Unconditional

Black.

THE SECOND I OPEN MY eyes everything hurts, and the beeps from the machine next to me feel like a tiny hammer to my temples as they throb with every beat. I feel like I’ve been run over by a car and my muscles feel stiff as a board. My eyes float around the room as best they can without moving my head, and they immediately fall on Cal who’s sitting next to my bed with his head in his hands. I notice that he’s bouncing his leg nervously, and his hair is sticking up in a million directions making me wonder how long he’s spent pulling on it.

Right on cue, he runs a hand through his hair. “Stop pulling,” I whisper and his eyes shoot up to mine.

“Maddie,” he whispers and then he’s out of the chair and sitting on the edge of the bed next to me. He grabs my hand and pulls it to his mouth before pressing it over his heart. “How are you feeling? Does anything hurt?” He reaches his hand to my face and gently strokes the bruise causing me to wince despite the fact that I relish at his touch.

“Does it look bad?” I ask.

He shakes his head and presses another kiss to my palm. “No. You’re still so beautiful.”

A sad smile finds my face as I look around the hospital room. At least two dozen balloons fill the far corner. There are plants and bouquets of flowers lining the window sill and tons of stuffed animals in all sizes and colors, the words Get Well Soon, printed across their chests. “How long have I been out?”

“A few hours. Not long…well, objectively. It’s been a long few hours for me.” His eyes look exhausted and I note he has more facial hair than usual, making me wonder if it’s morning, or if it’s still the middle of the night.

“I’m so sorry,” I tell him. I let out a breath. “It’s all my fault.”

>

His eyebrows pull together and he shakes his head. “Not at all, and I won’t have you thinking otherwise. You trusted Henry, there was no way for you to know…”

His voice drifts off and tries to move off the bed but I grab his hand. “Don’t go.”

His eyes find mine and they’re full of sadness and remorse and guilt. “I let you down. I should have found you sooner. Before he touched you…fuck, Maddie. I’m the one that’s sorry.” He moves in closer and his lips brush against my cheek, and I force my face towards him and let his lips graze mine.

“You got to me in time.” I force a weak smile and he shakes his head. “You always get to me in time.”

“I hate that you had to see that.”

I grimace at the memory of seeing Henry go down and that gruesome look on his face. The look of death will haunt me alongside the sounds of my mother’s screams the night she died.

“Did…who killed him?”

Cal sighs. “Aria should have because she has the best shot on the force, and I’m glad I wasn’t on that side because I wouldn’t have been okay with them taking that shot so close to you. I honestly thought they’d hit you. But Aria was in hysterics. They had her sedated for a while.” He swallows.

“They didn’t get me. I swear. I felt the bullet go by.” I tell him honestly and although it’s the truth, I’m still shaken up by how close it came to piercing my flesh along with Henry’s.

Cal must read my look because his voice cuts into my thoughts. “We’re going to see someone when we get out of here.”

“Another shrink?” I wince.

“Yes, Madeline, another shrink.” His voice is firm and it sparks something inside of me that I haven’t felt since I woke up.

I give him a small smile and a deep breath. “Okay, Daddy.”

His eyes darken and he’s about to speak when a rush of people enter the room. Some in police uniform and some in plain clothes.

“Oh my God, Maddie!” I hear her voice before I see her and then her arms are around me, squeezing me.

“Aria…be gentle,” Cal scolds and I see her lift her middle finger.

“Back off, Grayson.” She pulls back to look at me and cups my face. “Maddie.” She kisses my forehead and pulls me into a hug. “I’m so…sorry,” she whispers in my ear. Her eyes are puffy and red, and her skin is splotchy, all evidence that makes me believe she’s been sobbing for hours. She sniffles and rubs her nose with a tissue and I hold my arms out to hug her again. I can’t even imagine what Aria is going through right now. When I pull back her chin trembles slightly. “We’ll talk later, okay?”

I nod, as the tears well in my eyes. “You’ve been…” I hiccup despite the lump I feel lodged in my throat, “the best friend…and mother I could have ever asked for.” I smile at her through the tears. I knew I couldn’t be blamed for Henry’s sins, but Aria shouldn’t be either. Besides Cal, Aria loves me so much; seeing me in that position in that tiny cabin probably gutted her as deeply as Cal.

“Okay, Maddie, a few things…” one of Cal’s subordinates, Officer James, speaks up. He moves to the other side of my bed, opposite of Cal and Aria, and they both shoot him a look. “Hey, effective immediately you two are off this case. You shouldn’t have even proceeded without backup, Grayson.”

He snorts and gives him a look. “I’m sorry, who do you report to? And he had Maddie. You think I wasn’t going in? You’re insane.”