Page 69 of Wildest Dreams

“I love you, Dixie. Never did I think I could love someone as much as I love you. I want to be with you every waking minute, and in my dreams I am waiting for you to find me.” I rub my nose against hers, “During the good, the bad, the ugly... you Dixie Walker, are the one that takes all the darkness from my life, the one who keeps me safe... the one who has my whole heart. You're my own little Dreamcatcher, Dixie. My wildest dream and it's one I never want to wake from.”

Her lips crash into mine and that's how we spend our afternoon, limbs tangled on the bank of the creek, away from everything and anyone as we finally become one.

Mind. Body. Soul. Heart and Dreams.

She never did leave my dreams after that day.

And even now, as I lay here as my favorite day flashes before my eyes, she is with me. Standing on the bank of the creek, wearing her pretty cream summer dress as she holds her hand out for me to take.

But I can't reach her.

I never can.

“Tripp,” her voice is soft and in the distance.

I try to move, but I am grounded.

“Tripp, Tripp...” she continues calling my name, but it doesn't matter how hard I try, I just can't get to her and I watch as she fades away and that's when I am plunged back into darkness.

CHAPTER TWENTY

DIXIE

He looked so still.

“Tripp,” I say softly, my hand resting on his chest. I am desperate for him to wake up. Desperate to see his beautiful brown eyes. “Tripp,” I try again, my voice cracking. “Tripp...” I trail off and my heart shatters in my chest.

I hear footsteps by the door, and I lift my red rimmed eyes to Riggs. He is leaning against the door frame, arms crossed against his chest.

I palm my tears away and step back from the bed.

“You okay?” he asks, and I nod heavily, sniffling as I play with the hem of my dress. “You sure? Because you sure as hell don't like fine from where I am standing,” he scoffs a soft laugh as he walks a little further into the hospital room.

I look up at him, his kind eyes pinned to mine and I break down when I feel his arms wrap around me, and I sob into his dirty and bloodied white shirt.

I don't even care.

Every one of us lost something today. Every one of our souls altered slightly after today.

“How's Pacey?” I ask, refusing to step out of his brotherly embrace.

“In the ICU, he lost a lot of blood, they think part of his spleen was damaged, but they just wanted to get the bullet removed, get the bleeding stopped and they will keep an eye on him.” His low voice rumbles through his chest where my head rests, my eyes pinned to Tripp. “But the next forty-eight hours are critical.”

I feel myself shiver.

“And Tripp?” I can barely manage to squeeze his name past my lips without a tear cascading down my cheek.

“It's going to be a long road to recovery. Ligament and muscle damage around his hip and pelvis, broken femur and fractured tibia. They've pinned and caged it...” he trails off and I know that, I can see the cage around his leg, can see the way the pins have penetrated through his skin, the dried blood stained. “The bullet went straight through the flesh in his shoulder. They said it was clean. No remnants of the bullet. Also, a few stitches in the back of his head from the fall.”

I nod, not sure why.

“Have you had any news from Marty and Hudson?”

And I realise that I am still standing happily wrapped in Riggs' warm embrace and I know I can step away, but I don't want to. His hard exterior has been left at the door, and I am enjoying the softer side of Riggs. It won't be long before his walls are back up and his armour is on.

“Nothing as of yet, but they probably don't want to bother us.”

“Ahem,” I hear Aspen clearing her throat, but there is not an ounce of jealousy swarming in her voice.

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