Page 88 of Bound and Blitzed

And then, I’m airborne once more.

The steady rhythm of a heartbeat pulses against my eardrum.

“I love you, Valentina. Gonna get you home, sweetheart.”

Home.That sounds nice, doesn’t it?

When I wake hours later, strange smells and bright lights assault me.

“Shh, you’re okay,” a voice says. Kind eyes blink and something prods my arms. “You’re severely dehydrated. You have a concussion. But don’t worry, you’re in good hands.”

And again, I’m out.

“It’s a bad sprain but she’s going to make a full recovery.” My sister’s voice.

Carla’s here!

I relax and let go, knowing I truly am in good hands.

“Never gonna leave you, sweetheart. You’ll have to fight me on it.” Avery’s voice, a whisper in my ear. He kisses my cheek. “I need you, Lena. I saw your note and fuck, beautiful, you broke my heart. I love you, too. I’m not going anywhere. I should have fought harder for you. No more breaks because I can’t handle space and silence from you. I won’t.” Another kiss. “When you wake up, Lena, I’ll be right here.”

When I finally come to, I don’t know how many hours have passed.

But the pain is manageable, the throbbing in my ankle has subsided, and the chill in my bones has thawed.

I turn my head and note Avery sitting in the chair beside my bed.

“Oh, thank God,” he says as soon as he sees me. His eyes are rimmed in red. Has he been crying? For me? “You’re awake.”

“Avery,” I say, my throat scratchy.

He jumps into action, filling a small cup with water and holding the straw to my lips. “Tiny sips, Lena.”

I do as he says, letting the cool water slip over my tongue and down my throat. Instantly, I feel more awake. More alert.

“What happened?” I ask, trying to piece together the past few days.

“How much do you remember?” Avery asks gently, pressing the call button for the nurse.

“I was in the mountains, doing research.” I frown. “And the skies opened up. I slipped on a patch of ice and tumbled down. Hurt my ankle.” I reach to touch the side of my head and my fingertips brush across a bandage. “Hit my head.”

Avery nods. “It knocked you out. Your ankle is a really bad sprain. To be honest, a clean break would have been preferable. But it will heal. It was the concussion, dehydration, and hypothermia that we were really worried about.” He shakes his head, looking pained. “They couldn’t find you, Lena. You were in the fucking mountains, alone, delirious and in and out of consciousness, for just over twenty-four hours.”

“I was?”

He nods, heartbroken. “I’ve never been so scared in my fucking life. Cooper, Cohen’s brother, put together a team of his mountain-biking friends. A few of them are former military and have legit skill sets. We linked up with the emergency personnel and university teams and shared information. More people meant more distance covered and fuck, was it lucky, that we found you when we did.”

“I’m sorry.” I reach for his hand.

He grips my fingers. “Don’t be. I’m just happy you’re safe.” He shifts forward to kiss my forehead. “I’m taking you home, Lena.”

I frown. “But what about us?”

Avery snorts. “That’s what you want to talk about right now?”

I nod. “I need to, Avery. I’m sorry I pushed you away. I’m?—”

“I saw your note. You wrote it before you left for your trip,” he says.

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