Phoenix's Revenge

23.

Nikolai POV

I wake up in a hospital room completely alone.

The tube down my throat chokes me as I gag and try to pull it out myself.

"He's up!" I hear in the distance.

The foot steps come closer and a nurses face appears above me.

"I'm here son. Just cough for me real quick." I follow her directors and cough as she pulls the tube out. I reach for my sore throat and rub it.

"You gave us quite a scare. Do you know where you are?" She asks.

I think for a minute. Where am I? What happened? Where's Phoenix?

She sees the panic fill my face and quickly rests a hand on my arm. I flinch away at the touch she drops her hands with an apologetic smile.

"Sorry." I mutter.

"It's okay. You were out for quite a while. You came in with a severe case of smoke inhalation. You coded multiple times but we got you back."

The information comes flying back at me. The fire. The smoke. The pain.

Phoenix.

I nod my head, absorbing all of it.

"There was a young gentleman and a young woman by your side for quite a while, but we told them that we'd let them know if you woke up."

I nod again.

Suddenly, an out of breath tommy bursts through the door.

"Oh thank fucking god."

He rushes towards me and scans my face.

"Are you okay? Is he okay?" He asks frantically. The nurse and I both nod.

"We will have to run blood work but he seems in tact."

Tommy turns towards me with a huge grin plastered on his face.

"I'm so happy you're okay." He says grabbing my hand.

"Where's Phoenix?"

His smile drops.

...

We hobble into the room, my arm draped around his shoulders.

He sets me on the couch and I lean back, thoroughly exhausted. Tommy plops down on the other couch catching his breath.

We sit in silence both unsure of what to say.

My mind is reeling from what he said.

She left.

Said she couldn't do it anymore. Whatever the fuck that means.

She never loved you.

Thanks for that. My jaw clenches at the mere thought of that as anger bubbles in my chest.

I need to fucking punch someone.

I turn towards the entrance when I hear someone walk through. My dad. He enters the living room and his eyes land on me.

"You're home."

He states with absolutely no emotion behind his eyes. I scoff.

"Yup."

He nods and walks further into the room.

"She left you know."

Fury runs through my body as I glare daggers into his skull.

"Really astute observation." I fire back. Then, I notice the faded bruises on his face and the matching ones on Tommy's face.

"Get in a fight recently?" I ask with a smirk. Tommy's eyes shoot in to mine as he takes on a smirk of his own.

My dad rolls his eyes and walks out, but not before whispering:

"Told you that you'd never mean shit to anyone."

Rage takes my body over and I draw my gun, aiming for his face.

"Say that again." I grit out.

He falls silent. Out of the blue, I get the sense that someone stands behind the couch.

"That's what the fuck I thought and who the fuck are you?"

I whip around and aim the gun at the stranger. He doesn't flinch. Doesn't even blink. My dad scurries out of the room like the coward he is.

"I'm Calen. Phoenix's uncle."

Confusion crosses my face as I slowly lower my gun.

"Listen, if she left it was for a good reason." He says in a low voice. I roll my eyes and rub my eyes, suddenly extremely exhausted.

I plop back down on the couch as I feel my chest scream in protest at the sudden activeness.

"Why are you still here?" I growl out.

He shrugs.

"She's in danger. I won't leave until she tells me too."

Great.

My body aches, I'm fucking tired and all I want is her.

Pussy.

Shut up.

I sink lower into the couch and sleep it off.

...

I'm woken up by Tommy shoving food in my face.

I don't want that. I want whiskey. I want to get fucking blasted.

So I do.

I shove the plate away and start downing whiskey like it's water. I land on my fourth glass as Tommy begs me to eat. I don't want food.

He keeps insisting until I finally snap and shatter a glass.

Fuck all the way off.

He finally gives in and suggests we get some of my anger out.

First good idea he's had all day.

Agreed.

Tommy reaches for the knob just in time for the door to burst open.

Phoenix falls to the ground clutching a tape in her hand and muttering something about how she got it. She's covered head to toe in blood and bruises. She quickly loses consciousness as we stare at each other in shock.