Beautifully Hurt (Beautifully Broken)

Dad’s hand falls on my back. “Don’t go there. Until it happens, you don’t go there. Focus on the now.”

Focus on the now. The fucking nightmare from hell that’s better than the excruciating ache of trying to imagine a life without Quinn.

The past fourteen hours feel like the longest of my life, and it’s all a fucking blur.

Quinn suffered blood loss, a concussion, two broken ribs, and the one bullet to her chest somehow ended up hitting her liver. The other bullet stopped half an inch from her heart.

Half a fucking inch.

That’s the difference between Quinn still breathing and me almost losing her.

She’s not out of the woods yet, looking frail on life support.

I bring her hand to my mouth, and closing my eyes, I send up a silent prayer for what feels like the millionth time. And just like every other time, it hangs heavy over my shoulders as if there’s no one to hear it. No higher power to save Quinn.

But out of habit, I keep praying because there’s nothing else I can do for her.

Helplessness. It’s a new beast for me to face.

Dr. Pickens comes to check Quinn’s vitals, then murmurs, “We’re hoping she’ll wake up soon.”

His words offer me more comfort than any of the prayers have, and hope starts to blossom in my chest.

My gaze shifts back to Quinn, and it’s incredibly hard to see her like this.

When I close my eyes, Katie’s lifeless gaze flits through my mind, once again stunning me with horror.

Christ.

I shift in the chair, pressing my mouth harder to Quinn’s hand.

Wake up, baby.

Please.

There’s still so much I want to do with you. So many dreams I want to make come true.

Again, I see Katie’s face, causing a shuddering breath to ripple from me.

I’ve known Katie all her life, and the way she was murdered rocked a gaping hole through me. The Conleys’ gruesome deaths have shaken the whole town, leaving us all reeling in the aftermath.

I can’t believe this happened.

Why?

Quinn’s fingers stir in my grip, and my eyes snap open. “She moved,” I say, excitement bursting in my voice.

“I’ll get the doctor,” Dad says before rushing out of the room.

Quinn’s eyelashes flutter, and then I get a glimpse of her beautiful green irises.

“Baby?” I lean closer. “Quinn? Can you hear me?”

Her eyes seem to focus on mine, and then raw terror bleeds into them, making them look bruised before they drift shut again.

Dr. Pickens comes rushing into the hospital room with a nurse and Dad right behind him.

“She opened her eyes,” I tell him as I let go of her hand, moving back to get out of the way.

Dr. Pickens leans over Quinn, and taking her hand, he squeezes her fingers. “Quinn, can you hear me?”

There’s no movement from her, and my heart sinks back into the black hole again.

“She might drift in and out of consciousness before fully waking,” Dr. Pickens says. “Can we clear the room?”

Dad takes hold of my arm, tugging me away from Quinn. I glance back over my shoulder until I can’t see her anymore, then follow Dad to the waiting room.

Waiting room? They should call it the torture room.

Chapter 11

QUINN

“I want an extravagant wedding dress,” Katie says. “A princess dress.”

I let out a chuckle. “You always wanted to be a princess.” I turn my eyes away from the stars and glance at Katie.

We’re lying in the Conleys’ backyard just dreaming about our futures.

“What kind of dress do you want?” Katie asks.

“Something soft and feminine,” I whisper dreamily as I turn onto my side. Katie does the same, so we’re facing each other.

“I’m making your made of honor dress bright orange or purple,” she jokes.

“Don’t you dare,” I gasp. “Can you imagine me in bright orange?”

We burst out laughing.

“Wouldn’t it be awesome to have envelopes like the ones in Harry Potter delivering the invites?” Katie asks. She makes her voice all regal as she says, “You’re herewith invited to the betrothal of Katie Conley and Jason Shepard. You have one minute to accept before this envelope self-destructs.” She lets out a burst of laughter. “And then the envelope sticks out its tongue and rips itself to shreds.”

I laugh with my friend, then turn onto my back again.

“Eli kissed me,” I blurt the words out.

Katie darts up with a shriek, and then she yanks at my arm until I sit up. “Tell me everything. Don’t dare leave out a single detail.”

“It was perfect,” I sigh, but then the smile drops from my face as Katie begins to fade. “Katie?” She keeps fading, and then everything else disappears, leaving me in the darkness.

“Katie!”

I startle awake, my breaths exploding over my lips.

Dad’s face comes into focus. “Quinn?”

My lips part, but no sound comes out.

“Can you hear me?”

I manage to nod.

The bright lights register. Then the bed I’m lying on. Then, that I’m in the hospital.