Page 29 of Viper (The Dark Angel’s MC #4)

Lake

I scrunch my eyes tight as fingers thread through my hair, waking me from the pitiful sleep that was consuming me, but I try to ignore it, not wanting to wake up and see Jaylen still asleep.

I feel a light kiss to my head, and I burrow into Jaylen further.

Four days out of surgery, two days since they weaned him off the medication, and he’s still not awake. Ted is optimistic, but me, not so much.

I’m a med student, I’m studying this kind of stuff, so I know the risks of his surgery.

He may not wake at all, and if he does, he may not be able to move his body because of where the bleed was, he may not be able to talk, heck, he may not even remember me at all…

I don’t care who is trying to wake me or why, I want to stay here, lying next to him with all the regrets that fill me.

So many stupid arguments and fights flit through my head, as always, when I come back to reality.

Breaking up was a mistake, a mistake I may never get to take back and now the urge to cut intensifies every single day.

It’s to the point that the prospect that is watching Jaylen is now also watching me to ensure I don’t pick at my scars again.

Being close to Jaylen, feeling his heart beat against my ear is the only thing to soothe me, to stop me from doing what I want so I’m not moving and whoever is trying to wake me can go away.

I’ve completed my coursework, and I’m on early maternity leave from work due to the circumstances with Jaylen, my boss agreeing after he spoke to my dad. So no one has a reason to try and wake me, and I know it won’t be Callum, he’d probably flick my forehead and not be nice.

According to Dad, May has somehow wormed her way into being his partner. Poor guy should have kept it in his pants…

He’s demanding I return to work as soon as soon as the baby is born, which is just hilarious.

I squeeze my eyes tight, the fingers still running through my hair. I’m twenty-five weeks, more than halfway, but even as our daughter moves between us, I still don’t feel comforted.

I need him to wake up.

I feel another kiss on my head before the fingers that were running through my hair grip it, and the body I’m leaning on moves slightly. I quickly open my eyes and look up.

Beautiful hazel ones lock with my dark green, and my eyes tear instantly, Jaylen becoming blurry before my tears fall.

He’s here, he’s awake!

“Jaylen?” I choke, willing for him to say anything as he looks at me.

His eyes race between mine before he asks, “What did you write to Dr. Gren? What did you see for your future?”

His voice is raw and rough most likely caused by the tube he had in for two days and the lack of water and a sob releases from me.

“You, always you,” I admit before I lean up and press my lips against his for the first time in six months as my tears fall.

Relief fills me as he kisses me back harder, tightening his grip in my hair before he pushes his tongue into my mouth.

Home, I’m finally home.

A sob releases from me, and he breaks the kiss, placing his forehead against mine as he breathes hard and chokes, “I’m okay, baby, I’m okay.” My sobs come out harder, causing him to hold me tighter and repeat over and over, “I’ve got you, shorty, I’m not going anywhere.”

I squeeze my eyes tight, allowing the fear, the pain, all to release through my sobs along with relief.

He’s awake.

I feel a hand gently stroking over my stomach as the baby moves, the deep sleep I was in slowly fading as voices murmur, Jaylen’s chest rumbling against my ear, and I relax further into him.

I wasn’t dreaming, he’s really awake…

“Fuck it’s good to see you awake, brother,” Blade rasps.

“I second that,” Fury adds.

I keep my eyes closed, enjoying Jaylen’s warmth.

“It’s good to be awake,” he mutters, his chest rumbling, “My fucking head is killing me though.”

“Well, what do you expect after having fucking brain surgery?” Fury sighs, “You’re lucky to be alive.”

“Apparently, according to Dr. Andrews, I nearly died three times,” Jaylen replies as he continues to stroke my stomach while he tightens his arm around me.

“Yeah, Lake was the EMT called to the crash site and had no idea it was you,” Blade admits, making Jaylen tense underneath me.

He continues, “Randy and Fury saw it all happen, and Fury began CPR, but as soon as Lake was on scene, she shoved him out of the way and continued until she got your heart started again. You crashed again in the rig, and she was the one in the back with you.”

“Fuck…” Jaylen croaks, his arm tightening before I feel his lips against my head.

“She did so fucking well, brother,” I hear Psycho murmur, “She kept it together until they took you through the back.”

“Did she relapse?” he asks with a whisper, and I try my hardest not to react as Blade admits, “She did,” and I feel wet drops on my cheek.

“After they updated her on your condition, she went to the bathroom and I’m so fucking sorry brother, I didn’t get to her in time, she’d already scratched her scar open,” Blade admits with sorrow, “I found a temporary doctor but turns out he was a prick so Dr. Gren managed to get her friend Katie to help Lake. Her thoughts about cutting haven’t disappeared, brother. ”

“Dammit!” Jaylen curses, and I sniffle as I slowly look up at him, and our eyes connect.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper, and he shakes his head and cups my cheek as he demands, “Don’t ever apologize again, do you hear me?”

I nod as my tears fall, and he gently leans forward and presses his lips against mine in a soft kiss, and I lay my head back on his chest as he mutters, “Every appointment, I’m going to be there, you hear me, and you’ll keep seeing Katie until the thoughts go.”

I sniffle and admit, “They have now that you’re awake.”

“But they’ll return,” he whispers while his brothers watch on, and I tense, but he continues, “You’ll let your guilt fester, your regret, and the urge will come back, and I won’t let it.

We’ll get through this, shorty. Through all the hurt and pain, none of it matters except for you, me, and our daughter. ”

I sniffle but nod.

We have so much to talk through, everything that had happened before the crash, but right now, I’m just going to enjoy being in his arms.

I look out the window and I frown, noticing it’s dark, and I ask, “How long was I out?”

“Four hours,” Jaylen admits, “Those fuckers have been here for about half an hour.”

I look at Blade and ask, “Shouldn’t you be at home with your twins?”

He smirks and admits, “Nope, Luna demanded I come here.”

I snort, not surprised. That woman is essentially the mother of our little girl group and is absolutely amazing, with the kindest of hearts.

I’m grateful she became my friend.

“What happened to my bike?” Jaylen asks, and I tense.

I don’t want him back on that thing, ever. He nearly died!

Fury answers, “It’s at the shop, Venom and Randy are working on it as we speak, so when you’re cleared to ride, it’ll be ready.”

I feel Jaylen nod while Psycho tilts his head at me and confirms, “You don’t want him riding again, do you?”

My tears fall, and I gently shake my head.

His eyes soften and instead of snapping at me, accusing me of being selfish like I feel he returns, “Riding is in our blood sweetheart and I know you’re scared of losing him, of going through this again but you need to understand.

What happened, it wasn’t a freak accident, he was targeted and we’ll ensure it never happens again, he’ll be safe. ”

Jaylen adds, “Besides, there is nothing I want more, after our daughter is born, is to get you on the back of my bike where you belong.”

I choke on a chuckle but nod before he asks, “Where’s the bitch who hit me?”

“You remember?” Fury confirms, and I feel him nod. I look at Jaylen, his stubble on his cheek scratching across my skin, comforting me as he admits, “I saw her sly smirk as she purposely rammed her car into the front of my bike, then after a massive amount of pain, everything went black.”

I swallow hard and quickly place my face in the crook of his neck, causing him to let go of my stomach and run his fingers through my hair, then grip it, keeping me tightly against him.

“She’s in the basement,” Blade admits, and Psycho adds, “Yeah, she’s fucking psychotic, which is saying a lot coming from me. She’s claiming you were hers, that she worked years to gain your attention, and her hitting you was punishment for ignoring her. She has no idea Lake even exists.”

“What the fuck?” Jaylen curses, “I never had even spoken to her, let alone touched her, except that one time, and even then, I didn’t fuck her, I shoved away from her and fucking vomited!”

“Maybe you were just really good at licking pussy,” Fury jokes, and I look at him sharply, glaring while also scrunching my nose up, and he laughs, “What?” before he tilts his head and says, “Well, to be fair, Lake, you would know…”

I can feel my face heat up as the men smirk at me while Jaylen tries to control his laughter.

Am I picturing him eating me out like he used to? Yes, yes, I am, and no, I will not admit that to them. Instead, I grumble, “Fine, his skills, from what I remember, are worth going crazy over, alright!”

The men laugh, and I shake my head before placing it back into the crook of Jaylen’s neck.

They laugh harder, and I close my eyes, enjoying the feeling of Jaylen’s chest moving, his voice rumbling, sending tingles throughout my body.

I made a mistake six months ago, one I will forever regret, but I know one thing, I’m not letting this man go again. Even if he’s still pissed at me for letting the fact that he was a brother, to push him away, to help break us.

I’m going to marry this man and not in a few years or months...