Submerged(Bound Together Book 1)(90)
When I finally crack them open, I wish to fuck I hadn’t. The light is so bright I’m afraid I’ll never be able to see right again. After a few minutes, I try again, blinking and willing my heavy eyes to open. As I crack them open, I finally see the most beautiful sight ever. The only thing to top it was the first time I laid eyes on her. And maybe the first time I saw her holding our daughter.
“Welcome back,” Luke says with a big grin. Well, I assume he’s grinning because I hear it in his voice. But I don’t look at him. I can’t look at him. My eyes are riveted to the love of my life.
Tears pour from her stunning brown eyes as they remain glued to me. If I could sit up, I’d wrap my arms around her and never let her go. I’d hold her so damn tight, she’d pass out from lack of oxygen. I long to kiss those tears away, to make all that is bad disappear.
“Don’t cry,” I choke out, my tongue feeling like it weighs five pounds. Saw dust. It feels like I swallowed saw dust.
“You’re awake,” she says with a small smile.
“Yeah.” Blinking appears to be a chore right now, and the desire to close my eyes and pass out is great. But my need to see her, touch her is greater. “What happened?” I ask.
Luke is there a few seconds later with a glass of ice water. He places the straw directly against my lips, and I slurp greedily what feels like the first drink of cool liquid I’ve had in days. “Do you remember anything?” he asks while taking a seat on the edge of my bed.
Thinking back, pieces of the puzzle start to slip into place. “I remember going into the garage, but that’s about it. I remember everything that led up to that point, but everything after that moment is a little fuzzy.” Carly still holds my hand securely within both of hers in a death grip. It’s like she’s afraid that if she lets go, I’ll slip away. Well, that’s not ever fucking happening. I want to lift my other arm, but it’s held down by something tight and restricting.
“We followed the first sweep of agents into the garage after they detonated the smoke bomb. You were right next to me as we went in. Styx was there and had a gun. He wouldn’t drop it for nothing even after ordered to multiple times. When he took one look at you, he pointed it at your chest from about ten yards out. He got a shot off and hit you in the shoulder. Before you went down, you returned fire, hitting him center mass. He took three other rounds to the chest before dropping to the concrete.”
“Good,” I say definitively. I definitely won’t be losing any sleep at night knowing that Styx is gone.
“It was a fishing exhibition to get the bullet out. It didn’t go clean through like we’d hoped. It took a little over two hours to dig it out and repair the damage. You’ll be out of commission for a while, but they’re hoping you’ll have full-range of mobility and motion with a little bit of therapy.”
“I don’t need therapy,” I mumble, though the dull throb of my arm and shoulder tell me differently.
“Doc was just in here again a bit ago. If you didn’t wake up today, they were gonna just throw you out in the street for being such a pussy,” he adds with a smirk.
“Don’t be an ass. How long was I out?” I tell my little brother.
“Just since yesterday. They say you came to briefly in the emergency room before they took you up to surgery. Apparently you were causing all sorts of a ruckus; kept asking and searching for Carly. I think they had to give you something to calm you down. Anyway, Doc said you should be good as new in no time. And the best part is that you’ll still be the second-best looking brother.”
I can’t help but laugh and smile deeper when I see Carly smile too for the first time since I woke up. I’d give my left arm to see more smiles and erase that look of pain and fear that I saw when I first opened my eyes. “Yeah, but chicks dig scars, Luke. I think I hold the trump card on coolness now,” I smart-off.
“Well, I don’t plan to get shot so we’ll just have to call that one a draw. Why don’t I step out into the hall and let the nurses know you’re finally awake,” he says as he stands up. Before he heads towards the door, he turns those green eyes on me. “I’m damn glad you’re okay, brother.”
“Thanks,” I tell him, but my vision is focused back on the woman holding my hand.
I don’t even hear the door open and close as I lose myself in her dark chocolate eyes. Everything I am is sitting right next to me. I give her hand a quick squeeze as I say, “Get up here so I can hold you.”