Page 61 of Rise By Sin

“Ky!” I cut him off as I loudly woke his fiancé. Kylan startled awake and sat up looking to Colt with wide eyed fear, then he realized Colt was awake and they were in a tangled embrace as they clung to each other tightly.

Jack, who had obviously been woken by my shout appeared at my side and took my hand in his.

“He’s awake,” he said as he squeezed my hand reassuringly.

“He woke up a few minutes ago,” I sniffled as I fought to push down my raw emotions. Colt and Ky were talking in hushed tones behind us but I tried hard not to listen, wanting them to have some privacy as they held each other emotionally. They looked just as good together as I knew they would, even with Colt all bruised and bandaged.

“Come and sit back down, love. You’re dead on your feet,” Jack said as he took me from Deacon and sat with me curled up on his lap. I pressed my head against his chest and closed my eyes. The knowledge that Colt was awake and being his usual self was the greatest relief of my life.

“I should go and collect her pills. She needs to take them soon,” Deacon uttered quietly to Jack.

“I didn’t think of that. Would you mind, Mate?” Jack asked.

“No problem. I’ll stop for coffee too. Try to get her to eat something. It’s been hours,” Deak said.

“Shecan make her own decision when to eat,” I told him as I open my eyes and looked to him with annoyance.

“Fine, thensheshould eat something soon beforeshefalls on her ass,” Mason snarked as he leaned in to kiss me on the lips chastely. “Be good,” he added with a wink, then he slipped from the room with Jack apartment keys in his hand.

The sound of the door closing seemed to pull Colt and Ky from their moment and Colt turned back to where Jack and I sat, his smile falling as he studied me even harder.

“Don’t colt. I’m just tired,” I told him as I made myself sit up in Jack’s lap, despite the pain it caused.

“You’re so thin. What the fuck happened?” Colt demanded.

“Nothing.” I replied at the same time Jack blunted out the truth,

“She was shot on the job, two years ago. She has a spinal injury.”

“Jack!” I hissed in horror.

“You were shot? You found out you had a spinal injury and you didn’t fucking tell me!” Colt roared, then had to sit back as he became breathless.

“This is why I said we’d talk about it later. You need to rest and have calm,” I told him as I turned a quick glare to Jack.

“He needs to bloody know. You should have told him when it happened,” Jack told me.

“I’m fine,” Colt grimaced as he turned to look at me again. He stayed laid back against his pillows this time but he was still breathing too hard.

“Should you even be here? You look exhausted and so pale? Should she be here?” he asked as he looked over my head and to Jack.

“She needs to eat something and get some rest, but you know how stubborn she can be. Deacon’s gone to get her meds for the pain she’s in.”

“Pain? You’re in pain two years after it happened?” Colt asked as he looked to me again.

“No.” I said with a stubborn shake of my head. “We’re not discussing this anymore. You need to rest and stop worrying about me. I’m fine. You’re the one we need to worry about.”

“I’ll worry about Kylan, so he can worry about you, sweetie.” Ky spoke up and I turned my glare on him

“You!” I snapped as I pointed at him. “I thought you were my friend.”

“I am, always, but it’s time for you to come clean with your brother, Ava. He won’t relax until he knows everything. You know that,” Ky sighed.

“I just want it noted I’m against this marriage if it means the two of you constantly ganging up on me,” I said more playfully as I looked between Ky and my brother.

“Ava?” Colt pushed, stopping the distraction I had hoped to initiate.

“My injury is chronic,” I sighed. “No cure. No fixing it. I have pain and numbness. I have issues with balance and I get exhausted really easily and quickly. There’s nothing doctors can do other than give me pills to manage some of it.”

---