Page 113 of Hidden By His Side

She was there, no matter how broken. She was still there.

His vision fogged, but he blinked, wanting to see her, no matter how the sight tore into him.

“Ram.” Diego’s voice seeped into his awareness. “We need to get you checked out.”

The pounding in Ramiro’s head wanted to shatter his skull. His bandaged hand had become one steady ache. His shoulder had gone numb at least, but the ache in his stomach kept making him think of the baby.

“I’m not leaving her.”

“Because passing out next to her hospital bed will be so fucking helpful.”

Ramiro had already refused medical treatment and didn’t want to waste energy arguing. The fingers of his good hand stroked over hers, rewarded with a slight twitch.

Diego moved around him, trying to pull his gaze away from her. Ramiro refused to look at him.

“Fuck,” Diego muttered, sinking onto the edge of the unused hospital bed.

Tears soaked Ramiro’s face, but he didn’t care who saw them. If he ignored Diego long enough, he’d go away.

“It wasn’t your fault,” Diego murmured.

He was wrong. So wrong. Ramiro had failed. He’d promised to take care of her, always, and he hadn’t.

“They bashed in your head. Shot you multiple times. You weren’t even fucking awake.”

Excuses. Broken fucking excuses.

Ramiro’s vision narrowed to her delicate hand, covered in green and purple bruises. Bruises that he wished he could carry for her, but he couldn’t.

Summer hadn’t said anything since they’d reached the hospital. The words she’d spoken while bleeding on the ground in that house rang in his ears.“You never came.”

He hadn’t. He’d promised, but he hadn’t.

More tears dripped down his face.

“I was awake,” Diego said. “If you need to blame someone, blame me.”

Fury flared for a brief instant but seeped away again. “I kept her close,” Ramiro rasped, his throat dry and tight. “All these years, I kept her too close.”

Diego rose, his hand heavy on Ramiro’s shoulder. “Fine. When she’s all healed up, just let her go.”

Ramiro’s eyes squeezed shut. He couldn’t do that. Summer needed him. She would need him now more than ever, and he’d promised to be there. He couldn’t break that promise again.

“I—”

A sharp sting throbbed in his neck.

“Sorry.Doctor’s orders.”

Ramiro’s eyes fluttered open, and he stared up at Diego, who tossed something in the trash. Diego moved around the bed, two of him, then back to one as he shoved the second bed as close as he could, pinning Ramiro’s chair in.

“Get your ass into this bed.”

Ramiro’s hand tried to slide off hers. “Summer,” he mumbled, curling his fingers around her but barely feeling it.

“She’ll be here. You both will.”

Diego was pushing and prodding him. Ramiro wanted to punch him, but just shifting made him stagger.

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