Page 62 of When It Rains He Pours

Chapter Fifteen

Glory

My eyes cracked open. A bright light hovered over my face.

Am I dead?

Blinking rapidly, I tried to look around. A small piece of me expected to see my father's face, with his big toothy grin and rosy red cheeks. But as the fog in my head cleared, I could see the tiles of the ceiling and the bulbs glowing bright.

I'm in the hospital. I didn't die.

Lifting my fists to my eyes, I rubbed them hard, trying to focus. I could feel my chest and it hurt. Each inhale was excruciating, each exhale was just as harsh.

Twisting my head to the right, I could see the machine that measured my heart rate and pulse. Lifting a hand to my face, I felt the tubes that were placed in my nose, feeding me pure oxygen.

Turning to my left, I smiled to myself. Liam was asleep in the chair beside my bed, his chin resting in his palm, eyes closed tight. He had white gauze wrapped around both his hands and more taped across the side of his neck. He was wearing a hospital gown, with his feet stuffed into those dark gray stockings they give you with the grips on the bottom.

I tried to giggle, but the pain was too much. My laugh came out like an injured donkey, going high pitched and falling into a low groan. Clutching my chest, I coughed hard and cleared my throat.

Liam's eyes slowly opened, growing from sleepy to wide in a instant. Shooting to my side, he grabbed my hand and brushed the other across my forehead. “Good morning, beautiful. I've been waiting for you to wake up.”

“What the hell happened?”

“There was a fire at the gallery. . .” His voice trailed off as he watched for a reaction. “Do you remember anything that happened?”

My brain flashed with images. The glass as it broke open, the flames as they washed across the floor and seeped up the walls like demonic water.

Nodding, I could feel the tears as they began to well up in my eyes. “I remember.” Holding his gaze, I tried not to cry. “Is it all gone?” I asked, my words soft and quiet.

Liam looked down at my hand, tracing my knuckles with his thumb. “I'm so sorry, Glory.”

Closing my eyes, I let my head sink into the pillow. “All of it?”

“They tried to put it out, they did.” His fingers tightened around mine as he spoke. “I'm just so happy you're okay. I thought I lost you.” His voice waned, teetering on tears of his own.

Opening my eyes, I lifted my free hand to his face and cupped his cheek. “I'm still here.”

“I don't know what I would have done if I lost you.”

“You didn't lose me, I'm still here.” Liam laid his head on my chest and I ran my fingers through his hair. “Are you okay? Are you hurt bad?”

Tipping his face, he peered up at me. “I'll be fine.” Kissing me gently, he nuzzled his head into the crook of my neck. “We're both going to be fine.”

“How long have I been out?”

Wrapping his arm around my chest, he held me tightly. “Too long.”

“How long?”

“A day. But that was one day too many.”

“Do they know what happened?”

“No, but they're investigating. We probably won't know what happened for a little while.”

“Someone did this, Liam.”

“You don't know that—”

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