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With the help of the nurse, Brianna moves Sebastian to the other side to make some space for me. I sit on the edge of the bed. “Are you sure…”
“Get in here, woman,” Sebastian grumbles.
“So bossy,” I mutter, sliding onto the mattress. Gently I place my arm around his waist and nuzzle my face into the crook of his neck. The smell of antiseptic overshadows his scent, but it’s still there, so I cling to that, cling to him, my lifeline.
Sebastian’s fingers intertwine with mine, and he lets out a long sigh. In the background, I can hear Brianna whisper with the nurse as they move away from the bed to give us some privacy.
“I thought I might lose you,” Sebastian whispers.
“Me too.”
“I can’t l-lose you, Birdy.”
“You’re not losing me,” I reassure him. “I’m here.”
“You’re here,” he hums, his warm breath touching my skin as he turns to me, his lips brushing against my forehead.
My body relaxes against his as his warmth envelops me completely.
Home.
Being in his arms feels a lot like home, and to think I might have lost him tonight.
“I love you, Sebastian,” I confess, voicing the words out loud for the first time. Words I should have told him weeks ago but was scared to do so. And I almost didn’t get a chance to do it at all.
Silence stretches between us, and for a moment, I think he fell asleep, but then I feel it again. The soft press of his mouth against my head. His hushed words are the last thing I hear as I let sleep claim me: “I love you, too, Birdy.”
* * *
“Penelope Adams, why the hell haven’t you answered your goddamn phone?!”
The loud question is like a bucket of icy water thrown over my head, making me jump upright in bed. Pain shoots through my arm, and I hiss in protest at the sudden movement. My heart beats wildly in my chest as I try to figure out what’s going on and where I am.
“Birdy?” Sebastian groans, his voice low and husky. “You okay?”
“Fine,” I reassure him. The feel of his firm body under mine, and that familiar scent of pine needles, sandalwood, and rain makes me feel at ease.
“She’s not fine. She’s been shot!”
“Kate?” I ask, turning toward the sound of my sister’s angry voice.
What the hell is Kate doing here?
I start to shift to a sitting position, only to realize there’s a familiar weight over my legs. Henry. I’m not sure when he got into bed or how we all fit inside, but we did.
“Of course it’s Kate!” my sister yells, and for a moment, I think she might have lost her mind. Kate rarely yells, and it’s the only thing she’s been doing since she got here. “Or are you waiting for another shooter?”
“Shoo—”
The words die on my lips as I remember the events of last night.
The man grabbing and holding me hostage. The knife pressed against my throat. The burn as it cut into my skin. Pushing me out onto the stage where Sebastian had been waiting for me. The fight between him and Sebastian. Him blaming Sebastian for the death of his brother. The gun going off, and the pain shooting through my arm as I crashed onto the ground with Sebastian’s body sprawled on top of mine.
My bloody hands.
Hospital.
We’re in the hospital.
