Page 89 of Redemption

“Careful, bud, Jess isn’t ready to be jumped on yet.” Rick sweeps Max up in his arms and places him on the bed beside me, his legs dangling over the side. He raises one leg, tucking it under himself as he turns towards me.

“Are you okay?” Max asks, and I look at him, my eyes filling with tears at this beautiful, sweet boy.

Reaching out, I stroke a hand down his face. “I’m more than okay now I know you are too.”

He smiles. “I did what you told me, but I saw the police cars and came back. I was so scared.”

The room fills with people as Ryder, Seb and Jamie enter, closing the door behind them and gathering around the bed. I swallow thickly, looking at each of them unsure of what I’ll see, but they give a smile and a nod.

“I know but you were so very brave, Max. I’m sorry you had to go through that.” I look up to see three heads shaking at me from the end of the bed as I make my apologies. When I look to Rick, he too is shaking his head minutely with blazing green eyes. I have no idea what I did or said to make him so angry. I’m suddenly unsure and wondering if I misread their smiling faces moments ago.

“I—”

“Okay, Max, I think we should let Jess get some rest. You can come and see her again later.” Rick goes to help Max down, but he pushes Rick’s hands away, and instead, climbs to his knees, leaning in and hugging me.

I hug him back with every bit of strength I can muster. He pulls back, stroking his small hand over my cheek.

“It wasn’t your fault,” he whispers, as Rick lifts him down and sees Max and the others out. It’s not until after they’ve gone that I realise I’m crying and Max was wiping a tear from my face again.

Closing the door again, Rick strides confidently towards me without a damn word, gripping my damp face in his hands and kisses me. It’s just like the first time he ever kissed me, and I grip his t-shirt, screwing it up in my hand.

I break the kiss before I do myself an injury, and I really need to say something.

“Rick, I’m so so—”

“Don’t you dare say it,” he orders, placing a finger against my lips. “We are not doing the blame game, Jess. There’s been too much of that, and I’m done with it. I didn’t do this and neither did you.”

“Are you practicing what you preach?” I ask with an arched brow.

He leans down, replacing his finger with his lips. It’s the gentlest of kisses but speaks volumes.

“I know what happened to Kuffs and Sam wasn’t my fault, and I know there’s nothing I could have done to change it.” He grips my face, bringing his lips to mine again. He rests his forehead against mine. “I was so fucking scared, Jess. You died in my arms, and I thought…”

“Shhh, I know. But I’m here, I’m alive, because of you.” I kiss him as more tears track down my cheeks.

He breathes against my lips. “Thank you for keeping my son safe, Jess.”

“He’s your son, Rick. I’d have done anything, given my life if I’d had to, to make sure he was safe. Because I love you,” I sob, unable to hold it all in a moment longer.

“Fuck! I love you too, JJ.” Rick peppers kisses all over my tear-streaked face, and I cling to him for all I’m worth.

I wish I could climb inside his body and curl up there forever, but our intimate moment is shattered as the doors whoosh open behind us and a nurse walks in.

When she’s finished her checks, I ask her what happened to the clothes I was wearing when I came in.

“I’m afraid they won’t be any good to you anymore. We had to cut them off you.”

“But you still have them, right?” She cants her head, looking at me as though I took a bump to the head, and Rick looks at me not too dissimilarly.

“Of course, I’ll bring them to you, Ms Fisher.”

“Thank you.” The nurse leaves, and I turn to Rick. “What?”

“Why are you so worried about your clothes?”

“You’ll see.”

While we wait, Rick tells me that Garcia is dead, my mother is alive in the ICU, and my father has been arrested, although he’s being treated here for a stab wound, head trauma and several broken ribs.

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