Only the "Strong" Survive | Paul Lahote |

*chapter thirty-five*

Paul rushed to my side of the truck as we pulled in front of Sam and Emily's. Since I was released from the hospital a few days ago he had been glued to my side, he even tried to convince Sam to take him off of patrol for a little while so that he could be with me. Thankfully Sam didn't agree, I love Paul and I was grateful for all he was doing. But I needed space every once in a while to process all of this.

He grabbed my crutches from the bed of his truck and held them as he lifted me out of the car. I wobbled up the stairs, still uncomfortable on these things but I wasn't allowed to put any pressure on my leg for two weeks.

"Hi!" Emily jumped up rushing over to hug me as we came in, she nearly knocked me over, "Oh shoot sorry. Here come to the couch."

I did so, getting as comfortable as I could, Paul sat next to me and moved my legs up to where they were resting on his legs. Emily took a seat on Sam's lap as he sat in the chair across from us.

"How ya holding up Joni?" Sam asked.

"I'm alive. That's about all I've got. Waiting to hear back from the detectives if they've been able to track down my parents yet. It's nerve racking knowing they're just out there. I mean if they are involved in this, then I don't know how to feel safe." I tucked my head into Paul's shoulder, messing with his hands out anxiety.

"They'll find them soon," Emily said.

Sam nodded in agreement, "We'll keep you safe until they do."

I smiled at them both before they turned to put on a movie. But inside I still felt uncertain about Sam's promise. They couldn't protect me 24/7, just a couple days of letting their guards down and I was stabbed. Not that I was blaming them, what Ryan did to me was in no way the fault of the boys, they do everything they can to keep the reservation safe and keep us safe. It's just that I couldn't help but feel, no matter if I was with them or if I was alone, that I would never be safe. And that was a heartbreaking thought, because this place and these people made me feel invincible until now.

Paul put his hand on my thigh, rubbing his thumb against the bottom of the bandages. He looked as lost in thought as I was, his eyes just gazing down at the injury that would scar over and be another reminder of terrible times on my body. Trying to ease his mind, I kissed his cheek. A small smile wrapped up on his lips, but it fell almost immediately. Emily got up to make dinner, Sam went to the backyard to do whatever it is men do. We were alone in our silence, and I didn't even know what words I could possibly say to make him feel better - to ease his mind. Knowing that there was no way I could ease my own, no way for him to either, made me feel like we were hitting a giant wall.

"Want to take a walk?" I asked him moving my head from his shoulder to look at his eyes. My favorite eyes.

"We can't...I can't even carry you right now. If I hit your leg you'll be in..."

I moved my legs slowly off of him, "Just to the porch. Our best conversations happen on the porch."

He chuckled and stood up, waiting for me to get up on my crutches. Paul followed behind me, leaving enough room for me to move. He waited for me to be comfortable on the bench before he sat down next to me.

"Whatcha thinking?" I spoke first.

"Honestly? I'm angry, really angry."

"About what?"

"All of this Joni. Seeing you in that hospital bed, knowing how much you're hurting physically but also emotionally. I'm pissed off, you don't deserve it. I couldn't stop it. I should've felt that something was wrong, that's how the imprint is supposed to work. And I felt something off, I did, but I ignored it because I was still upset about our fight."