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“Aspen!” Declan flew to her side and rolled her over.
She lost sight of Ray as people surrounded him.
“Baby, are you all right?” he asked. He gripped her chin and brought her face towards him. His eyes, full of worry, gazed down on her. “Aspen. Can you hear me?”
She reached up a shaky hand to his face and cupped his cheek. She closed her eyes and whispered the three words she never thought she’d get to say to him.
“I love you.”
Having said them, she allowed the darkness to take her.
Chapter 24
Declan sat beside Aspen’s bed. This time, there was no argument from anyone. He would have fought anyone who would have denied him entrance to her hospital room. It had been close to a week since that dreadful day when he’d thought he’d lost her. The sight of her being held with a gun to her temple had ripped a hole in his heart.
In the end, Ray had taken the coward’s way out and shot himself in the head, ending everything.
In his selfishness, little did he know he had set Aspen free.
“My beautiful sleeping Aspen,” he murmured. He reached for her hand that was free from the IV tubing and ran his fingers along her smooth brown skin. She had been through so much.
The minute Ray had fallen to the floor, his team had immediately kicked in. They’d secured the room, the other thugs were processed, and the medical team was then able to enter the room to work on Aspen. She had passed out, but not before saying the three words he’d held dear.
I love you,she’d whispered.
The medical team had whisked Aspen away, and she was immediately taken to surgery. Her leg had sustained damage by walking on it. According to the surgeons, she had been bleeding inside the wound, making the leg swell. They’d gone in and released the pressure and cleaned it out. Declan was told she may have a slight limp, but with good physical therapy, she should recover completely.
They just needed her to wake up. The physicians had kept her in a drug-induced coma to give her body time to heal. She’d lost a lot of blood while being held captive. The hospital bed she’d been on down in the shipping area had been drenched with it.
Had Ray not taken his own life, Declan may have assisted him along, seeing how Aspen had been treated. The other men who worked for Ray were currently sitting in jail.
Now she was resting in a private room in the hospital. This time, no intensive care. Just a unit that offered privacy and the best of care.
Right now, staring at her, he knew what he wanted. He wanted to hold her in his arms again and feel her curvy body against his. He wanted to be able to kiss her and let her know that she wouldn’t ever have to be scared of anyone else again.
The sight of terror in her eyes had almost brought him to his knees when faced with her being held hostage.
“How is she?”
Declan glanced over at the door and found Mac and Sarena. He waved them in.
“Same.” He blew out a frustrated breath. Once she did wake up, they were due for a talk. There was so much on his mind that he didn’t even know where to begin. Federal agents had come and gone. They, too, were waiting to speak to Aspen.
“It may take time,” Sarena murmured. She stepped at the other side of the bed and offered a small smile.
“That’s what the doctors keep saying,” he replied. At the moment, he wasn’t sure he could even smile. He ran his fingertips along Aspen’s arm, willing her to wake up. “I hate to say, I’m just impatient.”
“Well, she’s been through so much. I’m sure she’s just waiting to make her dramatic entrance.” Sarena chuckled softly.
“How are you holding up?” Mac asked, cocking an eyebrow. “You look like shit. When was the last time you showered?”
“Marcas!” Sarena gasped. She took a seat on the windowsill and glared at Mac who promptly ignored her.
They’d been friends long enough for Declan to know Mac was concerned about him.
“I couldn’t even tell you.” Declan shrugged and ran a hand through his hair.
“If you want, one of us can stay with her to allow you to go shower.” Ashton’s voice had Declan turning to the doorway.
