Page 52 of Peaceful Chaos

Her eyes blink open, and I struggle to keep my face neutral when I see the broken capillaries streaking through the whites of her eyes. She blinks, trying to focus on my face, and winces under the bright fluorescent lighting.

"When can I go home?" She turns her head to look at me, and I see dried blood trailing from her ear.

Gently, I slide my hand under hers, trying not to disturb the IV line running to the veins on the top of her hand. It's also the only place I can see where the damage is minimal. "I think they want to keep you here for observation."

She starts grabbing at her blankets and tries to sit up. "To hell with that. I've got about a pound of gravel and dirt to wash off. I want to go home now."

"Stay put, little bird. You aren't in any shape to go anywhere," Lucien insists.

"Thanks for your professional medical opinion, big bro. You can shove it up your ass. I'm not staying here."

"Princess," I beg. "You need to stay here. I think—"

Her eyes snap to mine and narrow. "I think I've heard enough of what you think. You thought I'd be safe here. I told you we shouldn't split up, and that I had a bad feeling. I'm fucking tired of being treated like I'm made of glass."

The nurse comes over and dims the lights above her bed. She's older and has a motherly manner to her, so when she puts her hand on my shoulder I force myself not to tense up. "One of the symptoms of a concussion is irritability. She just needs to rest in a dark, quiet room."

"So I can go home?" Raven asks.

The nurse gives her a little smile. "I'll go check with the doctor."

Raven turns her head away from me. Lucien looks back and forth between the two of us and takes a step back. He mouths, "Doghouse" at me, and goes to join the others checking on Ford.

I slump down in my chair and wait for Raven to turn back to me. I wait a few agonizingly long minutes, and when it's clear she's not going to try and reach out to me, I know I've got some groveling to do.

"I don't know what to say to you to fix this," I begin. "I'm always going to want to protect you. That's my instinct, and I'm not sure I can change that."

Her head turns back to face me. "I know, but that didn't work out so great, did it? I'm not without skills, and trying to sideline me only leaves me at risk while you're off trying to carry the entire world on your shoulders."

She doesn't wait for me to say anything back, just turns away from me again, effectively shutting me out. Lucien is right, I'm in the doghouse.

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