Chapter 24

Vodka mixes well with everything except decisions. Drink responsibly.

-Konn Vodka T-shirt

Mig

“Oh, God. You look terrible,” she whispered.

I looked up from where I was hunched over in the hospital bed.

It was the only position I could find that didn’t make my body ache so badly that I wanted to barf.

Despite the fact that the nurse had been kind enough to provide me with not just a painkiller, but an anti-nausea medicine.

I smiled slightly, hating the way her face broke out in despair when the movement split my lip open once again.

“Thanks,” I muttered dryly.

She placed her hands on my chest.

“Is there anything I can get you?” She whispered brokenly.

I nodded, wincing once again when the movement made pain explode in my brain.

“Yeah,” my voice cracked. “Come ‘ere and give me a kiss.”

Annie came, pressing her lips whisper soft against mine.

I appreciated the effort on her part, but right then I needed more than just a peck.

I needed to feel alive, to prove to myself that I didn’t die in that hellhole due to my own stupidity.

I deepened the kiss, and although I tasted blood, I kept pushing the kiss until we both had to stop due to shortness of breath.

“Enough of that now, boy,” Nonnie called, entering the room at her usual snail’s pace. “Thought for sure I’d have to walk back out because the clothes were gonna come off,” she huffed and sat down in the chair next to the bed. “And I barely got here as it is. Not to mention if I fell, my Life Alert button wouldn’t produce any hot firemen. Instead, I’d get ugly nurses who do nothing for me.”

I laughed.

I couldn’t help it.

My Nonnie never ceased to amaze me.

“Do you want me to get you something to drink, Nonnie?” Annie asked, worry evident in her voice.

“No. I have something to drink right here,” Nonnie said, pulling out a bottle of vodka. “Want some?”

Konn Vodka, to be specific.

“Uh, no. It’s three in the morning, and I don’t usually imbibe so late. It makes me restless,” Annie said, sounding like she wanted to laugh.

Nonnie twisted off the lid and looked at me pointedly.

“That woman is in labor,” Nonnie said, sounding as if she could care less about the situation.

Really it was because ‘that woman’ had nearly gotten her grandson killed.

I’d known Jennifer was in labor, too.

She was under protective custody until she had the baby. Then, once she was healed enough to be released, she’d be arrested and charged with all the crimes she’d committed.

From what I’d learned from Casten, only minutes before, Jennifer hadn’t really wanted to get me killed.

Apparently, she was more scared of Liam than she’d been of me and had done the only thing she thought she could do.

Tell Liam where I was.

What it had done, though, was snowballed and slammed her right in the face.

Now she was looking at accessory to attempted murder, conspiracy to the kidnapping of a federal officer, along with the date rape charges.

I couldn’t get her out of those if I tried.

But, I wouldn’t even try.

After all I’d done for Jennifer—despite what she’d done to me—she still didn’t hesitate to sacrifice me.

“I know. What floor is the maternity ward on?” I asked.

“The fourth. I’ve already been up there to check on her,” Annie said.

“I wanted to say she wasn’t in labor, but Casten said her water broke when the police officers placed her under arrest,” I observed.

Annie nodded.

“We got home to an empty house, and Jennifer sitting on the couch eating popcorn,” Annie said softly. “It didn’t look different at all. No sign of a struggle, nothing out of place. But we knew something was up when Casten talked to your father.”

I nodded, waiting for her to continue.

“Your father brought us home immediately, walked into the house and started yelling at Jennifer,” Annie said.

“I would’ve snatched the witch up by her hair,” Nonnie offered her input.

I snorted.

Annie laughed.

“I was on the verge of doing that too when the police officers got there,” Annie supplied. “Would’ve done it, too, but they took her into custody so fast that I thought she was going to get whiplash.”

I sighed.

“She’s so fuckin’ screwed,” I told them. “I’ve done all I can, but she’s still going to serve ten years, minimum.”

Annie snorted. “I hope the bitch serves life. Or possibly dies in there.”

Nonnie made agreeing sounds, and I smiled.

“So how much longer until the baby gets here?” I asked her.

Annie shook her head.

“She kept screaming at me and throwing so much of a fit that I had to leave before she hurt herself or others,” Annie explained.

I growled in frustration, then threw the blankets off of me.

“Go get a nurse to take this out for me, please. I’m going to get dressed, then I guess I’ll go up there and see her.”

My voice sounded as tired as I felt.

And Annie must’ve realized it, because she didn’t argue at all.

“Okay,” she whispered. “Don’t move too fast.”

I gave her a salute and got out of the bed, careful of the IV that was in my forearm.

They’d been pumping me full of fluids through the line, and I had to pee worse than I’d ever had to pee before.

I moved like an old man as I shuffled my feet forward, one after the other, to the bathroom.

“I can see your butt,” Nonnie called from behind me.

I held up a thumb.

Nonnie laughed.

“It’s the only thing that doesn’t have any bruises. Annie should be happy.”

I shut the door on her laughter.

“Look, you’re on the news!” Annie yelled through the door. “Your ass looks awesome in those jeans. You can’t even tell you’re hurt!”

I turned my eyes to the wall and just shook my head.

I hadn’t realized it until about thirty seconds after waking up from my pain med-induced haze, but I was scared.

Scared that I wouldn’t be who I needed to be for Annie and my child.

But all she had to do was yell about how good my ass looked and all of my worries seemed to slip away.

Sort of.

With a baby on the way, there were about fifteen thousand more worries that were about to be placed on my plate.

And I was scared shitless.