𝐃𝐞𝐛𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 | 𝟏𝟖+

48. breathe

POPPY ELLISON

✥

I'm not sure what woke me first; the beeping of a machine or the fact my mouth feels like the Sahara desert. My entire body feels limp and for a moment I forget where I am entirely. As I pry open my eyes and adjust them to the light, blinking furiously to focus on my surroundings.

A small groan slips from my lips as I attempt to twist my body but when I glance down I find wires hanging out the back of my hand and something on my finger. My heart races in my chest when I realise that I'm in the hospital and that annoying beeping is a machine telling me that I'm alive.

How?

Memories of my last moments with Rexx come flooding back. All that blood. The way he buried that knife deep into my stomach, the way I slit his throat and felt every bit of relief when he stumbled back and died before my eyes.

My eyes move around the room until they land on Gabriel's peaceful face. He's sleeping on a chair in the corner and everything inside my body tenses. What is he doing here? He hates me. He knows what I did. He should be smothering me with a pillow.

I try to remember after watching the life drain from Rexx's eyes but nothing comes to mind. There was so much blood pouring from the wound on my abdomen that the rest felt like a blur. How long have I even been asleep?

The beeping becomes louder but Gabriel still doesn't stir. I glance to the table beside my bed, desperate for some water because my mouth burns. My hand raises shakily and I know that it's using my entire body's strength to lean over to the cup of water.

My fist bumps the table which causes the wheels to roll and the next thing I know Gabriel's eyes have snapped to mine. I freeze and watch him carefully, blood turning cold inside my veins at the thought of being in a closed space with him.

I can't even remember how I got here and the last person I expected to see was him. My brain has never felt so fried in my life. Rexx might be dead but I know that there are so many unanswered questions that he is dying to hear.

He peels himself from the chair and looms over my bed, his presence making the room seem a thousand times darker. The back of my neck begins to heat and the machine beeps so loudly from the way my heart is thumping, I rip the clip off my finger to stop it from vibrating my ears.

Gabriel takes two steps closer to me and I hold my breath. Fuck. Where are the doctors?

His eyes roam over my face and down my body that's tucked under the thin blanket. I have no idea what he's going to do but for long moments he does nothing but stare at me and I'm reduced to panicked anger.

"If you're going to kill me, just do it." I bite even though my tongue feels dry. "Put me out of my misery."

Gabriel's brows crease at my sudden tone. His hand raises and my eyes blink but I refuse to recoil. He inches closer to my face and when he presses his finger to the curve of my cheek, I release a breath. His fingers slide into the back of my hair gently, eyes growing softer by the second. "Poppy, I'd never hurt you."

A thousand different emotions cross my mind. My lips part and I shake my head, tears forming in my last line. "You should," I whimper as my mouth trembles and the dryness of my mouth makes my throat ache. "You have always deserved better than me. I wish I never had to drag you into all of this mess. You should want to put me ten feet under right now. I lied to you and I'll never be able to forgive myself for doing it."

His head shakes. "No."

His hands reach over to the water and he drags it to my lips, allowing me to take a sip. I want to suffer but I'm so thirsty that I feel nauseous. Once my mouth is around the straw I let the liquid coat my mouth and instant relief fills me.