Page 55 of Keeping Her Under
Not: I can’t have her death on my conscience.
Nothing about me suffering because of this. My words are all about her. She doesn’t deserve to die.
That shows true guilt. True empathy.
And Nurse Jones eats it right up.
She touches my arm again but not with a grip to stop me. She nods once, then lets go. “I need to go check on our VIP.” AKA: I’ll make sure her pit bull stays busy.
As she heads off, so do I. Once in Summer’s room, I shut the door behind me, knowing I can say I was hiding from Public Relations.
Walking over to her, I kiss her on the lips. And like Sleeping Beauty, her eyes open to me.
“Hey, beautiful,” I whisper as I pull back a small amount. I’m still leaning over her like a lover, but our lips are no longer touching.
Her eyes widen as she looks at me. Then they clench with pain as her injuries scream at her. Or perhaps it’s with panic as she remembers who she was running from when she crashed her car.
Her monitors start to go off, and I take her hand in mine. “You’re okay. You’re safe. Lance is never going to hurt you again.”
Her eyes beg me for something. She tries to move her lips, but no words come out. Just a rasp, and I know she needs water. A nurse will be in here soon.
I squeeze her hand. “He’s dead. I killed him for you.”
Asher would tell me not to give her so much ammunition. She could put me away for life with that. But a bullet isn’t dangerous unless it’s in a gun held by someone who hates you.
And she loves me.
I can feel it in my soul.
Her eyes widen with gratitude, but before I can say anything else, the door starts to open, and I step away.
I know she knows I do not mean to run from her. But we can’t be together if I’m caught now. I’m sure she understands. I’m sure she can feel the love I have for her.
Right?
Worry gnaws at me. “I love you,” I say quickly and softly.
Her eyes keep growing.
The door is pushed open all the way. The curtain is pulled back.
“Ms. Wintry. It’s good to see you’re awake,” Nurse Jones says as she bustles in. She shoots me a look, and I know I’ll have to leave.
Turning my attention back to Summer, I give her a soft smile, with a promise in my eyes. You’re not alone anymore, love. I am your devoted disciple.
She swallows. Her lips move. And the smallest of breaths slips out of her. “I know you… You’re the devil in my dreams.”
Thirty
Patients say the strangest shit, so when Nurse Jones glances at me, I know I can brush Summer’s words aside with a smile. But I can’t. Not when I feel like I’m choking on my own intestines. Like the floor is opening up and dragging me into Hell.
But not because she called me a devil. Of course she wouldn’t call me an angel. When has an angel ever saved her? She knows it’s the villains who protect their women from the monsters in the dark. And I did that. For her.
She loves me…
So why is she looking at me in horror?
“It must have been scary for you,” Jones says as she moves to her bedside. “It isn’t uncommon for patients to experience nightmares while they’re in a coma.”
