Page 160 of Coveted

Bruises blossom on Sadie’s skin like cruel flowers.

She looks so small in the hospital bed, deep in a medicated sleep.

Every so often, her eyebrows pull together and her shoulders twitch. It’s like her body remembers what happened on the tower roof last night, even while her mind rests.

It fucking destroys me.

I rode in the ambulance with her to Ember Falls Memorial Hospital. While the paramedics transferred her to the care of doctors and nurses, I channeled my adrenaline into arranging a room for her.

The blinds are drawn, blocking the weak afternoon light. Somewhere below us, people are working, laughing, drinking, fucking. The world keeps moving while I sit here counting every rise and fall of her chest.

Floral arrangements fill the room, brought by her friends during the day as she remained unconscious. The fresh scent of flowers is tinged with the antiseptic hospital smell.

The machines beep softly, her IV drips steadily, and my eyes are constantly scanning for problems.

She almost died. I was almost too late.

Guilt and regret gnaw at me. If I had dialed my surveillance back a notch, I would’ve still been able to actively protect her. She would’ve let me.

I thought I was erasing risk with my extra precautions, but I was doing the opposite. I shouldn’t have jeopardized her trust like that. Especially not while a killer walked free.

Worthington’s not walking free anymore. He’s not anything anymore.

My mind knows the threat is over, but my body doesn’t understand yet. I can’t relax.

How can I, when Sadie’s lying battered in a hospital bed?

That bastard’s fingerprints are bruised into the translucent skin of her neck. Every time I look at the marks, the same sick pulse of violence lurches up my throat again.

My guilt, anger, and even the impending exhaustion are covering something else inside of me.

Terror. A level of fear I never thought I was capable of feeling.

The fear goes beyond not wanting to lose her.

I can’t lose her. A world doesn’t exist where I will survive that.

How can one person be so important?

I don’t know, but now I’ve found her, only death will keep me from her.

Every time I sit still, I notice a new fold in the starchy sheets that could be smoothed, a strand of hair to brush from her cheek, or a pillow that needs adjusting.

It helps to be near her, to do something.

The doctor enters the room while I’m tucking the blanket around Sadie’s feet for probably the fifteenth time.

Standing back from the bed, I watch like a hawk as the doctor checks Sadie’s vitals and updates the chart. I’ve kept my own notes on my phone of course, like a lunatic.

“Our patient is stable,” says Dr. Cortez when she’s finished. “No internal bleeding. She’ll be sore though.”

“When will she wake up?” I ask, failing to keep the desperate note from my voice.

“It’s mostly the medication keeping her sedated,” says the doctor. “She should wake soon. Nevertheless, we want to monitor the mild concussion for another night.”

My breath comes out in a whoosh. “I can take her home tomorrow?”

“That’s our hope. We’ll see how she’s doing.”