Bliss.
Pure bliss.
* * *
Blinding lights are the first thing I notice when I come to. I reach up and rub my eyes, wincing as a sharp pain travels through my skull. My head is bandaged, and for a moment, I'm confused and dazed. Where the hell am I? What's happening? I rub at my eyes again, getting frustrated when I can't seem to clear my vision correctly. These stupid bandages.
"Stop rubbing at that, you're all bandaged up."
A feminine voice travels into my ears and I try to focus on it. It's only then I realize one of my eyes is patched. With the uncovered one, I zone in on the woman standing beside me. I'm in a hospital. As I wake, the beeping machines beside me become more obvious, and suddenly, it sounds very loud in here. I look at the blonde nurse, who is smiling down at me. "Hi there."
One blink.
Then another.
"What … what?"
"You're in the hospital. You've been out for a couple of days. Do you remember anything?"
///
Jacob.
Taylor.
"Taylor." I croak.
"Taylor is well. She had surgery on her leg, but she's recovering just fine. She's safe. As are you."
Safe.
Safe.
"Ace?" I whisper, my vision becoming clearer by the second.
"Detective Henderson has requested to be called the second you wake. I'll have someone notify him."
I nod, rubbing at my throat. "Water?"
She hands me a cup of water and I sip at it. It relieves my throat instantly. I swallow half the cup, then hand it back to her. "The doctor will be in shortly. I'll just check your vitals and then we'll let you know what has happened."
I nod and stare around the room as she checks my vitals and fills out my chart. An older gentleman comes in a minute later, wearing scrubs. I'm guessing he's the doctor.
"Ah, Dr. Henry. She's up."
The doctor comes in and stops by my bed, looking down at me. "Hi there, Hartley, how are you feeling?"
"Like I've been hit by a train," I admit.
He laughs softly. "I imagine. I'll let you know what procedures you've had, get you up to scratch. You had a lot of bumps and bruises, and you were severely dehydrated, so we made sure that was the first thing we took care of. The cut on your head was deep, it took eight stitches, and the swelling behind it was quite severe, but we're keeping an eye on it. The wound was very close to your eye, and there was some severe swelling there, too. We had to operate to reduce that, but your vision shouldn't be affected in any way. We've also stitched the deep gash on your leg. However, it was directly in muscle, so you were very lucky. Other than that, a lot of rest and fluids is all you'll need."
I nod. "Thank you."
Lucky.
I don't know if I'd call us lucky. Although, we did escape the hands of a serial killer.
That has to count for something.
"Hart?"
My good eye darts to the door, and Ace is standing in it, filling its narrow frame. Tears well in my eyes as I stare at him and take in his broken expression, and the pain he's flicking in my direction.
"We'll leave you to it," the doctor says as he leaves with the nurse.
"Hey, big guy," I say, but my bottom lip is trembling.
Ace walks over, leans down, and circles those big arms around me, pulling me into him in a way that makes me feel like I'm coming home. His hug is full of affection, and relief, and so much more. His face nuzzles into my neck and his body engulfs mine. He was afraid. I know he was afraid. He didn't find me. Couldn't. I can't even begin to fathom what went through his head for those terrifying moments of his life.
"I couldn't fucking find you," he says, pulling back and cupping my chin in one of his big hands. "But … I found him through the support group you told me about. You were right, he was watching girls from there all along, playing the role of a janitor so he could get information. If I had looked into that earlier … "
"It wouldn't have mattered what you did, he would have found a way," I say softly. "He was smart. It's what made him so good. But I'm here. I'm alive. And he's gone."
"I'm so fucking sorry. I should have taken you to Taylor's house … "
"Don't," I say, reaching up and cupping his jaw. "This was something he would have found a way to do, no matter what and you know that."
"Are you okay after experiencing what you did? I know firsthand that it can mess with your head … "
I shake my head, giving him a tired smile. "He wasn't going to win, Ace. I wasn't going to let that happen. So outside of these superficial injuries on the outside, he didn't touch the inside."