I look at Aly and Hawk, it’s clear there’s no way they’re going to move away from Cole.
It’s like we’re all shellshocked. Absolutely floored.
I’m just fucking relieved we didn’t lose Cole today.
I clear my gun, making it safe, before setting it down on the table next to me. My shaking hands lift to my scalp, pulling the strands tight as I let out a long, slow, streaming breath and mutter, “What. The. Fuck .”