SEBASTIAN
Everything fucking hurt.
I tried to take a few deep breaths, and even that felt like it was going to kill me. My eyes felt glued shut, and as I tried to blink them open, they began to sting and water. A grunt escaped me, and suddenly, I felt a hand squeeze my own.
“Scareb?” My guardian fucking angel. My head lolled slowly to the side as I took her in. My Scarlet, bare-faced with red-rimmed eyes and dark shadows underneath. Her hair was a mess, tangled and standing up in places like she had slept upside down. I tried to give her a smile.
“Hi,” I said. Well, I tried. But my voice came out in a whisper, which then made me cough, which made my entire torso light up in pain.
“Shh,” she shushed me, letting her soft fingers trail down the side of my face. Her lips came to mine, and I savored every single second she let them stay pushed against my own. When she pulled back, she pushed some hair out of my forehead and smiled down at me.
“You have no idea how happy I am to see these eyes open,” she said, her voice threatening to crack. “Do you want some water?” she suddenly asked, turning around to fill up a beige plastic cup with water. “I’m sorry, I should’ve been ready for you to wake up. They told us a couple hours ago it could be any minute. But I’ve been so tired I just fell asleep sitting next to you and…”
I cut her off by grabbing her arm. She was rambling, and I knew all of that nervous energy was because of me. But I was alive—she could stop freaking out.
“Did you think I was going to leave you alone with those other two idiots?” I asked her, my voice coming out scratchy and painful in my throat. I coughed again, and she gave me a little grin before holding a straw to my lips.
“Sip,” she instructed. I took small little drinks, and even though it was lukewarm hospital water, it was probably the best water I had tasted in my life. “How are you feeling?” she asked me.
“Like I got shot a couple of times.”
She sat the cup back on the stand and sat down next to me on the bed. She was gentle, trying not to shift or bump me. But I didn’t care about any of that. There were too many times lately that I thought I would never see her again. I needed to feel her against me; I didn’t care how much physical pain it would cause me.
“Come here,” I told her, grabbing her wrist and tugging her closer.
“I’m going to hurt you.”
“Hurt me, then, pet.” I tugged her again, making her fall forward. “I need to feel you.” She lowered herself next to me on the skinny hospital bed, letting her head rest on my shoulder and chest as I slowly wrapped my arm around her. She was careful to not let any part of her touch my wounds, but I didn’t think I would have cared if she did. I just needed to feel her against me, feel her breath, and smell her scent.
“I thought I had lost you,” she said, her quiet voice thick with tears. It tugged at my heartstrings, and I wished I was able to hold her tighter against me and reassure her that I wasn’t going anywhere.
“You didn’t.”
“You were stupid. Taking on Motshan like that,” she continued. “Shooting my father.” Her voice trailed off, and her grip on me tightened. I winced and took her hand in mine, trying to redirect her anger from my side to my hand.
“Fucker deserved it,” I told her, looking down at her and meeting her gaze. “It was either attack them both and save you or let them take you.” Her eyes began to well up. “I knew I couldn’t lose you again, and you were ready to walk into that damn car.”
“You almost did lose me. You almost got yourself killed. And then I would’ve been left behind. From now on, we don’t pull stupid shit like that, understand? I don’t willingly put myself in danger, and neither do you. Neither one of us goes directly into the line of fire.”
If looks could kill, I would have been six feet under.
“Fine. Agreed.” I kissed her hair. “You don’t do stupid shit, I will try not to do stupid shit.”
“I thought I’d lost you,” she said, her voice wobbling as the tears finally began to fall. Seeing her in pain like that was enough to rip my chest open all over again. “I love you so much. I don’t know what I would have done. Who would’ve washed my hair?”
I laughed with her and pulled her closer, ignoring the stabbing pain I got from her pressed against me.
“You know,” Tristan said as he and Elliot walked into the room. “Scarlet has said she wants to have our babies.”
“I did not say it like that,” she groaned, hiding her face from mine. It might have been a joke, but I could feel my heartbeat pick up at the thought.
“And she said if we’re playing dibs, you technically should get first go at knocking her up since you almost died for her,” he continued.
“Which is total bullshit,” Elliot chimed in. “Everyone knows we would make the cutest kids. Think of how nice that kid’s hair would be.” He did an exaggerated shake of his hair as he sat down on another chair next to my bed and propped his feet up next to my own. I felt Scarlet laugh against me.
“Technically, I think it should be me seeing as I’m the leader,” Tristan said as he sat on the sofa behind Elliot.
“Or maybe we should just wait a little while and discuss it when one of us isn’t half-dead in a hospital bed.” Scarlet kissed my shoulder and situated herself closer to me, nuzzling in and closing her eyes with a deep sigh.
“I think we should all just take turns filling her up, watch it leak out of her, and fill her up again.” I could feel my cock wanting to stiffen at the idea.
“Do not get any ideas. You were literally just shot. Save the blood for your heart, not your dick,” Scarlet said with a warning tone that has me behaving. “Everyone needs to stop talking about it. I didn’t say I wanted them within the next year. Or even five. It was mentioned in passing.”
Elliot grunted at that statement and then looked up at me.
“How’re you feeling, then? Ready to go home?”