Forget about me

Chapter twenty-six

Alexandra

The world blurs and tips on the side. My head hurts. Everything hurts. I pull in a shaky breath and my chest burns with the action.

"Hey, you're okay. Hold on a little longer, sunshine, we're almost there." Someone soothes in a low voice close to my ear.

Almost where? I mean to ask but it comes out as choked nonsense. Car. I think I'm in a car. I was in a car, fighting with Ryder and then... nothing. Everything's dark after that. There was shouting, a big noise and darkness. Shade. Holy shit, Shade was shot. "Where is he? Where's Shade? Is he okay?" Once again, all that comes out is "mmnyeheshmn".

"Dylan!" Someone barks somewhere above my head. The seat I'm in is warm and... moving. I'm sitting on a person, my side pressed to their front. Their chest rises and falls with each breath and it feels laboured.

"Almost there." Dylan answers before turning sharply. My body slides to the right but before I can topple over hands are there keeping me steady. They're gentle but pain still shoots through me. We come to a stop, a door opens and then we're moving again. My eyes flutter open to a lightening sky. The suns coming up.

"Here, let me take her." I recognise the soft boyish tone as Jeremy's. I almost want to cry with how gentle and sweet he sounds. It makes me want to curl up in a ball against his chest.

A low rumble comes from the back of Shade's throat. "Fuck off."

The sky turns into a roof with fluorescent lights that make my eyes hurt. Someone shouts for help and the world explodes with voices and movement. I don't follow what's happening or what's being said. My mind feels as if its wading through mud. I think someone's telling a nurse what happened. Faces I don't know hover above me. Their lips are moving forming words but I can't make them out over the buzzing. The voices grow distant as the lights pass overhead.

———

A thumb gently swipes across the back of my hand. Back and forth. Back and forth. Again, and again, and again. I focus on the movement trying to clear the fog in my mind. Slowly I open my eyes and wince at the bright light. Suddenly, it dims and I spot a blurry Ryder closing the curtains. Jem flicks off the overhead lights and clicks on a small bedside lamp illuminating the room enough to see by but not so much it makes me nauseous. I'm in a hospital bed, in a hospital gown. An IV is connected to my left arm. My eyes land on the spot where the needle disappears into my skin and my head spins. I'm going to pass out.

"Breathe, sunshine. In. Out. There you go." Jeremy drapes the blanket over the crook in my arm blocking the IV from my sight. "How are you feeling?" he asks when my breathings calmed and my heads stopped spinning enough for my eyes to open.

"Like I've been run over." I groan reaching my free hand up to touch the side of my face. I don't hurt as much as when I first woke up, probably thanks to some painkillers, but I'm groggy and my vision's still blurry. Someone slams a door outside and I cringe away from the sound. "Has the world always been this loud?"

Jem chuckles, his callused thumb still doing that soothing stroke across my hand. "No, you have a concussion. It'll pass in a week or two."

"Great." I mumble sinking into the uncomfortable mattress. "How's Shade?"

"He's fine." Shade snaps on the other side of the bed. If it weren't for the blood and tearing in his clothes he'd look like a king sprawling on a throne. His dark hair falls over his brow as he watches me intensely.

"It'll take a lot more than a bullet or two to rid us of him." Jem teases trying and failing to lighten the mood.

"Everyone's okay, love." Ryder says leaving the window and coming to stand by the edge of the bed. The room feels too small with all three of them focusing solely on me. If Jem's hand hadn't been in mine I'd be ruining my cuticles. "Hunter stayed back for clean up." Even though I shouldn't care because he's an asshole, they all are, I do. My mind quietens and the heavy press on my chest becomes a little bit lighter.

"When can I get out of here?" I ask avoiding their eyes and looking at the blinds. "How long was I out?" the question tumbles out before the first one can be answered.

"A couple of hours." Jem says.

"I'll go talk to the doctor, see if you're okay to go." Ryder slips out the door. None of them seem too happy to take me away from the doctors but they also know I really don't like hospitals. I want out of here as soon as possible.

"Can we get food on the way back?" I ask as my stomach lets out an obnoxious sound making me clamp a hand down on it.

Jem chuckles. "Of course, whatever you want."

"Chinese?" I say as the door opens. I spot Dylan standing right outside before it shuts again behind Ry.

"The doctors going to check your vitals and all that. If everything's good you get to go home with strict orders to rest." At my hopeful expression he adds, "might be an hour or two before we're out of here." My face falls and I whimper. Now that I've started thinking about food my stomach aches and rumbles in protest.

An hour later we sign the discard papers and meet Dylan outside by the car. Jem pushes the wheelchair right up to the door. Dylan opens the door making me look up at him and smile.

"You look-"

"Beautiful, I know." I cut him off figuring I look like I feel.

He grins at me and nods. "You know what?" I make raise an eyebrow. "For someone who's been thrown out of a car window and shot at, you look great."

"Watch it." Ryder snarls darkly as he leans down and picks me up bridal style. As he carefully deposits me in the backseat, I roll my eyes. I've got a couple of broken ribs, a concussion and some scrapes and bruises, not two broken legs. I'm perfectly capable of getting from the wheelchair to the car by myself. Still, my heart flutters in my chest pleased with their caveman overprotective bullshit. He even buckles my freaking seatbelt for me. Jem hops in on one side and Shade sits on the other as Ryder gets into the passenger seat leaving Dylan to drive. An SUV pulls out ahead of us and we follow with another one tailing us.

"Panda express?" Ryder asks turning to look back at me. I nod eagerly and tell Dylan to hurry the fuck up making the car fill with laughter. On our way to get food and painkillers in my system my fingers intertwine with Jeremys and I lean into Shade lowering my head to rest on his shoulder. Letting myself enjoy their warmth and comforting presence for a while longer.