Page 119 of Falcon

“Not necessarily,” Dr. Ford replies. “But that is something we have to consider. The more likely scenario is brain damage. Loss of motor function, memory.”

“Jesus.” I chew on my thumbnail. “Can we go see him?” I am eager to see him, touch him, to see with my own eyes he is okay.

“We can let you go back one at a time. Hospital rules,” Dr. Ford says. “I’ll be back around to check on him a little later.” He nods and makes his way out of the waiting room.

I turn toward Joe. “You should go. You’re his family. He needs you.”

“He’s asking for you, Faith. I think it’s high time you realize you’re his family too now.” He gives me a smile. “Go. We’ll be here when you’re done. Don’t rush.”

I look at Courtney and she nods in agreement.

“Thank you both. So much.” I turn away and rush down the hall toward the nurses’ station to find out where he is.

***

I stand outside of the door of his room in the emergency department to gather myself before I push open the door and peek around the curtain. My heart explodes and shatters all at once.

He’s sitting on the bed, dressed in a hospital gown with IVs connected to his arms and monitors attached to his fingers and chest. He looks exhausted, but when he turns his head and sees me waiting for him in the doorway, his eyes light up like a firework.

“Faith.”

That’s all he has to say before I bolt across the room and into his arms, careful not to disrupt any of the wires or tubes attached to him.

He pulls me from my feet and into his lap across the bed, holding me as tightly as he can as my face buries into the crook of his neck.

“You scared the shit out of me. Out of all of us,” I whisper against his skin.

“I know, baby. I’m sorry, but I’m good now. It was just a little mishap and I’m all good to go,” he says, and I lean back to look at his face.

“Are you really saying that right now?” I shake my head. “You have a concussion. Another one, Marco. You were clearly in so much pain during your fight that you could hardly function. I just, I don’t know when enough is going to be enough.”

“I don’t want to fight about this, Faith. Not with you and not with anyone else. This isn’t something we have to talk about now or even tomorrow. For now, I just want to hold my girl as tightly as I can. I want to kiss her and remind her how fucking amazing she is. Can we do that?”

I lean forward and rest my forehead on his chest.

“This conversation isn’t over, Marco Masen,” I say quietly. “But for now, I want nothing more than to stay right here in your arms.”

Falcon

Faith fell asleep in my arms, in the hospital bed, soon after she settled into them. The nurses tried to make me tell her to move, but I put an end to that before it even started.

I know Courtney and Joe were out in the waiting room, but I sent one of the nurses out to send them back to the hotel, letting them know I’m okay, I’m fine, and I want Faith to stay the night with me.

I expected to be moved up to a room, which I was fucking dreading because that just comes with its own set of complications and connotations, but apparently, they just want to hold me here for observation until morning.

I would be lying if I said what happened today didn’t scare me. How could it not?

It was the worst my head has ever been, and on top of that, I got fucking embarrassed by Jesse Dominique. I know that isn’t what I should be worried about right now, but this is my fucking career.

I’m scrolling through Twitter on my phone, and every other tweet is a video of me being knocked out, and every one of them stings to see. It’s a blow to the pride, but it also shows me how fucking terrible I looked. It was obvious on my face that I was in pain.

I thought I was doing a nice job hiding it. Apparently not.

The top reply to a video tweeted out by a very well-known gossip site makes my blood run hot and my anger prickle in the back of my neck.

Twitter reply from @BraxTheKingWhite

Just like a bitch. On his fucking back where he belongs.

---