6 Underground Love

38.

Pain and dizziness are the worst way to wake up. "...had to" Nine hisses, "She's my fucking sister, I know her...I had to do it" 

"Alright-ok, I'm sorry," Five says. "Did you have to hurt her so hard?" 

"I didn't!" Nne barks screaming me. I would've jumped if my body wasn't so sore. Nine just had to tackle me to the hard ground. 

"Shhh!" Five snaps back, "You'll wake her!" 

"And Four?" Seven asks. He sounds far. Five and Nine seem to be hovering over me. 

"He won't be up for hours" Five answers. 

"Why did you hit her" Seven whispers, his voice cracked when he said hit. 

Nine groans. "The guy...the guy who was taking care of us, who taught Eight how to use a bow-" 

"What about him?" Seven snaps. 

"When he died, Eight was there" Nine pauses letting his words hang in the air, "She didn't let him go. They had to pride her hands off him"

I want to move, I want to stop him. I don't care that the family knows, I just can't relive it. 

"Who are they?" Five asks. 

"His...crew" Nine chooses his words carefully and you can tell. "She would've killed Four if I hadn't done what I did" 

"What are you saying?" Seven asks, he sounds pissed. "How?" 

"By holding him" Nine answers so simply, "She won't allow anyone to hold him, to help him, no matter how much she loves him. Then with her stronghold, she would strangle him to death" 

"She's done it before?" Five whispers. 

"Almost. I don't think she remembers" Nine answers, his voice is cold. I think he hates this more than me. 

"Who?"

"Me" Again Nine lets his words hang in the air, "During the bombings. My disease saved my life" 

"She doesn't remember?" Five is crying now. 

"The death of our brother fogs that memory" 

But I do remember...I think I do, I just thought he saw our brother before I did. I didn't know I was hurting him. I'm sorry Russell. 

"Wait" Seven sighs, "Four's been hurt before, shot actually but she didn't..." he stops. 

"She didn't love him as much as she does now" 

FINALLY! I can move. I open my eyes, my left eye won't open all the way through. I scan the room, Five is sitting on a chair at my side, Nine is behind her and Seven's on the other side of the bed, standing by Four. I don't move, I know better than that. Four has a large bandage on his forehead, the cut on his lip that was healing is now busted open. He looks better than I thought he would, parts of his face are pale. 

"How are you feeling?" Five asks, her cheeks are soaked. I lift my head, grab the pillow underneath me, and throw it at Nine. 

"Better" he groans, "You know I had to" 

My throat hurts but I still answer with an "I know" I can't recognize my voice. Then I remember I was screaming at Nine. 

"Do you need any ice?" Five asks. 

I ignore her question, "How is he?" 

"Fine" Seven answers, "He'll have another scar though" 

"Risk of coma?" I ask Five. 

"He was..." she stops and looks up at Nine. 

"You woke him up when your screaming" Nine says what Five couldn't. "He'll be fine"  

And he was. After checking on Four and me, they left us. I lay on my side just watching Four as he breaths. His heavy breathing kills whatever worrying I might encounter. I carefully lean over and kiss his cheek. I take one more good look at him then stand up and walk to the bathroom. The floor had a great time moving underneath me, almost making me fall a few times but I made it to the bathroom. My head isn't spinning, just pounded. 

"Holy shit..." I whisper to my reflection. The bruise on my left eye starts at the corner then spread underneath it, an inch almost two-inch cut shines perfectly under my eyebrow. I lean in closer and try to open my eye wider. Hurts too much, screw that. I wash up then exit the bathroom. 

Two hours later Four begins to mumble. I jump up, "Hey baby" I whisper. 

"Eight?" his eyes screwed shut, "No, stop" 

"Baby, I'm right here" I remember what Nine had said about waking Four with my screams. "I'm fine, please wake up"

His eyes flutter open and dart to mine. "Eight" he sighs in relief as his hand cups my face. His voice is weary. My eyes pool with tears but his widen, "Who did that to you?" 

I forgot about my eye. "Nine, he didn't want me to...he thinks I was overreacting" but with I'm honest with myself, I don't think he was. I would have never let Four like. "What happened? Why did you lie to me?" 

"I didn't lie, love, I told you I was going to town and I did"

"You said you'll be back in an hour" I remind him. 

He shrugs, "Not good with cars" 

"So you weren't attacked?" 

"No" 

I let out a heavy breath I didn't know I was holding. I had forced myself to stop thinking someone was coming after my baby, someone had tried to kill my life. 

His eyes pupils dilate as his hand moves down to my waist, "Get on" 

"'Get on'?" I laugh.

"I just hit a tree and now I want my baby on me" 

I laugh swinging my leg over him. I stand on my knees to hover over his waist, fearing I might hurt him. He shakes his head, "On me" he grabs my waist and pushes me down. 

"You're not hurting?" 

"How can I ever be in pain when you're touching me, when you're near me, when you're looking at me or when you're laughing?" 

I blush. With his accent and his sweet words, I almost melt in a puddle. He pulls me down to his chest, I kiss his collarbone then lay my head down. "I should get Five, she should check on you" I whisper.

"No!" he exclaims, his strong arms tighter around me, "Just...let me hold you, I'm fine. I promise. Do you need her?"

"No" I finally close my eyes and rest.