Page 23 of Sprite

“What’s wrong?” Sprite choked. “Is Chains okay?”

“He’s good. He woke up about ten minutes ago and has been asking for you. I went back to see him, but he didn’t want me. He said that he needed you.”

“What room?” she asked.

“Just go to the nurse’s station and they’ll show you back,” Bowie instructed. The girls all smiled at her and wished her luck, but for what she had no idea. Even Savage and Bowie seemed a bit excited for her to get back to Chains.

The same nurse from earlier showed her back to Chains’ room and she looked him over. He had a lot of tubes running in and out of his body and the heart monitor was making all kinds of noises that she didn’t understand. Sprite was almost afraid to go anywhere near him for fear of breaking him if she touched him.

“Hey,” Chains said. His voice sounded gruff, and she hated that he was going through all of this because of her mother.

“Hey,” she whispered. He held his left hand out to her and groaned. “Are you okay? Do you need me to call the nurse or leave so that you can rest?”

“No, baby,” he breathed, “I need you close. I just keep forgetting which side they operated on. They have me pretty hopped up on painkillers. I’m sure at some point, they will wear off and I’ll feel enough pain to remember where they operated. The nurse just told me that they had to take out my spleen to get me to stop bleeding, and I guess I should count myself lucky. She said that it could have been so much worse. Just a few inches up, and she would have hit my lung. Then, I’d have a ton of problems and a much longer recovery.”

“You count yourself lucky that my mother shot you, Chains?” she asked. He held out his right hand to her this time, and Sprite didn’t hesitate to take it. She sat down next to him on the bed, and he pulled her against his chest.

“I do,” he whispered, kissing the top of her head. “Your mother would have shot you if I hadn’t gotten in the way, and that would have killed me. I’m so glad she didn’t hit you or the baby. I’d get shot all over again if it meant keeping you safe, honey,” he said.

“I’m so sorry that you got mixed up in my mess,” Sprite sobbed. “My mother killed Jake and tried to frame you for his murder. What if I turn out to be just like her with our baby? What kind of sick family do I come from?” she asked. Sprite wasn’t really looking for an answer, but she should have known that Chains would give her one anyway.

“You are not your mother, Sprite,” he insisted. He tucked his finger under her chin and lifted her gaze to look into his eyes. “You are going to be a fantastic mother,” he assured.

“You don’t have to say that just to make me feel better,” she insisted.

“I’m not saying it to make you feel better,” he said. “I’m telling you that because it’s the truth. You’re going to be a perfect mom, honey,” he assured. “And a perfect wife,” he whispered.

She practically sat up and Chains groaned when she tried to get out of his bed. “Don’t get spooked, honey,” he insisted, “but there is something that I wanted to tell you for a while now, and I wasn’t sure that you were going to take it well.” Sprite stopped squirming around, trying to get out of bed. “What’s that?” she asked.

“I love you,” he breathed. “When I felt the bullet go through my side, I was sure that I’d never see you again, and my only regret in life was that I’d never be able to tell you how I feel about you, Sprite. I love you.”

“Oh, Chains,” she whispered. She never imagined that she’d fall so hard, so fast for anyone, but she had for him. “I love you too. I wasn’t sure if I should say it first or let you say it, but I’ve loved you for a while now too.”

“Thank fuck,” he breathed, “then, this next part will be easy.” He pulled a black velvet ring box from underneath his sheets and opened it to show her the most beautifully traditional round-cut diamond that she had ever seen. Sprite wasn’t a jewelry girl, but this ring was one that she’d definitely wear.

“It’s beautiful, Chains,” she said.

“Will you marry me then?” he asked.

“How did you get that here?” she asked.

“I had it in my pocket when we left this morning. I bought it before we left Huntsville and brought it to the safe house to ask you to marry me. I didn’t want to do it when you found out that we’re pregnant because I didn’t want you to think that I wanted to marry you because of the baby,” he said. “Then, this whole thing with Jake happened and I didn’t want to ask you to marry me if I couldn’t offer you a future.”

“I wouldn’t think that Chains,” she assured. “Why did you bring it with you today?” she asked.

“Because, if my gut was right, and your mother knew who killed Jake, I was hoping that I’d be cleared and then, I could ask you to spend the rest of your life with me,” he said.

“So, you were planning to ask me this whole time?” she asked.

“Yes,” he said, “so, how about it? You want to marry me or not?”

“Ever the romantic,” she teased. “Yes, Chains, I’d love to marry you.” He pulled her back against his body and sealed his mouth over hers as the nurse walked into the room. She cleared her throat, and Chains took the hint and ended the kiss.

The nurse stood over his bed, her hands on her hips, looking down at them. “You two can’t be doing that. He just had surgery.”

“He just asked me to marry him,” Sprite explained. She scrunched up her nose when the nurse stared her down. “But you thought that we were already married. Sorry that I lied, but I needed to be with him.” Sprite snuggled into his side, and he wrapped his arm around her once more.

“And kissing my fiancée is good medicine,” he insisted. “I feel better already.”

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