Page 67 of Never Too Late

The bullet penetrated my side faster than the speed of lightning.

It hurts. Everything hurts.

“I can’t, Noah, it hurts.”

“I know it hurts; believe me, Jae, I know. But we’re getting you out. I promise you’re getting out.” I close my eyes in agony, reminding myself over and over I cannot fall asleep. I need to stay awake. Pulling at my dog tags, squeezing as though I’m begging for everything to be okay. I need to be okay.

Ocean blue eyes take over my vision, I’m not able to see anything else. Focus on anything else.

“You’re going to be okay, sunshine, come home to me.” A deep baritone, playing repeatedly in my mind.

I need to be okay for him.

I need to be okay for Dax.

“Fuck, we’ve got to stop the bleeding. Liam! Take your bandana off. Push it against his side, we need to do something. We’re going to lose him. I can’t lose him.” Noah’s voice is panicked. I can hear the fear in his tone.

“It’s not stopping, FUCK,” Liam shouts from the side of me. “Where the fuck are the medics? Why are they taking so fucking long?”

“I don’t fucking know, mate, whatever you do, do not take that bandana from his side, do you hear me?”

I’ve never heard Noah’s voice laced with so much rage, so much fear. That alone scares me more than I already am.

“Please come home to me, Jae,” Dax’s voice whispers in my mind again.

I need to get out. I can’t die. I promised him I would go home. He’s waiting for me.

I can’t leave him.

The pain is excruciating. I’ve never felt anything like it before. I’ve felt pain a million times, I’ve even been shot a handful of times before.

But not like this.

Thankfully my body had long turned numb in shock after the bullet entered.

But all I’m left with now is the fear.

“Move out of the fucking way soldiers, we’ve got him,” a voice shouts as I feel my body being dragged from the floor into someone’s arms.

And then my mind fades to black.

I squint at the memory, feeling the phantom-like pain in my side as though it was happening all over again.

In those few short moments, I felt like I was back in the field.

I take a step back, sitting on the side of the bed to regain my breath.

I’m here, I’m safe, I’m with him.

And I sit and stare out the window, watching the sunflowers dancing in the wind, taking in a deep breath and counting to three.

One, two, three.

Walking into the side door of the garage, I immediately come into view of Dax working on his bike. He’s looking the opposite way, but I soak in the sight of him either way. The flowers which cover his back, curl around his form, the bright colours standing out against his pale skin.

The art on his skin compliments the beauty of his face.

Both breathtaking.

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