Page 68 of Blade

"Touché," she conceded. "But that doesn't make it any easier."

"No," he agreed, sobering. "It doesn't. But I'll have the full club behind me. Savage, Lucky, Irish, Rampage, all of them. We'll do this right. A rogue motorcycle club doesn’t stand a chance against special forces operators. We are going to get him. End this. Once and for all. Promise, we’ll be careful."

"I’m going to need more than that," she insisted, her eyes holding his. "Promise me you'll come back."

He hesitated, clearly wanting to give her the reassurance she needed but unwilling to make a promise he might not be able to keep.

"I'll do everything in my power to come back to you," he said finally. "That's the best promise I can make."

It wasn't the absolute guarantee she wanted, but she appreciated his honesty. Better that than a hollow promise they both knew might be broken.

"I guess that'll have to do," she sighed.

A knock at the door interrupted them. Doc entered, wearing a white coat that seemed at odds with his tattooed forearms and gruff demeanor.

"Well, look who's finally decided to rejoin the land of the living," he said by way of greeting, his gruff tone belied by the genuine smile on his face. "About damn time."

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Lily replied, managing a weak smile of her own.

"How's she really doing?" Blade asked, his expression serious once more.

Doc moved to the foot of the bed, picking up her chart. "Better than I expected, actually. Vitals are stabilizing nicely. Latest blood work shows infection markers decreasing. Wound sites look clean from the last check."

"So we can move her soon?" Blade pressed.

"I want to examine her myself first," Doc replied, setting down the chart. "And see the hospital doctor's latest assessment. But if everything checks out, we could potentially transfer her tomorrow."

Relief washed over Blade's face. "Good. The sooner she's at the clubhouse, the better."

Doc nodded his agreement, then turned his attention to Lily. "Mind if I take a look at those wounds? I'll be gentle, promise."

She nodded, bracing herself as he carefully pulled back the hospital gown to examine the bandaged areas. His touch was surprisingly gentle as he checked the wounds, his expressionprofessionally neutral despite what must have been significant trauma to her body.

"Looking good," he pronounced finally, replacing the gown. "You're tough as nails, little one. Anyone else might not have made it through those first twenty-four hours."

"Told you she was a fighter," Blade said, unmistakable pride in his voice.

"That she is," Doc agreed. "Which is why I'm optimistic about the transfer. I've got everything set up at the clubhouse. Finally talked him into giving me the two spare apartments instead of just the bay. We turned it into our own medical ward. Both apartments now have a hospital bed, monitoring equipment, IV stands, and the works. Plus, Sam was able to hook me up with two nurses we can trust who'll rotate shifts."

"Sounds like a private hospital wing," Lily observed.

"Pretty much," Doc confirmed. "The club doesn't skimp when it comes to taking care of its own."

Its own.The words warmed her unexpectedly. She'd gone from outsider to protected to... one of them. Family, in their eyes.

"I'll speak with the attending physician," Doc continued, moving toward the door. "Start the discharge paperwork if they're amenable. You just focus on resting, young lady. The hard part's over."

But as he left, Lily couldn't help thinking that the hard part wasn't over at all. Yes, she'd survived. Yes, she was healing. But Jose was still out there, still a threat. And soon, Blade would be heading into danger to end that threat once and for all.

The hard part was the waiting, the worrying, the helpless fear for someone she loved, and it was just beginning.

"Hey," Blade said softly, drawing her attention back to him. "Where'd you go just now?"

"Just thinking," she replied, forcing a small smile. "About the future."

"Good thoughts, I hope?" he prompted.

She hesitated, then decided on honesty. "Scared thoughts," she admitted. "About you going after Jose. About... what happens after, if everything goes well."

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