Page 62 of Black Wedding

A power I haven’t felt in a long time overcomes my body, and with every ounce of strength I have, I squeeze Liam’s hand. His breath is in my ear, causing a shiver to run down my spine as he talks. “Princess...Bree. Did you do that? Can you hear me? Squeeze my hand again if you can hear me.”

I do as I am asked, squeezing his hand as hard as I can, and then I feel him. He roughly presses his lips to mine. It’s a desperate but short kiss that causes my heart to race. I mean literally. The beeping from the heart machine becomes louder as the room fills with proof of how much Liam’s touch affects me.

Things become crazy after that. Liam keeps hold of my hand, but the room fills with doctors and nurses. They do numerous tests on me to determine that I am really here, and Liam didn’t imagine things. I do all the tasks the doctors ask of me, and listen to the older, more gravelly voice of who I have come to learn is Dr. Mariton, the man who operated on me when I first came here. He gives me hope that it won’t be long until I am awake properly.

I have no idea how much time passes, everything moves so quickly. It’s hard to keep track of how often I come and go, in and out of consciousness, and I can’t exactly look at a watch. I know that I spend more time asleep than I do awake, no matter how hard I push.

Finally I’m able, even if it’s only for a few seconds, to open my eyes. As I look around I realise it’s most likely nighttime as the nurses are all a lot quieter, and Liam is lying beside me, with me curled up in his arms. It’s an act he has perfected now to ensure he doesn’t catch any wire or tubing, and I can still sleep curled up on his chest. But now I don’t want to sleep, I want to see Liam. Sadly my body doesn’t agree and I fall back to sleep.

My eyelids flutter open, again, and they feel so heavy as I work hard to keep them open this time. The small hospital room is mostly in darkness, lit up slightly by the light from the corridor seeping in through the gap where the door is open. Initially, the artificial light from the corridor is bright enough to hurt my overly-sensitive eyes. But, gradually they adjust. I take in the bleak hospital room and see some of Liam’s things draped over the chair in the corner. The table in front of me has been decorated with pictures of my family and friends. There’s Liam and me from our funfair date, a couple of Kellan and Mia, alongside ones from the engagement party with Liam and his family.

My breath catches when I see the most prominent photo in a frame in the middle of all the others. The picture has obviously been edited, but it’s so beautiful. The image is of Liam standing at the bottom of the aisle, waiting for me to walk down to meet him. The room is decorated beautifully, and all our closest people are sitting looking on. Liam looks a little apprehensive, but it has been made to look like he is looking at me entering the room. The photographer must have taken a picture of what my dress looked like from behind, the train trailing behind, the beautiful open back visible through the veil. That image of me had been placed in the corner of the picture. It genuinely looks like I’m walking down the aisle to meet him.

My eyes fill with tears as I remember what was torn from us. That beautiful day was ruined, and I could have been taken from Liam for good. Anger rises within me as I remember who is responsible, and I will make them pay.

Trying to blink away the pain, I quickly realise that my mouth is still dry no matter how many times I rub my lips together. That cotton wool feeling becomes overwhelming. I notice a glass of water on the table, and I lift my arm to reach for it, trying my hardest not to disrupt Liam. He looks so peaceful when he is sleeping, and the bags under his eyes tell me he hasn’t been doing a whole host of that. I should have known he would be in tune with the slightest movement my body makes.

As soon as he feels my arm start to move, he freezes. He feels like a hard rock lying underneath me. He doesn’t say or do anything, just waits. I open my mouth to say something, but it’s too dry. So instead, I turn my head just slightly so he can see my face as I try hard to give him a smile. My face must be bruised or swollen because it’s painful, but as soon as his smile lights up his face, I know it was worth it.

He shuffles us slightly so I can look at him easier. I make sure the grip I have on him doesn’t falter. He is never leaving my side again.

“Fuck, Princess. Are you really awake? I feel like I’m dreaming,” his raspy voice is like music to my ear. The hand not clasped tightly with mine comes up and lightly strokes my face, pushing my hair behind my ears. I don’t even want to think about how much of a mess I look. The way Liam looks at me like I’m a rare artefact he didn’t believe existed, but now he has it in his hands, he stares at me with the same awe.

“I’m...here. W-water…” I force out, my voice sounding scratchy and hoarse.

Instantly, Liam reaches forward, bringing the water glass forward and placing the straw in my mouth. I take in a big gulp, and a flash enters my mind. It’s like I see parts of a movie, like a trailer of what happened to me, but I don’t want to remember it all. I remember enough though. My brain sadly doesn’t seem to give a shit, and the memory of Vinnie giving me water only for me to vomit it back up after gulping too hard floods my brain. It’s like my body can remember it more than I can as my stomach rolls and nausea overcomes me. I take just a few small sips of the water, just enough to wet my mouth.

“Liam...I—” I don’t even know what I want to say to him or how to word it. How do I tell him that I don’t remember much of what happened, but I know my father and Jimmy played some part. I want to know how much they betrayed me, but there’s still a part of me too terrified to find out everything. Flashes of pain, beatings, and degradation flash in my mind, and I can feel myself becoming overwhelmed. My heart races and the accompanying beeping from the machine letting everyone know that I am freaking the fuck out does nothing to help the situation.

Liam gently strokes my face, and whispers shushing noises to me as he lightly kisses my forehead. The feel of his lips on my skin and his touch sweeping over my body is enough for me to calm my breathing. I try to take a big deep breath, only to wince in pain as I cannot breathe deeply. I try to move my hand to my side, needing to know what’s causing the sharp pain I feel near my ribs. It feels like it’s preventing my lungs from expanding fully.

Liam grabs hold of my hand before I can get to the source of the pain. “No, Bree. Stay still, please, Princess. I have called for the nurse to come in. You have tubes in your body. The one you were just trying to reach for is because your lung collapsed after a piece of fractured rib pierced it. The tube is preventing the build-up of air. Your lung will feel a bit sore for a while, but honestly, this is helping you. So please don’t touch it.” His voice is deep and pleading, but of course, I listen to him and let him guide my hand to rest on his chest instead.

“What happened to me, Liam? I don’t remember it all,” I whisper, and his face pales. His eyes are as wide as saucers. I’m not sure he knows what to tell me.

“Bree, I…” Luckily Liam is cut off when a young, blonde nurse enters the room. She smiles the biggest smile at Liam, taking in his beautiful exposed chest.

“Liam, what have I told you about sitting on the bed. You don’t want to get me in trouble, do you?” she giggles. Then she, honest to God, flips her hair back like you see girls do in terrible rom coms when they are trying to get a guy’s attention.

As she progresses closer to us, she thrusts her impressive sized chest out, enhancing it further. Her nurse’s uniform already looks a tad too small. I don’t say that in a bitchy fat-shaming way. Simply that she has obviously chosen to wear a uniform that is a size too small to show off her fantastic figure. Nurses’ dresses don’t tend to be flattering, but she has added a belt and a good bra, so her curves look great. Fuck, I may be a little jealous, but I have no need to be.

The entire time I am lying here, I stare daggers at Nurse Big Tits, getting angry at her for looking so amazing and flirting with my man, particularly when I look like shit and can’t compete. I needn’t have worried because Liam’s eyes never leave me. I don’t think he is even aware she is a girl, let alone how hot she looks. He gently slides out of bed, but I keep our hands clasped together, ensuring he doesn’t go too far.

The next couple of hours pass by in a blur. They give me medication to help with the pain, and I doze in and out of sleep for a while, but generally, they are happy I am out of the woods. But that is just physically. Mentally is a whole other story. The flashes of memories are driving me crazy, and I can feel the fear overtaking my body. I think not knowing what really happened is worse than what I am imagining.

It takes a couple of days for me to fully come around from all the medication. When I am beginning to feel more like myself, and with Liam’s help, I begin to get up and move around. That’s when they make the decision to take out all of my tubes. I am pleased because this is the first step in my journey to getting home.

Almost two weeks after the incident happened, the nurses are finally happy with my progress. The doctors think I should be able to go home the next day if I can manage without extra painkillers overnight. They think I can’t handle the pain, which is why I have been asking for additional overnight. They think I am using them for pain, I am not. Instead, I am using them to help me get to sleep. I can’t close my eyes without seeing the flashes, let alone the pain I feel when my brain releases new information. Nighttime is always the worst because I have no idea what is real and what’s a dream. That’s why I have been trying to get help with sleep, but tonight I am determined to be able to go home. No matter how many nightmare’s I get, I will be going without tonight. This is the last night Liam and I spend away from our own bed.

Liam has known for a while that there is something wrong. I accidentally wake him up in the middle of the night, he finds me sobbing and shaking, but he doesn’t ask me about it. Instead, he holds me and whispers reassuring words into my ear. He tells me to talk to him whenever I am ready, which makes me love him even more. I don’t deserve this beautiful man. So, I need to be honest with him.

The darkness of the room acts as a protector for me, and with my head resting on his chest, I know I can avoid eye contact. “Liam...I need to know what happened. My brain is creating all sorts of scenarios. I need to know what’s real,” I whisper, but I know he can hear me.

His breath hitches. “I have been waiting for you to ask. Do you remember who organised your kidnapping?” he asks, his hand stroking down my arm with a featherlight touch that he knows relaxes me instantly.

“I remember that my father and Jimmy were involved. They were setting up Vinnie...fuck. What happened to Vinnie? He helped me. Is he okay?” How had I forgotten about the scared young lad who got in over his head? He fucking saved my life. How can I remember all the bad shit that happened but not the good?

“Relax, Princess. He is fine. We let everyone believe that he died in the rescue. He’s got a new identity, and I have sent him to school with Ryleigh. Kid needs the chance to finish his education and become whoever he wants to be. I owe him for everything he did for you, and I promised I would take care of him.” The brightest smile crosses my lips as he speaks. I definitely picked a good man here.

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