~~~
Hospitals and I didn’t have much contact, the only time I had visited one was when Josh thought it would be funny to jump on the bed and ended up falling and spraining his wrist and ankle.
But right now, right here, the huge white hallway felt too small, almost suffocating. The distinctive smell of chlorine didn’t help at all. Everything seemed so blurry, my eyes couldn’t focus on anything. Nurses dressed in pale blue rushed with plates, hardly glancing anywhere else. The speaker in the hospital called for some doctor for an emergency. A kid shouted some distance apart and was instantly scolded by his mother to shut up. Somebody let out a pained cry and instantly there were whispers of consolidation.
I gripped the handle of my seat tightly, swallowing the ball of fear. My eyes closed and I hoped I would never have to come to a hospital again.
“You fine?”
I jumped up a bit, startled, and looked at Simone. I couldn’t even nod, I was not fine, far far away from fine. I didn’t reply just looked down at my knotted finger on my lap.
She sat beside me, “The nurse is asking for you. There’s blood on your arm.”
Instinctively my fingers grazed the slight burn there and I winced. “I am fine.”
Simone leaned back, staring at me. “No you are not and that’s okay but get checked up Racheal, please.”
I bit my lip from crying out. “I don’t want to move.”
Simone draped her arm over my shoulder, “I’ll be here, the whole time. I’ll call you as soon as there’s any news. Okay?”
A nurse came and smiled sadly at me, pointing towards a room. “We need to get you cleaned up.”
I gulped and nodded, getting and then stumbling with shaky legs. I had no idea how long I had been sitting there. Could be minutes, could be hours, didn’t care but my legs felt numb and I knew my butt was now paining from immobile sitting.
Simone caught on my left arm and the nurse the bloody right arm, helping me walk properly.
I sniffed and shrugged them off, twisting my ankles a bit, to get the blood flowing. “I can walk.”
“You’ll know as soon as there’s any news.” Simone assured me.
I nodded without glancing at her. I was scared, terrified of what the news would bring.
The nurse led me into the room and Eva was there too, another nurse checked her injuries. She looked at me with sad eyes but sent a reassuring smile.
I didn’t respond, I couldn’t. Those sad eyes just reminded me of the whole incident and all I wanted to do was forget it or go back in time and make it not happen.
“Sit here.” The nurse ordered, patting a corner of the bed. I sat robotically. I wanted to get this done with so I could go back and sit in front of the three doors where the people closest to me were getting operated.
She took out a kit and started wiping the flowing blood, I winced at the burning sensation but kept mum.
“Does it hurt?” the nurse asked, continuing to wipe all the blood.
More than seeing the people you love get shot? “No.”
She simply nodded, “That’s a nasty bruise.”
On impulse I looked down at my left arm, there was a line where the bullet had just grazed me. The skin had pulled off completely and I bit my lower lip from hurling the little contents of my stomach as the nurse started to clean the wound completely, burning it even more.
“Hey Rach.” I turned at the voice, nodding at Ira.
She came over to me, wincing as she saw the wound. “Does it pain?”
Obviously duh! “A bit.” I breathed out. “Any news?”
She shook her head. “Nah, Liam is threatening to sue the hospital if they don’t do anything soon.”
I smiled at that. “He would win the case.”
“He would, he isn’t a bad guy. Still out there walking and calling every influential person he knows.”
My smile widened, but I didn’t say anything.
As the nurse started stitching, Ira held my hand tightly. I sent her a silent thanks and she just winked.
Finally, it was done and the nurse backed away. “Don’t touch it or wash it underwater.” She warned, patted my knee supportively and then walked out.
“Can I ask you a question?”
I turned to Ira. “Sure.”
“Why aren’t you crying?”
I stared at her, she had red eyes and I could see the tear residue on her cheeks and. It was similar to Simone and Eva. I had seen them cry, didn’t blink as the tears rolled down their faces and they fell on their knees. But I had just stood, hardly feeling anything.
I breathed in, looking down. I wanted to cry, I had almost but somehow I refrained from doing it. “I don’t know. Crying just-” I shrugged, furrowing my eyebrows. Why wasn’t I crying like everyone else? I should be wailing!
“It doesn’t make you weak.” Ira spoke, reading my mind, looking at me with a sad smile.
“I know that.” I lied, sadly it was one of the main reasons I wouldn’t cry. That would just make this all real and I would be weak, drained, I couldn’t let that happen. There were people who needed me to be strong now. I couldn’t disappoint them by crying. I couldn’t be weak.
“Guys.” Adrian entered, “The police are here.”
We nodded and Ira helped me as I got off the bed, my arm still pained but I ignored it. Adrian pulled me into a quick hug and kissed my forehead. “It’s going to be fine.” He whispered.
I hugged him back tightly, loving his calming voice. “I hope so.”
“I know so.”
Liam was verbally fighting with a police officer as we came out.
“You need these children to go over the most traumatic incident of their lives?” He shouted right into the police officer’s face.
The officer’s eyes ticked in anger but he knew better than to shout at the influential and pissed-off lawyer.
“Sir, we need to get the statements.”
“I don’t give a shit. There are three people operated on right now and that’s enough pressure as it is, they do not need more than this. They are just kids for heaven’s sake!” Liam exclaimed, his arms waving in a frantic manner.
“He’s crazy.” Adrian muttered from beside me.
I didn’t say anything. I was in no mood to give any damn statement. Maybe after a few hours but right now all I wanted to do was curl up and wait anxiously for any news from the doctors.
“It won’t take more than 10 minutes.” The officer tried again.
But Liam wasn’t having any of it. “Get out or I have the commissioner on speed dial. Come back when we are all in the right mindset. For now, get the fuck out of my sight and don’t pester them.” Liam warned and turned away, sitting down on a chair with his head in his hands.
The police officer gritted his teeth and discreetly showed Liam his middle finger, walking off and taking his partner with him.
“That was intense.” Eva whispered, leaning her head on the wall.
“I know.” I sat beside her, copying her action and closing my eyes.
“Did you know banging your head against a wall burns 150 calories an hour?”
“And brain damage. Which is why you are the way you are.”
“Hilarious Smith.”
“I know Hastings.”
“Do you think we’ll still be friends once this bet is over?”
I looked over at Colton, a sudden fear gripping to my bones. I had grown attached to this weird crazy rich guy, hell I liked him! Could I take it if we stopped talking? No. But on the other hand, could I just be friends and see him date another girl? No.
“Do you want to?” I asked, anxious about his answer. My fingers twisted in my lap and I stared at them.
Colton’s hand wrapped over them, his thumb rubbing the back of my hand. I gasped at the sudden contact, turning to face him. Staring into his blue eyes, I could drown in that ocean.
“I don’t think I would like my life without you in it.”
I almost awed but held my tongue, knowing he hated that. ‘What is the purpose of that emotion? People say it all the time, sad, happy, hungry, sarcastically. It’s bloody annoying.’
Instead, I leaned on his chest, a giddy smile on my face and a few happy tears in my eyelids. “Me too Colton, me too.”
I didn’t know I would ever see the day when I had to prove it to him and experience it first-hand.
“Racheal?”
I opened my eyes, a bit dazed, and noticed a tear had managed to escape my eyes. Hastily I wiped it off. “Yeah, Sim?”
“The doctor is here.”
I immediately stood up, blood rushing to my head. Everyone was gathered and looking at the doctor in anticipation.
“She’s fine, the gunshot was to her stomach but no major damage was done. I wouldn’t go into details with you all now but she is conscious now and you can see her for 10 minutes. Family only.” The doctor said, smiling at us and then going over to Liam to go in-depth about the situation.
I didn’t care what they talked about as long as my mother was okay. I vaguely wondered where my dad and Josh were.
“I’ll go.” I muttered to no one in particular, surprisingly and sadly it looked like I was the only family present.
I opened the room with shaky fingers.
“Oh get in!”
I almost jumped at the weak yet pissed raspy voice.
“Hey, mom.” I held in the gasp as I took in the woman who gave birth to me and one of the strongest people I knew, lying on a white bed with wires and needles looking so fragile.
Despite it all, she smiled. “Hey, honey.”
I went further and sat on the chair near her head. “How are you?”
“Craving a nice cheeseburger but that’s not allowed.”
I chuckled lightly. “Yeah, it’s not.”
“Uh, your father?”
I knew this question was coming but it still took me by surprise and I couldn’t answer it. “I don’t know.”
Mom turned her face away and I knew she was fighting tears, after all these years and the recent shooting she didn’t expect her husband to leave her again.
A fire rose in me and quickly got up, kissed mom’s forehead. “I’ll be back mom, take care. I love you.” I ran out, my mindset on only one mission.
Finding where the hell my father had disappeared to again.
Surprisingly it didn’t take long. You’d think with all the experience of running and hiding for 4 years he would think of a better place than the fire exit stairs.
He turned as he heard my footsteps. It didn’t take a genius to know he had been crying.
Despite that, I couldn’t help but taunt, “Hiding again?”
He looked down, ashamed and I felt a pang of guilt but then I remembered how he had abandoned us for 4 years and still wasn’t with mom, and just like that the guilt disappeared.
“I wasn’t hiding.” He whispered.
I sat down on the stairs beside him, “Then what is this?”
He took a deep breath, staring at the plain wall. “Self-loathing.”
I furrowed my eyebrows. “Why?”
“She stepped in to protect me, she jumped forward with no regard for her safety, she took that damn shot for me!” Dad exclaimed furiously. “I should be there, in the damn hospital bed but it’s her!”
“Because she loves you!”
“Does Colton love you too?”
I froze, my mind-numbing and jaw-dropping in shock. Dad had a point. Mom had stepped in front of dad so she could take the shot to protect him while Colton had pushed me aside and taken the shot himself to protect me. Did that mean he loved me?
I shook my head, “We haven’t talked about this.”
“Why not?” Dad asked with genuine curiosity.
I shrugged, how was I to tell dad that this all started with a fake relationship? A relationship because I crashed into his bike. “Just because.”
I saw my dad smile from the corner of my eyes. “I think he loves you, I think he loves you very much.”
I felt my breath quicken and my stomach fills with butterflies at the thought but then I remembered he was in the hospital bed with rare chances of survival and a tear escaped. “And that’s why he’s almost dead, he’ll never forgive me. His parents definitely won’t.”
“He’s not dead.” Dad assured me then he looked at me with proud eyes and a smug smirk. “You figured out the clues. My smart unicorn actually solved the clues.”
I couldn’t help but smile back. “Yes I did, I am special aren’t I?”
Dad kissed my forehead lightly and I closed my eyes, embracing the feeling after 4 years. It felt so good to feel him close to me, so proud of me. And regardless of the situation that bought us here, I felt happy, content. He was my rock and he was finally back. “You are, you are very special.”
I leaned my forehead on his shoulder, finally some tears escaping my eyes. “I missed you dad, I really did.”
“Oh sweetie.” Dad choked with unshed tears, his arm encircling my shoulder, pulling me closer. “I missed you too, so so much. I am never going away like that again, I promise you. I’ll work hard to earn back the trust and make you three trust me again. You are my family and I love you.”
I cried harder, the tears now freely falling. “I love you too dad.”
Just then my phone vibrated, “Sim?”
I froze as she spoke, immediately getting up.
Dad looked at me worried glance. “What was that about? Is Dia fine?”
I nodded, cutting the call and taking deep breaths, urging the tears to stop and wiping my cheeks off them. “Yeah, mom’s fine. It’s um – Colton, he’s awake.” I paused, “And his parents are here. They want to file charges.”
“What?” Dad stood up with a furious expression. “I’ll show them on what to press charges.”
“Dad no!” I pulled him back. “If it was me, wouldn’t you want to sue them?”
Dad reluctantly nodded.
I patted his shoulder, giving a sad smile. “Go see mom, she was sad to see you not with her. I’ll handle Colton.”
Taking a deep breath, wiping away all the tears, and mentally encouraging myself I walked out, into the waiting room where everyone was.
“You!” Colton’s dad, Andrew hissed, his eyes flaming with fury. “You almost killed my son. You bitch!”
“Don’t call her a bitch.” Drew immediately jumped to my rescue.
I pushed Drew back, my own anger rising. “Don’t you talk to me like that. I want to respect you but you hated your own son. So you don’t deserve any respect.”
Andrew almost flinched at my words but then his voice rose with more rage. “I was the perfect dad. I gave him everything he could need.”
“Except love.” I snapped, glaring at him. “All he needed was love but did you give him that? No! So I’ll do that. I’ll love him with everything and one day we’ll get married and have kids. So you sue my family all you want but remember in the end, I will be a Hastings!”
With those words, I stormed back towards the room where Colton was. A nurse stopped me, “Family only.”
Sadly I was in no mood for rules. “Fuck you, I am his wife.” With that I opened the door and entered.
Colton was in the same condition as my mom but he had a plaster over his shoulder, where the bullet had hit him.
As I took in his grey eyes, messy hair, subtle hair on his jaw making him look hotter and his body covered in the white bed sheet, I felt all my anger dissipate and a much stronger feeling envelope me, bliss.
Without a second thought, I stumbled over to him and warmed my arms around his neck, my tears flowing again like a bloody dam.
He looked shocked but after a few seconds, his arm warped around me and his lips pressed into the side of my forehead. “I am okay babe, I am okay.” He kept saying that until I finally had the courage to pull away from him.
I stared at the bullet hit shoulder. “I am sorry.”
His cold hand wrapped around mine, he pressed my palm making my eyes meet his. He looked sincerely into mine, “I would do it again and again just for you.”
I bit my lip from smiling giddily, without a thought I blurted out. “I told your dad we will get married.”
He blinked, shocked and surprised. “Say what again?”
I cleared my throat awkwardly and nervously. “I – uh- it just slipped out.”
“We are getting married, just slipped out?” he questioned in disbelief.
I looked out, mentally smacking my head. What the hell was I thinking telling him this? At least I didn’t tell about the babies.
“Babies?” Colton screamed out, leaving my hand and leaning backward. “What babies?”
“Dammit.” I hissed, glancing at me apologetically. “I am sorry. Your dad was going to sue us and-”
“Sue?” he shook his head. “What are you talking about Racheal?”
I took a deep breath and started speaking. “Well um – your father’s pissed that you got shot because of me so he’s going to press charges against us. And I got pissed because of that so I told him I love you and that we are getting married and having babies and also that I’ll be a Hastings.”
When I looked back at him, he was staring at me in astonishment. His eyes wide and his mouth open and eyebrows furrowed.
I pressed my fingers to my head. “I know I shouldn’t have said anything but I was just-”
“You love me.”
“Huh?”
He blinked a small smiling starting to come over his face. “You said you love me.”
I opened my mouth to deny but closed it up, not knowing how to respond to that so I simply nodded. “Yes, I did.”
This time he grinned, a full-blown happy grin. “Kiss me senselessly.” He ordered.
It took me a few seconds to comprehend his words and when my brain did, I didn’t waste a single second. I scrambled over to him and pressed my lips over his, my one hand on the cast hand and the other running through his hair.
His response was more than spontaneous. Our lips molded together perfectly, it was like we were made for each other. The kiss started out slow and gentle as if we were testing the waters, still wondering about what the future would hold for us. But whatever would happen, I knew I would never be able to forget Colton Hastings.
Wanting to prove this to him, I licked his bottom lip and that’s when he lost all control, his arm drifted around my waist, pulling me closer, making me almost lay horizontal on him in the tiny hospital bed. I vaguely wondered if I was hurting him, he did just get out of a surgery. But then he bit my bottom asking, demanding entrance and just like that all thoughts fled my mind.
It was him, all of him, and just him. And that was all I needed.
Sparks of undying future lingered on our lips and as I opened them, his tongue swept right in, taking me to new heights of pleasure. With his kiss and lips and tongue he expressed his reply to my previous confession, he did love me.
Overwhelmed by the response, I leaned back, staring into his eyes. Colton just smiled and then started pressing kisses down my neck, a sensual line of kisses that started from the corner of my lips and I hoped it would go all the way down to my toe. His lips made me feel special, content and passionate.
I moaned as his lips found my soft spot, my eyes closed and both my fingers tangled in his hair, loving the feel of the soft mop of black hair. Colton’s lips sucked on the skin, pulling me into a frenzied state of pleasure, I let out another moan, arching my neck to give him more access. I felt him smile at my response and his assault on my skin grew even more intense.
I knew it was going to leave a love bite but I didn’t care, he could leave them all over my body.
Just as his tongue darted out and licked my tongue, an involuntary gasp escaped my lips. “Colton.” My voice filled with lust that even I couldn’t recognize.
Colton looked deep into my eyes, his eyes darkened with the same amount of lust I felt, if not more. “When I get out of here, we are going to go away for the weekend. And I am going to make love to you so hard that you’ll need a damn wheelchair. I am going to make you feel things you never felt babe.”
I gulped, I could literally feel my panties getting wet at his words. So full of promise and love. He would have said to jump off the terrace and I would have done it, that’s how much my mind numbed when his lips touched my skin.
The door to his room suddenly opened and I jumped back, almost falling on behind in the hurry.
His father and mother entered the room and with one look at us, they figured out what we were upto. It really didn’t take a genius, the disheveled hair, red swollen lips, embarrassed expressions, and a bloody red love bite right on my neck. Even after a surgery, that man could make me feel weak in the knees.
“Hey mom, dad.” Colton greeted them with a stiff nod. “What happened to your jaw?”
It was then I noticed Andrew had a nice swollen jaw and busted lip. As much as I would have loved to be the reason for it, I knew I couldn’t pack a punch like that. There was only a man I knew who could.
“Ashton punched, Racheal’s father.” Andrew spoke with malice and hatred, shooting daggers at me.
I flinched and looked down, shamelessly a small smile on my face.
“This stupid girl thought she was going to marry you. Can you believe how delusional she is?” Andrew snorted.
“Don’t call her stupid and we are getting married.” Colton’s response almost shook the floor off my feet, it was that unexpected and shocking.
My head snapped towards Colton but he was busying staring with defiance at his dad.
“Oh sweetie, that’s good. How are you?” His mother, Ciara, spoke, trying to lessen the tension. Her voice was as melodic as I remembered.
She smiled apologetically and went over to hug her son, Colton didn’t respond but then she said something in his ears and he immediately embraced her.
“Um, I’ll leave.” I muttered, feeling like I was intruding on a family matter.
Ciara nodded and pulled into a quick surprising hug. “You make him happy.” She whispered and smiled before turning back her attention on her son.
I smiled and waved at Colton who winked and blew a kiss, making me blush and look down.
As I neared the door and crossed Andrew, he whispered gruffly. “I do not approve of this.”
I stared right into his eyes gave him an eye roll, ‘I don’t give a shit about what you think’.
He just glared and I could see him mentally wishing I was the one in the hospital bed.
As I neared the door and stepped down, Colton’s voice stopped me. “Don’t forget about the weekend Smith.”
Blushing like a million tomatoes I didn’t even turn, just nodded and closed the door behind me.
Leaning on the wall beside the door I took a deep breath. Couldn’t forget even if I wanted to Hastings.
He was safe. He was mine. And that is all that mattered.
~~~