by Jill Sanders
She felt her mind turning over with worry about Mike, but waited until his folks walked in. Susan’s face was pale, but she had a smile on.
“Hi,” they both said in unison. “You doing okay?”
Xtina sat up a little more, holding her chest.
“Yes, any word on Mike?”
“The bullet just grazed his side, but the one in his leg,” Rusty said, glancing over at Susan.
“They’re working on taking it out. It lodged in his muscle.” She sighed. “He’ll be fine.”
A doctor walked in and smiled at them. “I was told I could find you in here.” He glanced over at her. “How are you feeling?”
“Fine. Mike?” she asked, feeling her pulse kick in.
“He’s out of surgery.” He smiled. “Came out like a trouper. Good thing it hadn’t gone in far. He should be good enough to be released in a few days.”
She relaxed back and heard both of his parents release sighs of relief.
“We’ll let you get some rest.” Susan walked over and patted her hand. “Is there someone else you wish us to call?”
“No. I have my family here.” She smiled up at them. “Thanks. Keep me posted.”
“We have Rose,” Rusty broke in before they left. “She’ll stay with us until you can go home.”
“Thanks. Is she okay?”
“Yes, just shaken up a little,” Susan said.
Then she turned to the doctor. “Can I see him soon?”
“Well, I want to keep you overnight, but there shouldn’t be too much trouble moving you into his room, once he’s been moved out of post-op for the night. That is if it’s okay with his parents?”
“Yes, of course,” Rusty said with a smile. “I think he’d like that.”
Less than two hours later, she fell asleep, listening to Mike’s heart monitor beep next to her. She’d been wheeled into his room in a bed, but had crawled out of it and sat next to him on his bed. When she got tired, she sprawled next to his good side, making sure not to jostle him.
She woke when the nurses came in to check on him, then again in the morning when his arms wrapped around her shoulders.
“Hey,” he moaned, trying to move.
She held him still. “Easy,” she said, holding him close.
“I’m okay,” he said softly into her hair.
“Yeah, so they keep telling me.” She smiled up at him and noticed that his eyes weren’t quite focused yet. “You’re in pain?”
“It’s better than being out. I’m okay.”
“Sure you are.” She reached for the button to call the nurse, but he stopped her.
“No, give me a moment to be with you.” His arm tightened slightly, causing her to relax into his warmth.
She listened to his heartbeat and closed her eyes.
“Did you mean it?” he asked after a moment. She’d believed he’d gone back under, but now she leaned up and looked down at him.
“What?” she asked, her eyes moving over every inch of his face, wanting to remember everything about him.
“What you said, last night.”
She smiled. “Yes, every word.” She felt her heart swell.
“Tell me again.” He brushed a strand of her hair away from her face. She knew it was probably a knotted mess, but didn’t care.
“I love you.” She felt her breath hitch. “I know I’m not supposed to…”
“Stop.” He put a finger lightly over her lips. “You’re allowed to do whatever you want in life. We make our own paths.” His eyes met hers. “After Cameron, I didn’t think I would be able to trust again. Except for my family. Then you came along.” His hand cupped her face and she enjoyed the warmth of it. “You shook things up, made me look at life from a different angle.” He chuckled, then groaned. “A really different angle.”
She smiled, worry flooding her. His speech was slurred and she could see that he was using up too much energy.
“Rest,” she encouraged.
“Later, I’m not done.” His eyes refocused. “You made me see things, feel things I didn’t know I could. Or even that I wanted in my life. You filled an empty spot, one that I don’t want empty anymore.”
There was a knock on the door and a nurse walked in. “Good, you’re awake. You have a visitor, if you’re up for it?”
He shifted slightly. “Fine.” He glanced back at her. “But this isn’t over.” He smiled. “Now, kiss me before…”
It was too late, Jacob walked in and coughed. “Sorry, I can come back later?”
“No,” Mike said, tugging Xtina down for that kiss anyway.
“I think I’m going to go freshen up.” She dreaded looking at herself in the mirror; she desperately wanted a shower.
“Jessie wanted me to give you this.” He held up a bag. “She’s getting you some food and should be up soon.”
She took the bag, sending up a silent thank you to her friend, then disappeared into the bathroom.
When she peeled the hospital gown from her, she ran her eyes over every inch of her body. Her hair was a rat’s nest, but Jessie had included a bottle of her favorite conditioner and she knew that would soon be resolved.
Her eyes ran lower. Bruises covered her ribs, arms, and legs, like she’d been dragged behind a truck. She even found pebbles in her knees and spent some time picking them out before climbing into the shower.
The hot water hit her and the emotions she’d been holding back spewed free, causing her knees to buckle.
Her mind raced over how close she’d come to losing everything. Mike, herself. Everything. Even before she’d ever really enjoyed life.
She sat on the cold tile floor and let everything out as the hot water cleaned her.
***
“You might as well sit down and spill it,” Mike said, shifting. He held his breath against the pain, but focused on Jacob’s face. He could tell there was a wall of shit heading his way and no amount of bracing for it would ease the pain of hearing what was coming next.
“Well.” Jacob sat and leaned his elbows on his knees. “Looks like the group was a branch of the Humanist Society out of Arizona.” He pulled out a folder that had been tucked under his arm. “We’ve got four of them in custody. Three of them, including William Ray, were killed last night in the fight.”
“And?” He had figured this much already, the part about the Humanist Society being behind it. He’d recognized William Ray right away last night.
“Well, several of them are talking about what they had done to get Xtina back in town.” He shook his head and ran his hand over his face. For the first time, Mike realized that Jacob looked like he hadn’t gotten any sleep yet. “Well, they’re hinting that they had something to do with her parents’ deaths. Mind you”—his eyes met his own— “no one has confessed yet, but they were pretty sure Ray was behind the accident.”
“How… How long had they been here?”
“It appears only a few days. They were setting up a more permanent place less than twenty miles from here.” He looked down at the notes. “They were going to take ‘their mother’—Xtina—to the location and start a new branch of the society with her as their mother.” He threw down the folder. “Christ almighty.” He shook his head. “Talk about crazy.”
Mike chuckled and then instantly regretted the move when his side started burning.
“You doing okay?” Jacob leaned forward, concern flooding his face.
“Yeah.” He shook his head. “Guess I could go for some more meds.” He reached for the button to call the nurse, but Jacob beat him to it.
“Thanks.” He waited. “I mean it. For last night… for everything.”
This time it was Jacob who laughed. “When you’re feeling better, we’re going to have a talk about the other kind of crazy shit that went down last night.”
He nodded, just as a nurse walked in. “Later,” he promised, then Jessie walked in, carrying a bag of fast food.
He almost laughed when she skirted around Jacob with a
frown.
“Hey.” She smiled at him. “Is Xtina in the shower?”
He nodded, already feeling the medicine flooding in his veins.
“Is it okay if I stay and wait for her to come out?” Jessie asked, her eyes moving to Jacob.
“Sure,” he said, his speech already slurring. “Be nice to my brother,” he said before clocking out.
When he woke, Jessie and Xtina were sitting across the room, talking in low tones.
“Hey,” he said, clearing his throat.
They both rushed over to him. “How are you feeling?” Xtina asked.
“Much better.” He realized he was feeling pretty good.
“Your parents are back. They went and got some sleep last night.”
“Good.” He pulled her hand up to his lips and kissed her. “There are some things we have to talk about.”
“I’ll go get them.” Jessie started to leave.
“Make sure you come back. You’ll want to hear this too,” he said.
When everyone was crowded into the small room, he glanced around. Xtina looked back to her normal self, albeit still a little pale. She’d changed into a thick pair of black leggings with a long purple and gray sweater over it. She’d tied her hair up into a long braid that flowed over her shoulder. She’d even applied some makeup, probably to hide the circles under her eyes and the bruises he could see hiding underneath.
He pulled her closer to his good side before opening his mouth to start relaying the information Jacob had given him earlier that day. His parents and Xtina listened patiently while he talked. Jessie, however, interrupted occasionally with questions, most of which he didn’t have the answers to.
“When are they going to let me go home?” he asked after he was finished and the room remained silent.
“If they can get you up and walking with those”—Xtina nodded to the crutches leaning against the wall— “sometime tomorrow.”
He nodded, then started to toss the sheets aside.
“No.” She shook her head. “Food first.” She stopped him from standing. “Take it slow, there’s no hurry.”
He relented when he felt his stomach growl. “Okay.” He moved his good leg back onto the bed.
The rest of the day was filled with everyone coming and going. Several times his parents and Jessie left to grab food or run errands, but Xtina stayed by his side, only leaving to use the restroom or to get him some more water.
That evening, after saying goodnight to his parents, Xtina crawled into bed beside him and flipped through the channels on the TV. She quickly rushed by the news station, but he stopped her and took the remote.
After watching the reports on the local news, he realized why she’d been trying to keep the news from him. Once again, they were painting her as some sort of crazy involved in a cult instead of a victim who had been snatched from her own bedroom.
“It’s okay, really.” She leaned back against his shoulder. “Jacob has assured me that when they make their official statement in the morning, everything will be cleared up.”
“Why the hell is he waiting?”
“They’re too close to getting a confession. He thinks by morning they will have at least one, if not all four.”
All the fight left him as his arms wrapped around her. “Well, I guess we’ll just have to wait then.”
Once again, he drifted off to sleep, holding Xtina in his arms.
When he woke this time, his bed was empty and the room was still dark. He sat up, rubbed his hands across his face, and pushed his good leg over the edge of the bed with the idea of making it to the restroom on his own.
But instead of the cold hospital floor, he met only open air as he was tossed up in the air violently. Loud sounds crashed around him. Dust, rocks, dirt, and debris flew around him as bombs exploded a few yards away. His entire body shook violently as a searing pain shot from his arm and shoulder. When he looked down, he saw bone sticking out of his own flesh and felt blood trickling down his side. He must have screamed, because suddenly, Xtina’s voice was calling out his name.
He woke with a start, the cold hospital floor underneath him, while Xtina stood over him.
“Ethan!” he cried out, trying to get to his feet.
“Easy!” She rushed to him. “I saw it too.” She wrapped her arms around him. “He’s okay.” She told him over and over. “He’s out.”
He closed his eyes and prayed it was true.
“My folks,” he said after a moment. She’d helped him back up onto the bed and had checked that the fall from the bed hadn’t done any damage.
“I’ll call them.” She reached for his phone, just as it rang.
“It’s Jacob,” she said and then handed him the phone.
“Want to tell me what the hell just happened?” Jacob sounded angry. “What the hell did I just see?”
“What?” His eyes moved to Xtina’s.
“Did you just get blown up or what?” Jacob finally asked.
“No, but I think our brother, Ethan, my twin, is in serious trouble.” He closed his eyes as the images flashed once more in his mind.
Epilogue
Xtina sat across the room from Jessie and Jacob. Mike’s parents had left moments ago, after relaying the call they had gotten less than two hours earlier. They had all crowded into her living room, while a fire heated up the entire house.
She was still a little shocked to learn that her parents had been murdered by William Ray, her ex-boyfriend. He had always claimed to be her husband, even though he’d drugged her and wed her himself, shortly before she’d escaped his clutches the first time.
Her eyes moved over to where Mike was propped up on the sofa. Rose snuggled by one of his feet as his bad leg was piled high on top of pillows.
Life had defiantly taken a turn for the better since she’d returned home.
After seeing Ethan being hurt, so much more had become clear to her. She was anxious to tell everyone, but the news about Mike’s brother had outweighed her other news. She had sat back silently as his family worried, even though she now knew everything would turn out.
Mike’s father had explained that they had received a call from Ethan’s commanding officer.
If everything went smoothly, they’d be shipping him back from the temporary hospital later tomorrow.
His mother had broken in, still crying, “He could be home as early as next week.”
Xtina had soothed her as much as she could.
Xtina glanced over at Jacob, who sat in the corner, his face a little pale. She knew it was probably because his family was there. She knew he wanted answers, but he also knew they wouldn’t all come that night.
After his parents had gone back to Mike’s house for the night, Jacob stood up and walked over to the fireplace, holding out his hands for warmth.
“Okay,” he said, turning back to the room. Xtina sat next to Mike while Jessie was in her mother’s old rocking chair, looking a little lost. “Tell me what the hell is happening to me? Why I’m seeing…” He motioned, taking a deep breath. “Things.”
“I wish I knew,” Mike said, turning slightly to her. “Any ideas?”
She nodded, then stood up slowly. “Yes, but we’re not all here, yet…” Just then her doorbell chimed and she took a deep breath. “That will be her.”
“Her?” Jessie asked. “Who, her?”
Xtina turned to the room and smiled. “A piece to our puzzle.”
She held her breath as she walked towards the door. She wasn’t too sure what she’d find on the other side. All she knew was that more power was coming soon. As soon as Ethan made it home.
When she opened the door, she looked into the most beautiful crystal blue eyes she’d ever seen. Peace settled in her mind and heart, then power filled the entire room.
Other books by Jill Sanders
The Pride Series
Finding Pride
Discovering Pride
Returning Pride
Lasting Pride
Red Hot Christmas
My Sweet Valentine
Return To Me
Rescue Me
The Secret Series
Secret Seduction
Secret Pleasure
Secret Guardian
Secret Passions
Secret Identity
Secret Sauce
The West Series
Loving Lauren
Taming Alex
Holding Haley
Missy’s Moment
Breaking Travis
Roping Ryan
Wild Bride
Corey’s Catch
The Grayton Series
Last Resort
Someday Beach
Rip Current
In Too Deep
Swept Away
Lucky Series
Unlucky In Love
Sweet Resolve
Silver Cove Series
Silver Lining
French Kiss
Coming this fall…
Entangled – A Paranormal Romance Series
The Awakening
The Beckoning… Spring 2017
The Ascension… Summer/Fall 2017
For a complete list of books, visit JillSanders.com
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
THE AWAKENING
PRINT ISBN:
DIGITAL ISBN: 978-1-942896-73-9
Copyright © 2016 Jill Sanders
Copyeditor: Erica Ellis – inkdeepediting.com
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