Maya (Book #3)

Chapter 68

(A/N I couldn't leave you guys waiting to see if Dom is okay)

"Dominic understood me," I murmured, picking at one of my nails when they had gone back to their devices.

"Dominic" seemed to be the magic word. Charlotte rushed into the waiting room, slamming the double doors open and looking everywhere for us. I flew to my feet, startling the boys, and sprinted to her side. Her hair, normally straight and smooth, was in a state of disarray, and curly tendrils whipped her face as she hugged me tightly. Her clothes were disheveled, and her body was restless, but she smiled at me with something like elation in her eyes.

I grabbed her arm and waited for the news as the boys came racing up behind me.

Her face relaxed into a warm smile and her blue eyes glowed as she updated us on what we missed.

"He's okay," she said, sniffling and wrapping her arms around Caleb and me. We cheered so emphatically that a nurse came to ask us to quiet down, but Brooks and Caleb continued to jump up and down as she finished sharing what happened.

"The bullet went into his abdomen but didn't puncture any major organs. The doctors said it was remarkably close to his spine and they were worried about him being paralyzed,but it didn't hit. He's on a lot of drugs right now, but they said if all goes well, he'll be home in a couple of days!" she announced, making us scream and whoop again. The receptionist shot us a death glare until Damon winked at her.

"Can I see him?" I pleaded, looking at Charlotte.

"He's allowed one visitor at a time, but I think he might already be asleep," she said regretfully, knowing how badly I needed to talk to him.

"Can I try anyway?" I begged, looking around at my brothers. If he was only allowed one visitor at a time, I might be the only person to talk to him before he fell asleep. They nodded and encouraged me as Charlotte gave me directions to his room.

I walked through the double doors after the receptionist waved me in and took small, measured steps towards the room. A nurse passed by me and offered me a small smile, before bustling along to deliver his paperwork to the desk. The second he was out of sight, I booked it down the hallway and nearly crashed into an IV that a patient was dragging along with her to the bathroom.

"Sorry!" I apologized, spinning, and continuing my dash to Dominic. When I finally reached the door, I stopped. I knocked three times on the door and then waited, praying that I got the room right.

Dominic's voice beckoned me in with a cheerful "the door's open, what are you doing?"

I slapped my palm to my face and giggled at the sound of his irritation. It bubbled inside of me and spilled out into laughter as I pushed the door open and saw his irked expression.

"My," Dominic said in wonder, shuffling to sit up. I ran to his side and screeched to a stop, giving him a smile. I motioned pushing his shoulders down so he would stop moving but didn't dare touch him for fear that I would knock out one of the wires attached to his body. One of his arms was tucked into a navy-blue sling and the other had an IV running a clear liquid into his veins.

"Dom," I said in response, looking at his scratched-up face and tired eyes. They were still bloodshot, with exhaustion as opposed to anger.

"You're here," he said, slurring his words a little bit. His eyelids were low, and he seemed ready to fall asleep at any moment. That must've been due to the anesthetic they had given him for surgery a couple of hours ago.

"Duh," I answered, rolling my eyes. I looked down at him and felt awful seeing the bags under his eyes and the exhaustion he was clearly feeling.

"Stop," he groaned, covering the IV in his arm with his other hand.

"What?" I demanded, hands on my hips. It was his turn to roll his eyes.

"You're blaming yourself for what happened. That's not fair and you know it," he said.

"You're right," I admitted, smiling at him. "I'm sorry you were hurt though, defending me."

"I'm sorry I couldn't do more. Told you I'd do anything for you," he coughed, lifting his blanket to display the bandage wrapped around his waist. He wore it like a badge of honor. He was clearly proud of what he did for me, as unsafe as it was.

"I wish you didn't have to," I said, dropping my head. He reached out his hand and grabbed my chin, forcing me to look at him. His brown eyes were shining, and I knew before he spoke that what he was saying was important.

"You were willing to go be with that terrible man just to protect our family," he reminded me. "The least I could do was take a bullet for you."

"Damn, if that was the least, what's the most?" I joked weakly, trying to keep my eyes on his. As he laughed, his bed squeaked, and he awkwardly shifted positions placing a hand around his stomach.

He faced the ceiling and blinked up at it, eyelids looking heavier and heavier by the second.

"Dominic?" I asked in a whisper, poking his stubbly cheek. His head tilted against the pillow and his breathing grew deeper as he drifted off to sleep.

"Thank you," I whispered, leaning down, and pressing a kiss to his cheek. I made sure the blanket was wrapped around him completely and then bolted from the room, wanting the image of him in here to get out of my mind. I re-entered the waiting room and found it mercifully empty. The receptionist gave me a small smile as I walked over to my family, before falling into a chair beside Charlotte. I rested my head on her shoulder as the others turned to me.

"How is he?" Caleb asked apprehensively. His bottom lip quivered so I mustered up the energy to smile and answered "He's okay. Just going to sleep."

And just like Dominic had moments before, my eyelids began to grow heavy. The world went dark, and I felt Charlotte's shoulder shake as she snickered along with the boys.

"You think you can carry her back to the car?" she asked Damon, giving me a nudge.

"Sure," he chuckled under his breath. "I think I can manage it."

I peeked one eye open as he lifted me up and thought I saw him smile.