✔Vengeful Valentine

Six: Everly

A part of my heart died.

I should be grateful that I survived, but I couldn't help thinking about how cruel God was for letting me live and making our baby die. Being cooped up in the hospital left me alone with my thoughts for too long. I needed to be out there searching for the person who wanted me dead. Why couldn't my body heal faster?

Everyone wanted me to be strong, but I wasn't sure I could. Emmett had endured bullet wounds and overdosed more times than I could count on one hand. Yet he never showed weakness like me. He never shed tears or begged for blissful death. He bounced back so easy. I wished I had that kind of strength.

Hiding the pain proved to be difficult, but I tried my best. I stopped complaining to the nurses when I felt bad. I forced myself to suffer until it brought me to tears. I wanted to be invincible, like the make-believe superheroes my dad used to create in his comics were.

I put on a fake smile when they moved me to the general ward yesterday, where they allowed me more visitors. I wanted to hold off on telling my friends that they could come see me, but I knew everyone would assume something was wrong. Only my closest friends would drop by, as I didn't give my hospital room number out to just anyone. I wanted privacy, considering someone probably still wanted me dead. It wasn't that I didn't want them visiting though. I just didn't want them to see me in such a horrible condition.

From a medical standpoint, I was doing well. But I was a mess. Inside and out.

"Is it Sunday yet?" I whined. "I wanna go home."

"Tomorrow you will." Adam sipped on his Starbucks coffee.

My folks and Adam took turns keeping watch over me at the hospital. It just happened to be his turn that dreary morning.

I adjusted my fluffy pink pillow. "You set up those new security cameras already, right?"

He nodded. "Sure did."

When Adam told me about the young boy nosing around my house with a camera, I got scared. I knew it could've been a silly dare or prank, but after what happened, I wouldn't take any chances. The person who tried to kill me might've paid the gullible kid to do that for his own twisted benefit. Maybe to get a layout of my house? Or an idea of how to break in and kill me in my sleep?

I shivered just thinking about it. What kind of creep would do that?

Thunder shook the hospital room as the door crept open. Layla's knee-high boots clacked against the linoleum floor. She wore a gray cardigan over her short black dress and a cute knitted beanie. She handed me a get well card before hugging me tightly.

"Oh, Everly. I'm so sorry. How are you doing?" She pulled a chair up, folding one leg across the other.

"Okay, I guess."

"How about you, Adam? I know this must be so difficult for both of you." Layla gave him a sympathetic smile.

"I'm holding up," he replied as he stood up. "I'm gonna go grab something to eat from the cafeteria. I'll give you girls some privacy."

Layla sighed as he stepped out. "I wish he didn't have to act so awkward when I'm around. I mean, it's not like we're hooking up anymore."

Before Adam dated me, he used to get around New Syracuse. Layla worked at the Lady Lounge, a strip joint he used to frequent for casual sex. I used to be jealous of her before we became friends. Unlike Adam, I didn't have much of a sexual history list. I spent most of my teenage years keeping my brother out of trouble and studying.

"Maybe he just wanted to give us some space to talk," I suggested.

"Yeah, probably. Anyway, I'm so relived you're okay." She reached over and held my hand. "When I heard about what happened, I broke down in tears. You gave me such a scare, Everly."