The Sweetest Rose-LokixOC

Chapter 21

Cassandra woke to find Loki sitting beside her hospital bed intently reading a magazine. His raven hair hung lank around his shoulders, and his dark suit was on the higher spectrum of rumpled, meaning he'd been guarding her for some time.

Cassandra stared up at the ceiling. She was sick of waking up in hospitals. At least this time it seemed to be a normal hospital and not a secret medical facility for an even more secret government organization.

Cassandra studied the cover of the magazine Loki was reading and her lips twitched. "Never expected you would be a fan of Chic. What do you think of their sex tips? Anything catch your fancy?"

Loki jerked in surprise at the sound of her voice and snapped the magazine closed. "You're awake."

"Do you imagine I'd be speaking to you if I were asleep?" She replied sarcastically.

Loki tossed the magazine aside and leaned forward in his chair. "How are you feeling, little vixen? That is quite a blow you took."

She carefully removed the oxygen prongs from her nose and used the remote to elevate the bed. Her shoulder throbbed with a dull pain. "A little sore but fine. Before I passed out I saw you kill those men. I didn't imagine it did I?"

"No. I killed them." He said without remorse.

Cassandra nodded. "I thought so."

When she paused to examine her feelings, she found it did not bother her that the men were dead. Those fuckers had shot her! And for what?

When she asked Loki he shrugged. "No motive has been determined yet. Fury managed to get the police off our tail. They were sniffing around here yesterday giving me some trouble."

Cassandra frowned. "Because you killed those hitmen?"

"No, because the hospital staff believe I shot my wife and then brought her to the hospital."

Cassandra missed most of the explanation her mind latching onto a single word. "Wife?"

Loki shrugged again. "They assumed we were married. I did not correct them."

Her heart fluttered unsteadily. "Why not?"

Ducking his head, he laughed briefly, then looked back up at her eyes sparkling with mirth. "What do I care of mortals' opinions? They are wholly irrelevant."

Cassandra's hopes were dashed to pieces by his mocking laugh. Typical Loki. He never could give a straight answer when it mattered. Her thoughts traveled back to what he said in the park about not wanting to lose her. Maybe even he did not understand how he felt.

She struggled to reach the salmon pink cup on the bed tray with her good arm. Her other arm was firmly imprisoned in a sling. "I bet they're not happy about having an alleged wife beater around the joint then."

Loki solved the problem by lowering the cup to her lips so she could sip some water. He chuckled. "I think they'd be happy if we were both gone. They fear we are liabilities."

Cassandra rolled her eyes. Trust a hospital to only see things in terms of profit. She drained the entire cup. Loki refilled it and she drained that too.

Water dribbled from the corner of her mouth. She wiped it away, embarrassed. "I don't know why I'm so thirsty."

"You were shot."

"Thank you, Captain Obvious." Cassandra sighed in annoyance when her bladder gave a painful twinge. "Can you help me up, please?"

Bracing a hand against her back, Loki levered her into a sitting position. Cassandra gingerly lowered her feet to the floor cringing at the icy linoleum against her soles. She could feel the back of the hospital gown gaping open as she straightened. The lack of a draft against her ass told her she wore underwear.