Page 59 of Fury

The pain is searing through my head like a hot poker. It’s so bad, I want to rip open my own skull just to relieve it. But I can’t move.Why the fuck can’t I move?I try to open my eyes, but it feels like they’re grainy and swollen. My mouth is dry, and even when I try to lick my lips, there’s nothing much there.

“He’s waking up.” It sounds like Axel.What’s he doing here?“Brother, you had us all fucking worried,” he says, and I feel his hand on my shoulder. “Nurse,” he calls. “He’s waking up.”Waking up? Nurse?Nothing is making sense.

A gentle hand feels my forehead. “Mr. Northman, I’m a nurse. You’re in Royal London Hospital. You’ve been in the wars, and we’ve had to keep a very close eye on you,” she says gently. “Can you open your eyes for me?” I try,I really do, but they won’t budge. It’s like they’re glued shut. “Okay, can you squeeze my hand if you can hear me?” She places her cold fingers into my hand, and I squeeze. It’s not much but enough for her to feel it.Why do my arms feel so weak?

“Perfect. Well done. Don’t worry too much, things will start to make sense. I’ll grab some eye drops to see if that helps,” she says as she releases my hand.

“Fuck, man, we thought you were gonna die,” says Axel. “What the fuck happened?”Good question.“I’m gonna call Lex. Everyone will be pleased to know you’re waking up. This last fortnight took its toll on us all, especially Xanth.”

Xanth? Who the fuck is Xanth?I only know one Xanthe, and I haven’t seen her for years.

Xanthe

Relief floodsme when Axel calls to tell us Fury is awake. I’ve spent the last two weeks in agony, desperate to see him, to hold him, and to tell him how much I love him. The closest I’ve gotten is when Mum visited him and placed the phone beside his ear. And we still have no answers. We don’t know where Donnie is, and even though Axel is sure he’s out of the country, he won’t risk letting me go to the hospital. And we have no idea who Fury fought, but maybe now we’ll get some answers and make them all pay.

It’s not until an hour or so later, when Mum calls, that my heart sinks again.

“He’s confused, and he still can’t open his eyes,” she tells me. “He isn’t talking, but the doctor thinks it’ll all come back to him over the next few days. He said we just need to keep talking to him and reassuring him. We won’t know the full extent of the damage until he’s fully awake and back with it.”

“Is he hopeful he’ll get all his functioning back?” Brain injuries are unpredictable, and it’s hard to know what damage is done in the early stages.

“Sweetheart, you already know the answers,” she says gently.

I nod, even though she can’t see me, and sadness fills my heart. “I know, I just want some hope.”

“The fact he’s awake is hope,” she says reassuringly.

“But the fact he hasn’t opened his eyes yet isn’t.”

“It’s been an hour,” she says with a small laugh. “Let’s give him time.”

Time.I’m so sick of people saying that word.It’s not the right time for you to leave the clubhouse. In time, he’ll be back to normal. Time is a great healer.Everyone seems to have something to say to try to reassure me.

“Can you call me if he opens his eyes?” I ask.

Fury

Two days.Two days of listening to people talk all around me. Two days of not being able to see them, and two days of not being able to ask them what the fuck is going on. I had a fight, one I can’t remember, but that’s not unusual. I am a fighter, I know that, but what’s confusing me is that I never lose.

And the second mystery is why my foster mum is here. I haven’t seen or heard from her since they sent me away, and it’s not like I’m a kid who needs parental supervision.

Axel keeps talking about Xanthe, and because of Dianna turning up, I know he means Xanthe from when I was a kid. But again, why the fuck is she around? Were they notified when I came into hospital?

And why is Axel here? Why am I in London? Where’s Ripper? Where’s Joanne?

So many questions and no way of asking.

It must be early.Axel isn’t here, as he said goodbye some hours ago. He only ever leaves at night, and apparently, he leaves a prospect outside the door, much to the nurse’s annoyance.

I take a deep breath and try to open my eyes. “Come on,” I hiss to myself. “It’s not rocket science.”

“There he is.” I relax immediately at the sound of Joanne’s voice. I feel her hand on my cheek, and then she places a light kiss on my forehead. I open my eyes, just a little at first, but enough to let a light in that sends another searing pain to my head. I hiss, and her blurry outline appears to step back. “Oh baby, are you in pain?”

I try again, this time opening them a little more. I blink a few times, and she becomes clearer. She smiles, and I use the button the nurse placed in my hand to sit the bed up some more.

Jo perches on the edge, holding my hand. “We’ve been so worried,” she whispers. “I haven’t slept since the fight.”

She’s never missed any of my fights, even when she’s had Ripper beside her. Her secret looks have always been enough to get me through. I look past her, and she must sense who I’m waiting for. She kisses my lips. “He’s not here, baby.” The fact she’s here alone confuses me. He wouldn’t let her leave the club without an escort—usually me—but as I’m laid up, surely, he would have sent a prospect at the very least.

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