My entire body felt extremely stiff and my joints ached like nobody's business as I tried to stretch my arms above my head. Did I sleep in an awkward position last night? There was something heavy weighing down on both of my arms restricting me from lifting it up. Cracking my eyes open slightly, I was greeted by the brightness of lights that were on right above my head. Looking out the white blinds I was faced with the complete darkness of nighttime.
Where the hell am I? Oh god, have I been kidnapped? I began panicking realizing I didn't have white blinds in my room. Trying to raise myself up from the bed to get a better look around, I felt movement more like a shuffling and a slight tickling sensation on my right arm. Casting my eyes downwards I finally noticed the top of a guy's head resting on the side of my bed. He was slumped over facing forward in one of those hard plastic chairs. The top of his hair was tickling my arm.
My breath caught in my throat as I let out an audible gasp. Sitting up quickly I tried to scoot further up the bed away from whoever this was. I managed to move all the way to the top of the bed, pulling my knees up against my chest. I was feeling completely vulnerable at the Moment.
Why in the hell do I have a cast on my left arm? The back of my head began pounding painfully with a vengeance. Upon rubbing it my hand ran itself over an orange sized lump on the upper back part of my noggin’. Holy crap! What the hell happened to me? Where was I? I thought shutting my eyes tightly trying to remember what happened last.
For the life of me I was drawing a complete blank. Last thing I remembered was worrying over Tristan and the guys. The guy laying face down sleeping must have sensed my movements, because he sat straight up in the chair. I was greeted by mesmerizing smoky gray eyes that seemed to pierce right through me. Tristan stood up on his feet, quickly making his way over to the side of the bed I was closest to. I blinked rapidly not believing my eyes. I had to be dreaming this couldn't be real. What's he doing here and where in the heck am I?
"Lise." Tristan breathed in relief as a heart breaking smile broke the serious look on his face. "Thank god you're awake." A puzzled expression caused me to stare at Tristan with narrowed confused eyes. When was I asleep and for how long?
"Am I dreaming?" I questioned baffled as Tristan sat in front of me wrapping his arms around me. "Where am I and how are you here?" Looking around at our surroundings and down at the horrid blue and white gown I was sporting. The wheels in my brain finally began turning. I'm in a hospital, but how did this happen and when? Almost like he could once again read my mind Tristan began talking.
"You fell down the steps and broke your arm sweetheart." Tristan informed me with sad eyes. "Hit your head pretty hard too." Tristan's hand found it's way to my cheek. He cupped my face and began caressing it with the inside of his thumb. Those same familiar tingles, I've grown to love and looked forward to caused my entire body to heat up. "You've been in a coma for a week." He disclosed staring at me like I suffered from amnesia. This caused me to inhale a deep breath of disbelief.
A coma; for an entire week? How is this even possible? All of a sudden everything rushed back to me attacking me all at once. I recalled the heart stopping nightmare, getting up to get something to drink, and then the terrible pain that shot throughout my body incapacitating me. Then I remembered the fall down the steps.
"Did you guys get Mia? What happened with Mia? Is everyone ok? Is anyone hurt?" I babbled on and on before Tristan interrupted me with a sad smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"Calm down baby, everyone's ok." Tristan reassured me taking my hand into his own. I knew he was lying though. He always tends to look away and avoid eye contact when he doesn't want to tell me the truth.
"You're lying." I breathed out using my good hand to turn his face back towards mine. "Tell me what happened."
Meeting my gaze, Tristan took a deep breath. Like reliving the memory was too painful for him. "The rogue leader was threatening to shoot Mia." The expression on Tristan's face turned from that of anger to one of pain as he continued. "Seeing Mia's face reminded me so much of you. She was all bruised and battered looking, I lost it thinking what if someone tried to do that to you?"
The look in Tristan's eyes became glossy as he stared off into the distance. "So I charged at the rogue leader along with Axel, Jett, and Marco. Marco reached him first tearing into him, but the bastard was strong. We figured out he had Alpha blood running through him." Tristan's voice didn't sound like his own. It was lower, deeper in a way.
"Who got hurt Tristan?" I asked pleading for him to tell me. Someone had to have gotten hurt. I don't know what the pain I felt was, but I knew it was something serious. "I...I felt it...the pain right here and here." I said, barely above a whisper as I took my right hand and placed it over my stomach then moved it up to my chest above my heart.
Tristan's eyes widened in surprise. "Is that what caused you to fall down the steps?" He questioned with a look of understanding in his eyes.
Nodding my head, but stopping quickly because it hurt too damn much. I answered Tristan, "Yea, I thought it was just a nightmare at first, but then the pain became unbearable. I was going to get some water and blacked out."
"Mm." Tristan mumbled as he took my face into both of his hands. It was then I noticed his midsection was a bit puffier under his singlet, then it should of been. Reaching forward, I yanked his singlet up to get a better look. Tristan's torso area was wrapped up in bandages and gauze.
My eyes shot open the widest they possibly could as I ran my fingertip over the covered wound. "You were shot." It was more of a statement then a question.
"Yea." Tristan murmured taking my hand interlocking our fingers together. "When Marco got a hold him, that bastard just let off two shots. One of the shots hit me in the stomach."
My eyes welled up with tears. "You could've died!" I shouted angrily pulling my hand away from his grip. If he died where would that leave me? Alone! He didn't have to volunteer to go on that mission, he could've very well stayed here with me! Am I sounding like a selfish spoiled brat right now?
"But I didn’t baby. I'm here. I've been here every day since we killed the rogues. I haven't left your side and I don't plan on leaving you ever again." Tristan promised. Staring at me with a hurt expression, most likely from me trying to create space between us he seemed to brush it off and continued talking. "Once I shift I'll be fine I promise. The bullet was a through and through, it didn't hit any vital organs." He said leaning over to brush his lips against mine briefly. "Wolves are able to heal quickly."
Great, so he hasn't healed because he refused to leave my side so that he could shift. Instead he preferred to suffer in pain and heal the old fashioned human way. Don't I feel like the world's greatest girlfriend right now? Wait a second, he said the leader let off two shots...who the hell else was hit?
"You...you said he let off two shots." My voice quivered, unsure if I truly wanted to hear the rest of the news. "Who else did he shoot?" My throat felt dry and it became extremely difficult for me to swallow. There was an empty feeling within me and I can't even begin to explain what it meant, because I have no clue. "Tristan, who else was shot?" I pressed urgently wanting to know. I desperately needed to know if it was one of the other guys.
Why did I feel it in my chest, like I was the one who'd been shot? Tristan sat there in a daze, his slate eyes unblinking. There's no doubt that those eyes witnessed a hideous crime to one of his own.
"Tristan?" I asked once more, this time putting my small hand back over the top of his large one. The tiny gesture caused him to blink and come back to the present.
His Adam's apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed a ragged breath. "There was so much blood Lise, I've never seen that much blood from someone so little." Tristan sounded utterly traumatized. "We tried so hard, so hard." His voice broke in disappointment as he pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled. He was blaming himself for what happened, I could just see it in his eyes. "But the blood kept gushing out. The bullet pierced through the chest and righ
t into the heart. There was nothing we could do..." His voice drifted off towards the end. He was talking in past tense which means that whoever got shot, is no longer with us. I didn't even realize I was crying until Tristan wrapped his arms around me pulling me into his lap.
"Who was it?" I cried not being able to stand the suspense any longer. Tristan's demeanor let me know he was pondering whether to tell me or not. If I wasn't wearing this wretched gown, I'd get up and try to leave here to find out the truth, but I'm sure no one wants to see my bare behind running down the halls as my hospital gown flapped open from the back.
"Mia." Tristan breathed the three letter name causing me to instantly hunch over in pain, my heart hurt, if that even makes any sense. It felt like a piece of me was now missing. Why? What was supposed to be a rescue mission turned sourly into a recovery mission. Instead of celebrating her homecoming, they had to help bring a body home and help Alpha Perez plan his only daughter's funeral.