Bullied and the Bitch

Chapter 34: Heroism Suits Me

I hear the beeping even before I open my eyes. It's a steady beeping, seeming to reflect the thrumming of my heart as it pumps blood through my body, a single organ struggling to keep everything else together.

There is a strange pressure on my nose and mouth and when I finally lift my heavy eyelids, I notice it's because there's a mask on my face blowing air gently against me. Something has my hand in a strong hold. I look down to see El sleeping on my hand, which is bandaged from when I'd burned it in the bus. She's seated on the cold floor, and this makes me worry.

I twitch my hand, trying to wake her. It takes me a while to rouse her but finally her eyelids pull back, so the two brilliant sapphires hidden behind them can go on display.

"Hey," I croak. I'm a little surprised that my voice is so rough. I expect it to be deep, but not so... rough.

"Hi," she says, her fingers weaving in between mine and grasping strongly.

"You shouldn't sleep on the floor. Bad for the baby," I try to say, but the words come out garbled from my ruined throat. They also come out slowly, but El doesn't seem to mind, waiting patiently for me to complete my sentence. She also seems to understand me perfectly.

"I'm fine," she says, and her eyes rove over me. "So, you chose Brian?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"For you."

"You silly. You should just pick what you want," she says.

"I did. I chose what I thought would make you happiest. And Brian seemed more able to do it than Brianna." My voice begins to clear up. With every word I form, it increases in clarity.

She sighs and shakes her head, smiling. "I'm just glad you're alive. That's all."

"Mm," I agree. "Get on the bed. It's cold."

"I'm fine right here."

"At least sit in the armchair. Don't sit on the floor." I gesture to the empty armchair behind her. She nods and releases my hand to pull it closer to my bedside, then sits in it and continues to hold my hand. "Is Timmy okay?"

"He's fine. He woke up a day ago, and the doctor said he's going to be fine. You did great, Ian. You're a hero."

"I just did what you would have done."

She shakes her head. "No. I would never have had the guts. You're the one who ran into the fire, Ian, without a second thought about yourself. Face it – you're now a full-fledged hero."

I smile at her, liking the sound of that.

"Please don't ever do it again, though. I don't think my heart can take it," she tells me. She seems close to tears.

"I don't think my heart could take it, either, don't worry." She laughs. "Are my parents here?" She nods. "Darn. I wonder how they're going to react to Brian being in Brianna's bed. Then again, at least we explained it to them."

"True," she agrees. "Maybe they'll be happy. After all, your dad keeps talking about how he wants more grandchildren."

"Does that mean I'm going to get laid?" I grin at the prospect.

She rolls her eyes. "Just concentrate on getting better."

"I will," I assure her, and her grip tightens around my fingers.

At that moment, someone opens the door and enters the room. I blink as I see not two, but four parents. Mine... And El's. To my surprise, the first thing James does isn't to kill me. He goes to El, pets her head, then looks at me, Brian, who impregnated his eldest daughter. "How are you doing, son?" he asks.