- NOW -
I crossed my arms on the side of the bed, leaning my chin on top of them as I stared at him.
Wake up, wake up, I mentally willed him. A machine beeped steadily beside me, but Axel didn't stir. It had been two agonizing days since that day in the warehouse, and Axel had yet to wake up.
The very thought of our last conversation hurt. We had to fix things. He had to wake up sooner or later. He had to.
The door opened, and a nurse stepped into the room. Her eyes slid to the bruises lining my hairline and the cut on my neck before she met my eyes.
"We need to change his bandages now, honey," she said, a sympathetic look on her face.
"Oh, okay," I murmured, kissing him on the forehead before I stood up. The image of his beautiful, swollen, and bruised face would stay with me all day.
I kept replaying things over and over again in my mind, the guilt heavy in my gut. This never would have happened if it weren’t for me. He should never have been there at Phoenix’s place that day.
With a final look back at him, pale and unmoving, I left. I didn't go far, though, and walked two doors down to where Dad was.
There was a cop stationed outside his door. He was sitting on a chair, doing nothing. I ignored him as I stepped into Dad's room. It was completely stupid. A waste of time. And a waste of police resources. Dad wasn’t going anywhere.
He was sitting up as I walked in. A number of pillows were propped up behind him as he read a book. It was refreshing to see. I hadn’t seen him read for fun since he became a bounty hunter.
"Hey, you," I said, approaching his bed.
He looked up, his face breaking into a smile. "Hey, sweetheart," he said, his smile fading the longer he looked at me. He used a leaflet to mark his place in the book, and I saw that he was wearing his wedding band. There had been tears in his eyes when I'd given it to him. I'd understood, without him having to say it, that he’d thought he’d never see it again. "Have you just been to see Axel?"
I nodded, taking a seat by the head of his bed. He didn't ask if Axel was awake – there was no need to. It was a waiting game now. All we could do was wait and hope.
"It's all my fault,” I whispered, it taking one look at Dad's understanding face to voice what had been bothering me for the past few days.
"No, it isn't," Dad said immediately.
"He shouldn't have been there. None of them should have been there," I whispered, feeling tortured. "I got them involved–"
"April, no." Dad leaned forward, his hand grasping mine. The other one stayed under the covers where I knew it was handcuffed to the bedpost. Although he’d worked with Nathan and the FBI, he’d still likely be facing a penalty for his initial involvement with the LSG. It was another thing that worried me. He was being released from the hospital tomorrow, and he'd be going straight to a courthouse. "If anything, I was the one–“
"Oh, Dad." I sighed, tears clogging my throat. "You're not the one that hurt them. You didn't beat Axel into a coma. You're not the one who hit Poppy so hard over the head that she... that she–“
There was a knock on the door, and I hastily wiped my face. Kellan stepped inside the room, his entrance a far cry from how he usually walked into a room. The bullet had pierced his hip, and he’d be needing crutches for the next several weeks. Judging from the less than pleased expression on his face, he still wasn't happy about it. I'd left him arguing with his doctor about it earlier.
"Thanks," he muttered to the cop who'd opened the door for him. “How you doing, Mario?”
“I’ve been better,” Dad said, and Kellan nodded in understanding.
"You ready to go?" I asked him, clearing my throat. He'd been released less than an hour ago.
"I could get a cab. You don't have to cut your visit short for me," Kellan said, his mouth pressing into a firm line as he walked – mostly hobbled – over.
"Don't be stupid," I said with a stern look. If he argued about one more thing, I'd end up whacking him over the head. He’d done nothing but complain over the past few days. Kellan did not take orders well. I got up, placing a kiss on Dad's cheek. "I'll be back in a few hours.”
"I don't want to see you until tomorrow," Dad said, shaking his head. He’d shaved earlier, and he was looking much more like himself. "Go home and get some sleep. You need to rest."
I said goodbye, not arguing with him, though I had every intention of returning once I’d gotten Kellan settled in at home. I tried to make the most of my time with Dad. After all, none of us knew how the court hearing would go tomorrow.
"Do you need a hand?" I asked Kellan, feeling more than a little hopeless after the talk with Dad. The perpetual sadness I felt for Axel and Poppy marred the happiness I felt when I was in Dad’s presence.
"Nah, I’ve got this," he said, his forearms straining against his crutches as he walked. It was slow going. The halls in this section of the hospital weren't particularly wide and he was jostled every time a visitor or a nurse rushed past. "I think your dad's right, though. You should rest. You look like crap."
"Thanks," I said with half-hearted sarcasm. Axel and Poppy were on my mind, the grief I felt heavy in my chest. "It's been a little hard to relax with the three most important people in my life in hospital."
He was silent for a beat. I thought he was concentrating on his steps until he spoke. "I'm one of the most important people in your life?" he asked finally, razor sharp eyes focusing on me.
"Well, yeah," I said, an unspoken, “duh,” clear in my voice.
"You are the most important person in my life," he said quietly.
"I am?" I bit my lip to hide my smile, pleasure lighting up my soul.
"Yeah," he said, soft eyes moving over my face. "And you've been crying.”
I glanced away, letting my hair fall into my face. It had been stupid to think that he wouldn't notice.
"I keep thinking about Axel and Poppy," I said in a small voice.
"I wish there was something I could say to make it better. Something I could do.” His eyes were filled with frustration. His hands clenched and unclenched against the hand grips of his crutches – almost like he was fighting the urge to reach out to me. He seemed to make up his mind and let the crutches fall to the ground.
"Kellan!" I exclaimed, grabbing his arm.
"I can stand by myself, ballerina," he chuckled. "I need the crutches to walk, but my legs can support my weight."
"Oh," I said, my hand falling to my side.
He reached for it. Entwining his fingers with mine, he tugged me closer to him. "I just wanted to let you know that whatever happens – with Axel and with your Dad – I'll be here for you. I’m not going anywhere."
His sweet words caused tears to gather in my eyes. Seeing this, he wrapped his arms around me, pulling me towards his chest. I hadn't been this close to him since the night we'd slept together. He’d been stuck in a hospital bed since then.
I kissed him quickly on the mouth as we were jostled by a nurse hurrying past us. She shot us a dirty look for blocking the hallway, and I stepped back, grabbing his crutches off the floor for him. "Come on. We're blocking the corridor."
"How's Phoenix doing?" Kellan asked me once we started moving again. He hadn't seen Phoenix in days. While those bastards had knocked me out, they’d used a syringe on Phoenix. Whatever they’d drugged him with had rendered him unconscious. He’d been fine, physically, within an hour of waking up, and had gone immediately to Poppy's side.
"Not good," I told him, my thoughts darkening.
Penelope Ellen Wright, who we'd all known as Poppy, had gone into cardiac arrest at 3:37 yesterday morning, during brain surgery. She was gone. Just like that. Phoenix had been inconsolable.
He was at home in our guestroom now. I hadn't thought that it would be a good idea for him to go back to his house – not by himself. He hadn’t set foot outside the guestroom since he first stepped into it.
It had taken almost all of my strength to go back to Phoenix’s place yesterday, but I'd forced myself to go. I'd grabbed Phoenix's cell phone, some of his clothes, and his medication for him. I'd also cleaned up the kitchen, and had cried more than I thought was possible while mopping away the blood on the kitchen floor. I'd been glad to leave, and I doubted that I'd ever be able to go back.
Phoenix had known Poppy for a few short days, but he was crushed. I suspected that he'd hurt over her for a long time. As would I.
The funeral was in a few days.
I couldn’t believe that she was gone. Poppy had been so young, so full of life. She'd had a whole lifetime left to live.
With a pang, I remembered the day in the diner with Phoenix and how flustered and happy she’d been.
"He has us," Kellan said, pulling me from my thoughts. "This won't tear him down."
“I hope not,” I said, wishing with everything in me that it was true. Phoenix’s therapist was back at the house with him now.
"Did Dad say something to you?" I asked, changing the subject. The past few days had been so long, the nights even longer. It seemed like I did nothing but think about everything. I needed to dwell on something else – even if for just a few moments.
"What do you mean?"
"It seemed like back there wasn’t the first time you'd spoken since the warehouse. And you did have all that time while I was visiting Axel..."
"Nothing, really." He shrugged. Seeing my eyebrows rise skeptically, he sighed. "Just that I should keep my belt buckled around you."
"He didn't," I said, my eyes widening.
"Oh, he did," he said, looking uneasy. “He also wanted to thank me.”
“Thank you?”
“He said that you’d filled him in on everything that happened since he disappeared.” He sent me a questioning look. I shrugged. “Well, I don't know what you said to him, but he said... he said that he was proud of me.” Kellan looked away, his throat working. It was clear that Dad’s words had meant a lot to him. It was also clear to me that that hadn’t been all they’d discussed, but I didn’t push.
We were passing the cafeteria on the ground floor when I noticed Nathan coming in through the main entrance.
I met Kellan's eye, inclining my head towards Nathan. He followed my gaze, eyebrow shooting up as he saw him.
"Miss. Mansten. Mr. Reed." He nodded at Kellan, a smile fixed on his face. "It's good to see you up and about."
"It's good to be up and about," Kellan said wryly.
"Well, if you have a moment, I'd like to speak to the two of you," Nathan said, gesturing towards the cafeteria.
We followed him curiously.
"What’s this about?" I asked him after we sat down at a table.
"Well, first and foremost, I wanted to thank you. Without you... this wouldn’t have been possible," Nathan said sincerely. "I also wanted to assure you that I'll be doing everything within my power to make sure that Mario does not receive any jail time"
"Thank you," I said, gratitude choking my voice.
"And Luke?" Kellan asked. I was also dying to know. He hadn't been at the warehouse when they'd made the arrests, and he was nowhere to be found afterwards.
"That's one of the reasons why I'm here," Nathan said, sitting straighter. "He was visiting a storage locker about an hour from here when two patrolling officers recognized him. He was arrested this morning."
"Good," I said, shoulders sagging in relief. It had bothered me a lot that Luke hadn't been there at the warehouse. I'd worried that he'd get away with everything he’d done. He’d been involved with the people who had killed Poppy. And he'd been responsible for Dad getting involved with the LSG in the first place. He deserved to be behind bars.
"There is no doubt in my mind that he will be securing a very long sentence," Nathan said with satisfaction. He glanced at the clock on the wall, his face turning serious as he looked between the two of us. "You should know that this will be hitting all the major news channels any day now. We've tried to keep things under wraps, but there’s no way that it’ll stayed buried for long. Reporters are going to have a field day, and it's a good bet that they're going to learn about your involvement. Keep your heads down, and for the love of God, don't speak to any of the press. They're vultures and won’t think twice about twisting anything you say."
I nodded, wide-eyed.
"Anything else?” Kellan asked, looking like he was ready to leave.
"I'll be needing a written statement from you, Kellan," Nathan said, back to business. "Archie Chambers was shot and killed by an agent after he fired at you. There’s paperwork and procedures that we need to follow.”
Absentmindedly, I touched the purplish bruises near my hairline. Archie's fist had caused them. He might have been the one to deliver the killing blow to Poppy. He could be the reason Axel was in a coma. Yet, I didn’t feel any relief that he was dead. It didn’t feel like enough.
"I'll come by tomorrow, after court," Kellan told him.
"I'll be seeing you there, then," Nathan said, standing up. Kellan got to his feet, too. Nathan paused, hesitating by the end of the table. "I am not indifferent to the innocent casualties in all of this, though I am aware that it can come across that way. Antonio Rossi was my former brother in law. My sister was... this case has always been personal to me. Now that it's over, I can see where I may have been callous in my approach. There are certain things that I overlooked in my desire to end the LSG – instances where I bent the rules a little. I hope however that these indiscretions are not brought up again. I hope that they do not reflect negatively on me."
Speechless, we watched Nathan walk away. It might have been my imagination, but it seemed like he was walking a lot faster than normal.
"Was he really apologizing, or was he making sure that we don't say anything to anyone about how he handled this case?" Kellan mused, glancing down at me.
"I don't care. I'll take the admission – no matter what his intentions may be." I reached for his crutches and handed them to him. "Come on," I said to Kellan, getting up. "Let's go home."