In The Safety Of A Lie - COMPLETED!

Chapter 44

CONTENT WARNING: Language, Violence, Intense Scenarios

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Evelina grabbed the folding chair from Rose's room and brought it in to set up next to where Joey was. She watched his quiet breathing as his chest rose and sunk. She wasn't sure where to let her mind wander. There was so many things weighing on her.

"What did I do wrong?" She asked him, knowing he wouldn't answer her. She was so used to stuff being her fault, thinking she could blame someone else seemed unfathomable.

Joey's hand slowly moved to her. "You didn't do anything wrong." He mumbled groggily. His eyes opened up, blinking a couple of times to clear his vision.

"I... I didn't think you'd be awake for a few more hours." Evelina said, surprise unmistakably etching her voice.

He ignored her surprise. "Why would you think you did anything wrong?"

Ev looked down at her lap, shrugging. "Because something always is my fault." She glanced up at him, tears filling her eyes, but a sad smile seemed to make them lighten up. "I thought about taking Rose and running."

Joey's gaze sharpened on her. "Why didn't you?"

"I wasn't going to leave you, Joey. I love you." She shook her head, the obviousness in every word she spoke. If he thought she'd walk out on him that fast, he had another thing coming.

"Ev, I know you wouldn't leave me. You've made that abundantly clear." He rubbed her hand slowly, methodically. "But why didn't you run to get Rose away from this mess?"

Ev bit her lip. She thought about the reason why for a moment, choosing her words careful. "I didn't want to risk not knowing what happened to you, Joey. I didn't want to risk losing you." Her voice cracked. "You're everything to me."

Joey swallowed hard, painfully shifting in the bed. "I know. I'm blessed to have you."

Evelina lightly smiled, but was distracted by his wincing. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I've been shot and hit by a bus." He moaned and tried to move a little bit to get comfortable. Pain seized up his face, but he bit through it.

"Well, the getting shot part is about right, but I think I would have known if you got hit by a bus." She gave him a small smile, carefully reaching up and helping to adjust his pillow.

"Don't take me so literal." He held back a laugh, knowing it'd hurt more than it was worth. "How are you doing?"

"I'm okay." She nodded her head. "It's just hard, ya know?"

He gave her an understanding look, not having the energy to do much else. Slowly, he reached out and gently rubbed her arm. "Everything's going to be alright." Whether or not he actually believed the words, he knew she had to hear them. It was the closest thing to being comforting he had for her.

Ev stared back at him, her eyes scanning the bruises running up and down his arm. She looked down and bit the inside of her lip. "Everyone keeps saying that, Joey, but is that really true?"

It seemed to take him a long time to answer her. "I guess we'll see."

Evelina nodded. She grabbed his hand from rubbing her arm and pulled it up to her lips. Gently, she kissed it, holding it close to her face and enjoying the moment they had together. "I should let you get some more rest. I know you say you've had enough sleep, but you need to heal faster."

"I suppose I'm a little tired." He admitted weakly. The painkillers were wearing off and he could feel the pain returning slowly. It reminded him that he was still alive enough to fight, but he didn't relish the feeling that his body had been through a train wreck of events.