Rules of Bennett: The Complete Collection

by Ember Michaels

  “I love you, too, Bennett. Please take care of yourself. And take care of my sister,” she whispered and then she was gone. The music stopped playing and my surroundings slowly began to disappear until everything was black.

  “Any update on when he could possibly be awake?” a soft voice asked. I could feel her squeeze my hand as I became more aware of my surroundings. I could hear the beeps of machines and smell the sterile scent of a hospital. The bright fluorescent lights in the room hurt my eyes even though they were still closed, but I didn’t move.

  “It should still be any day now,” another voice—probably the doctor—said.

  “You said that last week,” Aurora countered.

  Last week? Fuck. How long had I been out?

  “Mrs. Moreno, your husband suffered a pretty serious gunshot wound. The bullet nicked a major artery and caused him to lose a lot of blood. He needs as much rest as he can get, as he can wake up pretty weak as his body acclimates—”

  “I don’t need you to explain to me what’s wrong with him. I know that much,” she snapped.

  “Why are you talking about me as if I’m not here?” I mumbled.

  “Bennett?” Aurora said. Her voice was laced with surprise and concern.

  “Turn that light off,” I stated, squeezing my eyes shut tighter. Aurora started to pull away, but I squeezed her hand tighter. “Not you. Whoever else is in here.”

  After a few moments, it became dark behind my eyelids again. I slowly opened my eyes, Aurora being the first face I saw. She gave me a small smile and squeezed my hand.

  “Welcome back,” she murmured. She wore a sweater and a pair of jeans and she wore a shorter, dark-haired wig. She looked more like the woman she was when I first got her.

  “Always nice to wake up to a gorgeous face,” I said and returned her smile. Bruce appeared next to her and grinned.

  “Here’s my gorgeous face telling you to hurry up and get out of that bed and come back to work,” he said, chuckling when Aurora playfully elbowed him in the stomach. “Good to see you’re awake.”

  “How long was I out?” I asked and attempted to sit up, wincing when a sharp pain traveled across my right shoulder and collar bone. Aurora placed a gentle hand on my chest to stop me and pressed a button on the bed to sit me up.

  “Almost three weeks,” Bruce answered.

  “Bullshit,” I said and looked to Aurora and then the doctor. “Why the hell would I be asleep that long from a gunshot wound?”

  “You lost a good amount of blood and needed surgery to remove the bullet,” the doctor explained. “Your wife thought it would be best to put you in a medically-induced coma to help you heal and manage your pain.”

  “Because I figured you’d want to leave as soon as the surgery was over,” Aurora said before I could even respond. I grinned. I may not have known much about her, but she definitely knew a good bit about me and how I was.

  “If you needed a vacation, you didn’t have to get yourself shot,” Bruce teased.

  I chuckled. “Fuck you, you asshole,” I said and turned my attention to Aurora. “How’s your arm?”

  “It’s fine. Still hurts a bit, but it’s fine. You’re the one with the major injury. How are you feeling?”

  “As good as I can be. I’m ready to get the hell out of here,” I said and looked over to the doctor, who hadn’t said a word yet. “Is there any specific reason why I need to stay here, or can I continue recovering at home?”

  “We’d like to keep you here a little while longer to make sure you can move steadily on your feet and—”

  “If I can do that now, can I get out of here?” I interrupted. The doctor looked at Bruce and Aurora. Aurora squeezed my hand and grinned at me.

  “People don’t usually just wake up from a nearly three-week coma and walk right out of the hospital, Bennett,” Aurora said. “Besides, now that you’re awake, they’ll probably need to do some more scans on your shoulder to make sure things are still good. Can you stay still long enough to let them do their job?”

  I exhaled deeply and settled back in the bed. “Fine,” I said.

  “Well, now that this prick is awake, I’m going downstairs to get some coffee,” Bruce said and looked to Aurora. “Do you need anything? Your usual?”

  “Yeah, that’s fine,” she said. He nodded and walked out of the room.

  “I’ll give you two a moment. A nurse will be in here soon to draw your blood, Mr. Moreno,”

  “Thank you, Doctor,” Aurora said. When he left us alone, she turned to me. “Are you in pain or anything?”

  Though my shoulder throbbed like crazy, I shook my head. “Not too much,” I said. “Everything okay with you? The baby?”

  “We’re fine,” she said with a soft smile.

  “Been eating okay?”

  She playfully rolled her eyes. “Yes, I’ve been eating, Bennett. Your men picked up with your nagging as soon as you were brought here,” she said.

  “How’s Saint?” I asked. I could still remember all the blood on the floor. He’d lost consciousness moments before the doctor and right before Wilson called. The only thing he kept saying was to tell Giselle he loved her, and it broke my heart. If he didn’t make it, I had no idea how to break that kind of news to a three-year-old who’d already lost her mother. Saint was all she had.

  “He also had to have surgery. He’s stable, but still in bad shape.”

  “Does Giselle know?”

  “I only told her that Daddy got hurt and he has to stay with the doctor to get better. Since the other kids have gone home, she’s in the house with me. You may have to fight her for your spot back in our bed.”

  “I guess I better get used to it. I’m sure our own baby is going to take over our bed soon,” I said with a chuckle.

  She giggled and nodded, looking out toward the door. “I wonder what’s taking Bruce so long,” she mumbled, mostly to herself.

  “I thought caffeine was bad for the baby?” I asked with a frown.

  “Caffeine? I didn’t ask for coffee.”

  “You said you wanted your usual when he asked what you wanted.”

  “Oh yeah.” She grinned and patted her belly. “This little guy has specific tastes these days. I’ve literally been living off of pepperoni pizza and lemonade.”

  My heart tightened in my chest. A son. A small boy that I’d have to teach to be a man. A small boy that I’d have to be a good, strong example for. A small boy that would turn into a strong man that’ll carry on the Moreno bloodline long after I was gone.

  “Wow,” I finally said. “When did you find out?”

  Confusion crossed her face briefly before she shook her head. “Sorry, I probably should’ve worded that better. I don’t know the gender just yet. I’d wanted to wait until you were home before I had that ultrasound,” she said.

  “I need to get up,” I said, wincing as I slowly sat up on my own.

  Aurora frowned at me. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  “I was shot in the shoulder; nothing’s wrong with my legs,” I said, just as a nurse walked in.

  “Everything okay, Mr. Moreno?” she asked, putting down the empty blood vials on the small bedside table.

  “I just want to stand up,” I said.

  She nodded. “Let me draw your blood really quick and I’ll help you,” she said. I kept my eyes on Aurora as the nurse did her job, barely flinching when the needle touched my skin. Once she finished, she lowered the bedside rail and helped me swing my legs around to touch the floor. I fought the urge to growl in pain when I slowly stood, finally standing up straight. Aurora looked to me with wide eyes. The room spun around me for a few moments and I closed my eyes until it stopped.

  “Are you okay?” Aurora asked, her voice grounding me.

  “Mr. Moreno, how are you feeling standing up?” the nurse asked. I was fine as long as I had my eyes closed, which was probably further proof that the hospital was where I belonged right now. “Mr. Moreno?”

 
; “I’m fine right now; just can’t open my eyes or else the room will spin,” I said.

  “Maybe we should get you back into bed—”

  “Wait. I got out of bed for a reason.” I forced myself to open my eyes, meeting Aurora’s concerned gaze as she looked at me. “I want to hold my wife for a moment.”

  Something strange passed over her face before she came over to me. I wrapped my good arm around her and pulled her close to me, being careful of her own injured arm. I took in the scent of her subtle perfume, the warmth of her skin, and the fact that she was here. She was alive. She was safe. Our baby was safe. Now that this bullshit with Wilson was over, I could finally enjoy the fact that my wife was expecting. I could finally start planning for a future for my growing family, granted that I could convince Aurora to stay.

  “You should get back in bed,” she murmured after a few moments, her hand running up and down my bare back. I didn’t want to let her go, but I was becoming so dizzy that it made me nauseous. I placed a soft kiss on her neck before kissing her lips, finally sitting back on the bed. The nurse helped me get comfortable and Aurora moved to the other side, climbing in bed next to me.

  “Do you need anything, Mr. Moreno?” the nurse asked as she gathered her things.

  “Pain medicine would be good,” I said and winced, the pain in my shoulder becoming hard to ignore.

  “Of course. I’ll be right back with that as soon as I send this blood off,” she said and left the room.

  Aurora cuddled into me, carefully draping her injured arm across my waist. “If this is painful for you, I’ll move.”

  “I’m willing to sacrifice comfort right now,” I said. “How’s everything back home?”

  “It’s a lot calm now. Other than Giselle wanting to see Saint, everyone’s good.”

  “And Carrie?”

  “She’s been house hunting lately. Now that Wilson’s been captured—”

  “Captured?” I interrupted. “Why the fuck isn’t he dead?”

  She looked up at me. “I told you I wanted him to suffer. Plus, I wanted you to be home and well before he was actually killed. You have just as much right as I do to cause his death.”

  I kissed her forehead. She could’ve killed him herself if she really wanted to, but she’d actually thought about me in her decision. That had to mean something…right?

  “I appreciate that,” I murmured, my fingers running through the soft hair of her wig. “I like this.”

  “Yeah, I was a little tired of the blonde,” she said with a sigh.

  “I like it. It looks more like you,” I said, though it was shorter than the length of her hair before I’d cut it. It only just barely swept her shoulders.

  “I’m back with the goods,” Bruce said as he entered the room. His eyes softened when he saw Aurora and I in bed together. “Should I come back?”

  “Nah, you’re good. She probably needs to eat anyway,” I said.

  Bruce walked over to Aurora’s side and put down a couple slices of pizza and a cup on the bedside table. “Pizza and lemonade for Baby Moreno and you,” he said to her. “And a meatball sub and coke for me.”

  “And nothing for me?” I joked. Aurora grabbed a slice of pizza and held to up to me, but I shook my head. “I’m kidding. I don’t have much of an appetite anyway.”

  The nurse came in and walked over to my IV pole with a syringe. “Mr. Moreno, I have a little bit of dilaudid for you,” she said as she took my line into her hands. I only nodded as she connected the syringe to my IV line and pushed the medicine, flushing it with saline. I closed my eyes as the rush of the medicine washed over me, making me feel warm all over until the pain was only a dull ache. “You okay there, Mr. Moreno?”

  “Never been better,” I mused, though I felt loopy.

  “I stopped by to check on Saint,” Bruce said and bit into a sandwich. “Still no change.”

  “I hope he makes it through,” Aurora said with a sigh before taking a bite of her pizza.

  “How bad was it for him?” I asked.

  “Bullet lacerated his liver and damaged his spleen. Lots of blood loss. He had surgery to remove the damaged part of his liver and they removed his spleen. Had issues with bleeding, but I think they have him stable for now. They have him in a medically induced coma, too so that he can heal,” Bruce said with a sigh.

  “Damn. My shoulder injury is tiny compared to his,” I murmured.

  Aurora shook her head. “You’re not all that hot yourself. Even though you had surgery, they couldn’t get all the fragments out without damaging nerves. Not to mention, it nicked a major artery, which took them forever to stop bleeding and you had to get many blood transfusions too. That’s why we were worried about you still feeling weak. Saint is a lot worse, but your injury isn’t minor either.”

  I looked at my bandaged shoulder, my whole arm in a sling. Right now, I didn’t feel much of anything with the pain medicine, which I was grateful for. I settled back against the pillows and closed my eyes, listening to Aurora and Bruce talk amongst themselves until I finally dozed off.

  I jumped awake when the IV machine beeped next to me. A new nurse gave me a sympathetic smile as she continued replacing the empty saline bag.

  “I didn’t mean to wake you,” she said. “How are you feeling?”

  I looked around the room and saw that Aurora and Bruce weren’t here anymore. “Where’d they go?” I mumbled.

  “They’ve gone home for the night,” the nurse said. “Visiting hours are over.” She finished stringing up the new saline bag and then settled her gaze on me. “Do you need anything? How are you feeling?”

  I shook my head and closed my eyes again. “I’m fine.” The phone on my nightstand rang, immediately setting me on edge. “Who knows that I’m here?”

  The nurse looked at me with a raised eyebrow. “Only your family?” she said. “Do you want me to get that?”

  “Yeah,” I said cautiously. She picked up the phone and handed to me. I put it to my ear. “Who is this?”

  “Hi, Uncle Benny!”

  The tension in my body immediately melted at the sound of Giselle’s voice. “Hi, little dove,” I said and settled back into my pillows.

  “Are you feeling better yet?” she asked, excitement filling her voice.

  “Almost. What are you doing?”

  “I’m having a sleepover party in your room with Aurora!” Aurora said something in the background that made Giselle giggle. “And we have a lot of snacks!”

  “That sounds like fun. Make sure you keep Aurora company for me until I get back. She might get lonely and sad.”

  “Okay! Is my daddy awake, too?” she asked.

  My heart slightly broke. I could hear the hope in her voice, wanting to take to her daddy but couldn’t because he was still in a coma. “Not yet, little dove. He still needs to get some more rest so that he can be strong when he wakes up,” I finally said.

  “Okay,” she said sadly. It killed me that I couldn’t make her happy, that I couldn’t change Saint’s situation. It wasn’t even a guarantee that he’d wake up anytime soon depending on the true extent of his injury. I didn’t want to lie to her, but I didn’t want to make her sad either.

  “Don’t be sad, little dove,” I murmured. “Your dad is the toughest man I know.”

  “I know. He beats up the monsters that scare me under my bed,” she stated matter-of-factly. I chuckled.

  “He does. But now he has to rest so that he can fight more monsters for you.”

  “Okay,” she said, and the phone rustled for a moment. “Well, I’m gonna eat popcorn, okay?”

  I smiled. “Okay, little dove,” I said. The phone rustled for a moment, Giselle saying something excitedly.

  “Hey,” Aurora said when she got the phone.

  “Sounds like you guys are having a party,” I said.

  “Yeah. She’s been pretty sad, so I thought doing something every night before bed would cheer her up.” She was quiet for a moment. “How are yo
u feeling?”

  “I’m good. How about you?”

  “I’m fine. We ate dinner, I gave Giselle a bath, and now we’re sitting in bed to watch Frozen 2 for the fourth night in a row.”

  I couldn’t help but think of her doing the same for our child one day. “Thanks for looking after her,” I said.

  “I promised Saint that I would,” she murmured.

  “Aurora, the movie is starting!” Giselle protested in the background.

  “Well, that’s my cue. I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said with a light sigh.

  “Good night, gorgeous.”

  Good night, Bennett,” she replied.

  “Good night, Uncle Benny! Sweet dreams!” Giselle shouted in the background.

  I chuckled. “Good night, little dove,” I said and gave the phone back to the nurse, who still stood next to the bed. She put the phone back on the table and smiled at me.

  “How old is your daughter?” she asked.

  “She’s a daughter of my good friend,” I answered. “My wife is looking after her.”

  “That’s nice of her. Do you two have children of your own?”

  “She’s pregnant with our first,” I murmured.

  “That’s sweet. I bet this is an exciting time for you both,” she said with a dreamy sigh. “Well, let me know if you need anything, okay? I’ll move your call button a little closer to you.” She moved the remote with the call button on it a little closer to me before heading toward the door.

  “One second,” I said suddenly. She paused and looked at me. “How many times has she been up here?”

  “Your wife?” she asked. I nodded. “She’s been here every day that you’ve been here. You have a very caring wife. I can’t tell you the number of times some spouses don’t have visitors for days at a time or at all.”

  “Thanks,” I murmured. “That was all I wanted.”

  She nodded and left me alone in my thoughts. Maybe things could work between us after all.

  AURORA

  “But I don’t hear anything,” Giselle said with a frown. She pressed her ear against my belly. “I don’t hear a heartbeat in there.”