Page 33 of Deceptively Dead

My eyes fall to the end of my bed, and I see a familiar set of tense shoulders. Nate is standing with an older man that has a rounded face and kind eyes hidden behind thick glasses. They are talking quietly and it takes me a moment to tune them in over the beeping of the heart machine.

“She just needs to rest now Nate.” The older man says with a kind smile that turns into a grimace at whatever expression Nate gives him. “I know it’s not what you want to hear, but you know, and I know that we have done everything we can now. Let her rest and rehydrate, son. You know there’s no rushing this.” He puts a friendly hand on Nates shoulder and squeezes. “And for the love of God man, get some fucking rest. You look like shit.” The man says with a smile as he walks away.

Once he is gone Nate stays as he is for a moment, shoulders drooped, and exhaustion written in every line of his body. I can’t stop myself from whispering his name and his head snaps to me immediately as happiness colors his features. He nearly knocks Hunter flat on his back as he barges over to me. He cups my face in his hands as Hunter lets out a startled yelp that makes me giggle as he rights himself in his chair.

Then all three of the guys are crowding around me and my gaze darts from one face to another, relief clearly stamped on each of their features.

“How are you feeling Trouble?” Nate asks anxiously after delivering a scorching kiss that makes me feel all sorts of things that he’s definitely not asking about.

“Umm. Better than you guys look, that’s for sure.” I joke while anxiously studying their drawn features.

Chase barks out a laugh and Nate huffs, drawing back a bit to allow Hunter to take my lips in his own searing kiss.

“That’s what happens when you nearly lose your whole world, precious.” He states firmly as he leans his forehead against mine, our breath mingling. He reaches up to trace my face and says softly. “No more injuries.”

I know it’s not a promise I can keep but I nod enthusiastically, “No more injuries” I confirm, heart fluttering wildly at his declaration.

Chase turns my face to him and delivers a soothing, drugging kiss that takes a sharp turn into demanding when I moan against his lips.

“Stop, you two. You’ll give her a heart attack.” Nate jokes as the heart monitor kicks into overdrive, beeping wildly with each thump of my pounding heart.

I hear racing footsteps and a moment later the nurse bursts through the curtain, calculating eyes taking in the three hulking men standing over me and the no doubt flushed state of my cheeks.

“Out.” She barks in an excellent imitation of Nate. My three guys just stare at her in shock.I have no doubt people don’t usually tell them what to do.“I let you two sleep in here because it seemed like she didn’t want you to leave any more than you did, but I will not have you disturbing my patient while she heals.” The petite nurse continues angrily, glaring at my guys as they don’t immediately move to obey her. She gets a truly terrifying glint in her blue eyes as she takes a step closer to me. I notice absently that her strawberry blond curls have a hint of grey peeking through, not that it detracts from her ‘down home’ good looks. “Now, I know you three think the rules don’t apply to you, and that you’re the Big Bad of Charydale, but when you are in my clinic, you follow my rules dammit!” As she speaks, she keeps moving forward, pushing her way between the two guys on my left and me, until Hunter and Nate are forced back a step, their hands raised in the air pacifyingly. “Better.” She mumbles before turning her back on them and shooting a glare at Chase who grins back at her but moves back a pace all the same. She then looks to me, a sweet smile transforming her from a protective mamma bear to a kind looking mouse of a woman. “Now, dear. I just need to ask you some basic questions to make sure you don’t have a concussion.” She says to me in a motherly tone of voice. “Do you know where you are? What day it is?” sheasks as she takes out a pen and paper to jot down my answers.Only…

“Um. No. I don’t know where I am? I assume a place called Charydale from what you just said. And the day… I don’t think I’ve known the day for at least two years now…”

I watch her face slip from sweet nurse back to angry bear in a split second before she rounds on the guys. “Good lord. You didn’t even tell her where you were taking her? Where did she come from? Why is she so busted up? Oh my god. Did you three bring her here against her will?!” she all but screeches at them. They flinch and I try to smother my laugh.I know I should stop her but… this is hella amusing.

“Of course not, Linda!” Nate says, sounding highly offended. “No one bloody knows the days anymore when they live outside the community, what a stupid question. And look, we were a little busy not letting Angie die to worry about telling her exactly where we were.” He shoots me an apologetic look as he says the last part and I can’t hide my grin from him. He huffs a laugh and rolls his eyes at me for playing around.

Linda turns back to me, and I nod innocently. “Sorry, no. I know these men. They saved me. So many times. We’re… um… that is to say we…” I look at the guys for help, suddenly not at all sure what to call us and this thing we have going on.

“She’s ours” Hunter declares, smiling over Linda’s head at me as he adds “and we are hers.”

“Oh. Oohhh.” Linda nods rapidly, her righteous indignation deflating as quickly as it came, leaving only the professional behind. “And the scars?” she asks and I go rigid, not at all ready to reveal my history to a stranger.

“Wait. Why did you automatically think they kidnapped me?” I question her, trying to distract her.

“What? Oh. Right. Well.” She fiddles with my fluid line and straightens her spine before giving me an easy smile and a wink“Never can be too careful in these times dear.” Then she all but flees the room, forgetting her line of questioning.

I give the guys a look as they close in around me again. Chase gives me a wan smile and answers my unspoken question.

“People round here see us a bit different than what you do Angel. We aren’t much better than guard dogs to them sometimes.” He muses. He doesn’t sound upset, but Hunter fidgets uncomfortably.

“Because you guys are the ‘Big Bad’?” I ask them and earn a chuckle.

“Yeah. But, also, because we are gone so much, they barely know us as people, they just knowofus.”

“They know only what we show them, precious. And what we show them… sometimes people need a boogie man in their peripheral, just to make sure their own darkness doesn’t slip out.” Hunter says. His words are cryptic, but I understand. Every person, even those that are inherentlygood,has a darkness living inside them. It used to be that society would cage and curb that darkness for them, giving everyone rigid guidelines on how to behave and act, what was acceptable and what was not, but when society collapses and no one is around to police the rules, people either can’t or don’t want to contain their own inner demons. They allow themselves to be lead down a path they would never have taken if someone was there to question their decisions and hold them accountable. I’ve witnessed too many good people do bad things just to survive, to not understand what Hunter is saying. Hell, I’ve been one of those people.

I end up just humming an agreement and turn to Nate.

“When can I leave here?” I ask and he smiles.

“Tomorrow, I should expect. The IV antibiotics seem to be working well, and we should be able to move you to oral meds by the afternoon. Then you can come home.” He says and I get a flutter of excitement.

“Yourrealhome?” I ask just to be sure.

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