Page 27 of Ignite
I was thankful I entered his room when I did. Otherwise, he might have convinced her to give him another chance. At first glance, I believed he was struggling with the pain he was in. After all, he had gotten shot in the gut. But after talking to the nurses, I learned he was doing better than the doctor expected and with the pain medication he was given, his pain was minimal. I thought that giving Kenzi a few minutes alone with him was the right thing to do. When I saw them together, I knew I had made a mistake.How could I forget how manipulating River was?
Kenzi let me know about her annoyance with me once we were far enough away from River’s room that he couldn’t hear us. “What the hell is going on with you?” she said between gritted teeth. “Couldn’t you see how much pain River was in? Need I remind you that he saved my life?”
That part I was well aware of. “You don’t need to remind me. I was the one who told you what he did.” I could have kicked myself in the ass for building River up the way I did. It was the wrong approach to ease what happened to her. “What he did doesn’t erase the fact that he drugged you and basically kidnapped you.”
“Only because he thought I was in danger and was afraid I wouldn’t go with him.”
Did I miss something? I couldn’t understand how in a matter of a few hours, her feelings for River could have changed. “Are you falling for his bullshit? Are you falling for him?”
“Are you serious? Is that what this is about?” Kenzi turned on her heels and made a complete circle as she placed her hands on her head, no doubt frustrated by my suspicion.
It was true; I was afraid that she was falling for him again. I couldn’t let that happen, nor could I lose her because of my insecurities about their relationship. I had to get my shit together. This wasn’t about me or River. “I’m sorry. You’re right. But the way he looked at you made me want to punch him.”
Kenzi moved toward me and took hold of my hands. “I’m with you, Axe. I love you, not River. What happened between River and me is over.”
“I love you too. If you want to go back to his room, I’ll stay here until you’re done visiting him.”
“No, I’m good. I just had to see for myself that he was okay. Can we go back to the ICU? I want to say goodbye to my mom before we leave.”
I placed a kiss on Kenzi’s lips, but didn’t let my lips linger there for more than a few seconds since we were in a hospital. “Absolutely.”
~
When we got to Margot’s room, she was fast asleep. Kenzi pulled the covers over her mom’s shoulders. Margot didn’t even stir. She was in such a deep slumber that not even the storm outside woke her. Kenzi didn’t have the heart to wake her, knowing that she needed to get all the rest she could so that she could heal and get out of the hospital.
Kenzi placed a kiss on Margot’s forehead and whispered, “Sleep well, Mom. I love you.”
Kenzi headed to the bathroom with Margot’s nearly empty pitcher of water to fill it up. While she was gone, I took a closer look at her mom. Margot’s light hair fanned on the pillow. Her eyelids flickered open, and she rolled over to look at me. Her emerald eyes were flickering with a dull blue light.
“What happened to Kenzi?” she asked in a raspy whisper.
“She’s in the bathroom. She should be out soon,” I whispered as I stepped closer to the bed.
“When am I going to be able to leave? Someone needs to open the bookstore,” she asked with a sad smile on her face.
“What do you mean, Margot?” I asked, confused. “The bookstore was destroyed.”
“You’re lying,” she hissed with wide eyes.
“It’s gone, Margot.” I watched as tears welled up in her eyes and slid slowly down her cheeks like pearls of mercury.
Kenzi must have heard Margot’s voice, and the way she wept with regret, because she appeared by the open bathroom door. “Mom,” she began as she walked toward her mom’s bed with the pitcher filled with water. “Axe is telling the truth. There was an explosion, and the bookstore went up in flames. There was nothing left of it by the time the fire department got to it.”
Confusion spread across Margot’s face. Something was going on with her other than her physical injuries. The doctor said nothing of her receiving a concussion from the hit and run. The event had caused enough trauma that she had lost all sense of what had happened. Concerned, I walked over to Kenzi and placed my mouth near her ear. “I think we should talk to the doctor. The way your mom is acting, something else is going on with her.”
Kenzi moved away from me and headed toward her bed. “Get some rest, Mom. We will be back in the morning.”
Margot nodded her head as Kenzi kissed her on the forehead. When I turned to take one more look, a sadness hung over Margot. It was as though all hope had been drained from her face. Instead of watching us leave, Margot rolled over on her side, away from the door. Even though she had her back toward us, the sound of her sobbing could be heard. Kenzi turned and looked back at her mom before stepping out of the room.
We halted our movement when we saw Margot’s doctor walking toward us. “Ms. Horton. I’m glad I caught you before you left.”
“What’s going on, Doc?” I asked.
“Let’s talk in the consultation room.” The doctor glanced over at me, concern written all over his face.
“What’s going on with my mom?” Kenzi’s concern matched mine as her eyes shifted from me to the doctor.
“No need for concern. I’ll explain everything in the consultation room.” The doctor gave us a sympathetic nod andturned toward the door leading out of the ICU.
