My Protector

XXXVIII

Melanie

When I woke up again I was informed it had been another day. The nurse also told me it was normal for me to sleep so much after my body went through so much trauma. One thing I didn't understand was how Dominic was still sitting in that tiny chair. He had to be sore.

I found that my throat wasn't as sore and my body was easier to move. My skin still felt like tiny needles were puncturing it, but it was more bearable.

I moved my hand to Dominic's arm. He shot up out of the chair before realizing it was just me.

"Sorry." I managed to scratch out. My throat was very dry. Dominic picked up a bottle of water and held it up for me to drink out of. My throat immediately felt better.

"How do you feel? Should I call a nurse?" Dom asked after making sure I was satisfied.

"It still hurts." I mumbled. Dominic's face twisted in pain, as if he was the one burnt. If he was in this situation I would probably want to switch too.

"Oh you're awake." A nurse said as she entered the room. I still had no idea what her name was. Not that it mattered. "How do you feel?" She asked me.

"Terrible." I said. The nurse nodded. She typed something on a computer before looking back towards me.

"It will be a hard recovery. I know you live in Washington state, but you might have to stay here a bit longer." The nurse said. I sighed. I wanted to go home. I wanted to see my dance studio again. I wanted to see the girls again.

"How long?" Dominic asked. If I really wanted to go home I'm sure the boys could find a way to get me out of here.

"It's hard to determine that right now. She is still in early recovery." The nurse explained. Dominic did not like that answer.

"Thank you." I said. The nurse nodded and walked out. As soon as the door shut, Dominic turned around and tugged at his hair. I bet he really wanted to go home. He should have already gone home. "My love, why don't you go home. I can handle myself until I'm healed." I said. Luckily my voice had become less scratchy.

I guess that wasn't the right thing to say. Dominic turned back around with an angry expression. I've never seen him this angry. Except at the pool party.

"I'm not fucking leaving you here. If I go home it's with you. I want to go back home to our house with you." Dom said. His voice was low telling me he wasn't joking. He was serious.

"Dominic, you need to go back to the club. You have a job." I tried to reason. It was like talking to an angry bear. It wasn't working.

"Fuck that. You are top priority right now." He huffed. I'm sure if Alpha called him about an emergency right now, he'd leave. He is a loyal member of the club, it's literally the only thing he needs to do.

"I've been around long enough to learn, the club should be top priority. It feels odd thinking about that, but I realize that's your family. I'm still a newbie to the club. I don't even have a patch." I explained. Dom sighed and sat in the seat next to me. He rested his head in his hands.

"You should know about me before I got here." Dominic started to say. His voice seemed shaky, like he was nervous. "I was an only child growing up. My parents were extremely wealthy and let that get to their heads. We would attend balls throughout the year. My birthdays were always extravagant and full of rich snobs." Dom took a breath before continuing. "My uncle was a traveler. He liked to see everything he could. When I was sixteen, he took my parents on a trip to the Amazon. My uncle and my father made it back, but not my mother. I still don't know what happened. Not long after that trip, my father began gambling. All of our money was gone. He sold me for money. I was meant to be sold as a laborer, but got something much better. Logan was the person who had bought me. I was afraid he'd train me and use me for assassinating. I would say he kind of did that. Anyway, one of the female trainers would come into my room and... use me. I never said anything to Logan at the time. I was afraid he wouldn't believe me." Dominic stopped to wipe some of my tears. How was he not crying. He is reliving one of the worst memories of his life. "Please don't cry, it's in the past." He cooed. Once he decided I was done crying, he continued on. "Eventually a trainer caught her sneaking around and reported her to Logan. She was immediately terminated. Logan let me be a prospect. Eventually Logan patched me into the club where I ranked higher until I made it to sergeant in arms." Dominic finally finished. I've never heard him talk so much.

I could feel my tears brimming my eyes. I was trying hard to keep them in, but it was no use. I set a gentle kiss over Dom's lips. He seemed just fine for reliving that.

"Are you sure you don't want to cry?" I asked him one more time. He shook his head.

"I love you, thank you for listening, Babygirl." He sidetracked. I wanted to so badly attempt to comfort him, but he just wanted to sit in silence. He laid his head on my chest.

"I love you too." I smiled and slowly ran my fingers through his hair. I loved this man with my whole being, and my father can't stop that.