Page 37 of Shattered Love

He stared me down, refusing to give in. But I didn’t back down, tilting my chin up. Minutes passed and finally, he uncrossed his arms, breathing out a stressful sigh.

“Fine. Lead the way.” He gestured with his hand and I gave him a small smile.

Sasha was less tactful. “Thank god! You were going to drive us into the ground at this rate.”

Turning on her heel, she walked into the house directly at our backs. The rest of us filed in after her. The living room we entered was bright, all the windows open to let the sun in.

Mina swiftly walked to each window, closing the blinds and curtains. A staircase led upstairs and I assumed there would be bedrooms up there.

Aiden threw an arm over my shoulder and I helped him up the stairs, although he was carrying most of his weight now. There were three bedrooms upstairs, two with large beds and one with a set of bunk beds. I led Aiden into the room with the bunk beds, lowering him onto the lower section.

Once he was on the bed, I pulled the bag off my shoulder, fumbling around for pain medicine.

“Can I check your leg?” I asked him and he nodded.

Peeling off the bandage, we both looked at the stitched skin. The stitches were in a perfectly straight line, years of practice coming in handy. Clear liquid spilled out of the wound, but otherwise, there were no signs of infection. I breathed a sigh of relief.

“I can’t believe you operated on me,” Aiden said on a laugh.

I glanced up at him, his shining eyes and wide smile calming my heart. “I can’t believe it either. I thought I was going to hit your artery,” I admitted on a smile.

Aiden continued to laugh. “Nah, you’re too smart for that, Lessy.”

I quirked a brow. “Smarter than you?”

He shoved my shoulder. “Not that smart.”

Rolling my eyes at his teasing, I began re-bandaging his leg. Once I finished, I held out the painkillers as well as some antibiotics. “Take these, and I’ll give you some more in a couple of hours.”

He held up a thumb, smiling widely. “You got it, doc.”

Pushing off the floor, I paused before leaning down and wrapping him in a tight hug. The adrenaline from the past few hours was fading, and tears pooled in my eyes. “I thought I was going to lose you.”

Aiden returned my embrace, his own voice choked when he said, “Not a chance. We’re going to survive this.”

I hoped he was right.

“Are you going to get some rest?” He asked, tapping his hand against the bunk above his head.

“I will in a bit. I want to check on the others first, you weren’t the only one injured, you know.”

Aiden loosed a laugh. “But I’m your favorite patient.”

I tilted my head from side to side in consideration. “I think Mina is my favorite patient. She’s the nicest to me.”

He rolled his eyes and I backed out of the room, leaving him to sleep. Checking the room next door, I spotted Mina and Sasha climbing into the bed.

Leaning against the doorframe, I asked, “How does your head feel?”

Sasha touched the bandaged skin above her ear, as if forgetting it was there. “I’m all good. Thank you for fixing it up.”

“You’re welcome. If you need any pain killers, let me know.”

Sasha agreed she would before climbing into the bed. Mina walked toward the door, holding her arms out, and I pulled her into a hug.

“I’m glad you’re okay,” I whispered against the top of her head.

“Me too.” She pulled away and I left the two of them, going to the final room.

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