Page 30 of Fighter's Enemy

"Anita," I called out and she smiled.

"I would like to run a routine check on her, do you mind giving us some space?" she requested calmly and as we stepped into the bustling hall of the hospital, I could sense there was something on Mark's mind. He looked serious, his brows furrowed, and it made me a little uneasy. I couldn't help but wonder what he wanted to talk about.

Finally, unable to keep it to himself any longer, Mark turned to me and spoke with a mix of anger and disappointment in his voice. "I need to talk to you, Logan," he said, his words cutting through the cacophony of the hospital. "I was so damn angry when I found out you were dating and sleeping with my younger sister. I thought you should know better than that."

I felt a lump forming in my throat, trying to find the right words to respond. "Mark, I'm sorry," I managed to say, my voice trembling with regret. "It wasn't intentional. It just happened, and I never meant to hurt her or betray your trust. I truly am sorry."

Mark nodded; his gaze softened slightly. "I know that, Logan. But when I heard about the gunshot Kayla had received, I couldn't help but blame you. I thought you could have done better at protecting her." He paused for a moment, his eyes filled with a mix of concern and sadness. "But you know what, man? When Kayla woke up, the first person she called was your name. She asked if you were fine, she didn't even care about what had happened to her."

Tears welled up in my eyes as those words sank in. Kayla's love for me, her worry for my well-being even in the face of her own trauma, was a testament to the depth of our connection. It was overwhelming.

Mark's voice softened as he continued, "I see how much you truly love my sister, Logan. I realize now that you didn't plan for any of this to happen. I forgive you, man." He reached out and pulled me into a tight embrace.

Touched by his forgiveness, gratitude flooded through me. "Thank you, Mark," I whispered, my voice choked with emotion. "Thank you for understanding and for seeing how much Kayla means to me."

Mark released me from the hug and gave me a playful nudge. "But just so we're clear, I don't want to know the details of what you two do. That's beyond our friendship grade," he teased, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

I chuckled, the tension finally giving way to a lighthearted moment. "Agreed," I replied with a smile. "Some things are better left unsaid."

"Now let's go figure out who did this from her and how that son of a bitch is going to pay for that," Mark said, with a vengeful taste in his eyes.

"Agreed," I paused, "They messed with the wrong people,"

15

KAYLA

Waking up to find myself surrounded by "Get well soon cards" and trying my best to understand what happened to me was a struggle. My recollection about the events was faint and I had temporary amnesia, the beautiful doctor who attended to me said that it was temporary.

"Can you move your leg?" she asked, and I nodded my head, the bullet had gone straight to below my lower chest. So, I am not sure why she thought this would affect my movement.

"Sometimes bullets penetrate through and hit some vital organs around the spine which are responsible for movement," she explained with a smile, but my mind was still grappling to understand what exactly had happened to me.

The last thing I could remember was being in Logan apartment and we had just finished making love to each other. I heard a knock on the door, and I went downstairs to answer it. That was where my memories blurred up. I couldn't remember what had happened to me.

"What happened to me?" I asked, I knew I was shot, Mark told me that as soon as I woke up and was agitated. He explained to me that I was in the hospital, and I had been shot.

"We had to carry out a surgical procedure on you and place you in a medically induced coma to monitor your vitals," she replied.

"I want to see Logan," I requested. That was all that made sense to me right now, Logan, nothing more.

"You will see him soon, but there are some detectives outside and they would like to get your statement. So, they can start off the investigation process and bring those shameful perpetrators to justice,"

My mind began to race, and my vitals began to spike up "Calm down," she whispered holding my hands, " it would be fine, and we just need your statements, no pressure at all,"

"I want Logan here when I give my statement," I requested, trying to adjust myself into a sitting position but unable to do so, the doctor helped recline my bed and placed a supporting pillow, while I lifted myself.

"He loves you so much," she said calmly with a smile, her eyes trailing to Logan who stood outside talking to Mark. I wonder what they were talking about. The last thing I remembered was Mark being solemnly against Logan and I dating.

"Logan?"

"Yea," she nodded, "He had not left your side since," For a weird reason I could feel my heart leap from Joy, it sounded nice to know that Logan had stayed by my side. I smiled at the thought of him watching me in Coma.

The two detectives strode into the room.

I lay there in the hospital bed, my body aching from the gunshot wound, the detectives entered the room. Their serious expressions made me nervous, but I knew I had to stay strong and help them catch the people who had attacked me.

They began to question me about the day of the incident, and I heard a knock at the door. Curiosity got the better of me, and I hurried to answer it, thinking it was just a neighbor or a delivery person.

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