I find the courage to leave the bathroom. Nixon isn’t in the hallway and I feel anxious when I reach Angel’s door. What if he’s inside?
I slowly open the door and I’m met with Alex’s bright smile.
She calls me over to where she sits on the bed next to Angel, telling her all about the gossip in one of her celebrity magazines. We don’t know whether Angel can hear us or not, but both of us have been chatting to her, filling her in on what’s going on lately and what she’s missed.
Angel’s father also visits as often as he can, he likes to be alone with her though. One night he left the bedroom door a little open. I didn’t know he’d be there, so I couldn’t help eavesdropping when I heard him talking to her. He was telling her how sorry he was about the twins and the way they’d treated her. He told her that he felt as if he were at a cross roads. He wanted to hurt the boys for the way they hurt his little girl, but he knew that she needed them and that she loves them. That he could never take them away from her. I heard the sounds of his cries as he begged for his little girl to wake up. Hearing that come from such a powerful man like him had me in tears. I didn’t stay to hear the rest.
“She squeezed my hand.” Alex’s confession has me awestruck.
“Really?” I move to the other side of the bed and grab Angel’s hand.
“Yes. I was telling her a story about the twins. About how in love they were with her from the moment they laid eyes on her. The love they have for her is palpable. Even when they were dating those other girls, they always kept an eye on her. Angel was oblivious to it all though.” Alex looks down lovingly at her daughter, running her hands through her hair.
I feel movement and look down at my hand. “We need to get the twins up here. I think they’ll be able to wake her up,” I say, looking at Alex. Realization hits and she looks and me, then back at Angel.
“You think that’s what had her moving her hand, me talking about her mates?” I smile nodding my head.
“It’s worth a shot.”
Alex shoots out the bed saying she’s going to get the boys. She doesn’t care that Johnny forbade everyone. Alex is confident that they can bring back her little girl.
Chapter 28
ANGEL POV
I can hear their voices in my dreams. They’re close but I can’t see them. I can’t find them because everything’s black. I reach into the darkness and feel something squeeze my hand. I’m confused because no one’s there. I open my mouth and try calling for them, but nothing comes out.
“Angel… baby? Can you hear us? We’re right here,” Talon’s voice says. It’s sounds like he’s crying. Why’s he crying?
“Wake up for us, baby. Wake up and let us see those pretty eyes. I’ve missed you,” Tyler says, his voice scratchy and weak. Tyler never sounds weak, he’s strong and perfect.
“You feel her squeezing? She squeezing your hand too?” He’s talking to Talon now. Their voices are clear and I can feel them each holding a hand, whilst also running their fingers through my hair.
I blink. Light-dark then light and dark again. I squint, but the rooms is just too bright. Pulling my hand out of someone’s grasp, I cover my eyes.
“She’s awake! Oh my god, it worked,” a familiar voice says.
“Close the curtains, the rooms too bright for her,” Tyler calls out.
I blink and open my eyes when the room turns darker. My vision is a little blurry as my eyes take time to adjust. The room is silent and a feeling of anxiety washes over me.
The first face that comes into view is Tyler’s. He’s sitting next to me on the bed, leaning forward with a worried look on his face.
“Ty?” I call out but my voice is croaky. He breaks down in tears as he pulls me onto his lap.
“I missed you so much, baby!” He holds me tightly and even though my body is achy and stiff, I don’t mind it at all. He’s holding me and telling me how much he loves me; I’ve waiting too long for it.
He keeps apologising, over and over. I cover his mouth with my hand. “What are you apologising for?”
“For making you do it. You healed Kate, but it nearly killed you. It’s all my fault.” He drops his head into the crook of my neck, feeling the moisture from his eyes and the tremble of his shoulders as he cries.
“It wasn’t your fault. I should have told you.” I run my hands through his messy hair. I’ve never seen it this long before. “Please stop crying and apologising. You’re making me sad,” I say softly. He looks up and I wipe away his tears.