“He’s awake,” I screeched and pointed at the wide-eyed man staring at the three of us.
“Bring it down a few notches,” he said and squinted his eyes.
“How are you feeling, Mr. Black?” the nurse asked the first of many questions and proceeded to check everything she could possibly check on him.
I tried to be patient, but I was nearing my breaking point when the nurse finally left the room.
“I’m sorry,” we both said at the same time.
“Come ‘ere, Locks,” he rumbled and patted the bed beside him.
With zero hesitation, I carefully crawled into the hospital bed with him and promptly turned into a sobbing mess. “I thought I lost you. He shot you, Copper. In the chest. There was so much blood, and we couldn’t get you down, and—”
“I love you,” he said, effectively shutting me up.
I raised my head so I could see his eyes. “I love you, too.”
He grinned, “I know. I heard you that day in the warehouse. And I’ve heard you say it since then.”
“What else have you heard?”
“A lot, but why don’t you hit me with the highlights in case I missed something,” he suggested.
“Okay, here goes. Asp shot you. I shot Asp. Annabelle went into labor. The babies are in the NICU. You fell on me and broke my ribs. A nail punctured my lung. Aim is still in police custody. And, I think that’s it.”
“How are your ribs?” he asked.
“Splint said they were cracked but not completely broken, but they still hurt like a motherfucker if I move wrong,” I told him honestly.
“Well, then, you should probably take it easy and get some rest,” he said with a yawn, and before long, we were both asleep.
When I opened my eyes and saw Phoenix sitting in the chair that had been my home since I was allowed to leave my hospital room, I startled, which caused Copper to jolt. He let out a grunt of pain while I clutched my ribs and tried to take slow, easy breaths.
“Shit. I didn’t mean to scare you. Can I do anything to help?” Phoenix asked.
“No,” we both groaned.
Phoenix walked up to the side of the bed and grabbed Copper’s hand. “Heard you were finally awake, but I had to see it for myself. You had us worried there for a minute.”
“Yeah, I can admit getting shot in the chest scared the shit out of me, too,” Copper said honestly. “How are Annabelle and the babies?”
Phoenix smiled. “They’re all doing great. The twins are still in the NICU, but Annabelle’s already been discharged from the hospital.” He paused for a moment and rubbed his chin. “She’s been asking about both of you. I was able to hold her off while she was still in the hospital, but now that she’s been released, she’ll be stopping by in between feeding times.”
“What’s the problem?” Copper asked.
“She doesn’t know about Layla and Aim, yet, and I’m not—”
A throat cleared from behind Phoenix, startling the three of us. “Sorry to interrupt, but it sounds like my timing is perfect,” Aim said with a grim look on his face.
“How so?” Copper asked.
Aim stepped into the room and ran his hand through his hair. “My little girl is sick. Has been for a while, and she needs a bone marrow transplant. We’re on the registry, but we haven’t found a match yet, and family members have a better chance of being a match, and—”
“You need us to get tested?” I asked.
“Please,” he said with a desperation so great I felt tears sting the backs of my eyes.
Phoenix clapped Aim on the shoulder. “We’ll tell her when she comes down. I know she won’t have a problem with being tested, but I don’t know if they’ll let her since she just had the babies.”