Page 52 of Fractured Hope
“Well, I was almost back in town when I came across the wreck. Mitch was already there. He said he noticed the smoke and had just called for help. When I saw it was you in the truck, I nearly had a heart attack.”
I couldn’t imagine pulling up on an accident and thinking you were helping a stranger to be faced with someone you knew. “I’m sorry, bro.” I tried to apologize, but there wasn’t much to be done.
My brothers stayed and visited for a little while longer, but I was fading fast. I fell asleep again before I even heard them say goodbye.
The next time I woke, I was less hazy, and it appeared dark outside. Bodhi was curled up fast asleep in the chair by my bed. How had he been able to stay? My breath caught as I took Bodhi in. What if I’d never seen him again? What if the accident had been worse? I couldn’t imagine my life without Bodhi in it. He’d become a part of me. I needed him like I needed air. I was in love with him, and he needed to know.
“Bodhi,” I whispered into the night.
Bodhi shifted at the sound of my voice. Blinking slowly, he jumped up when he noticed I was awake. “Do you need anything?” He quickly went to reach for the Call button.
“No, no. I just need you.” I took his hand in mine and made sure he was looking at me. “I love you, Bodhi.”
His breath caught as he stared at me in surprise. “You do?”
Smiling at him, I nodded. “I do.”
“I love you, too, Atticus. So much.”
He leaned down and gently kissed me on the lips. My heart soared, and even though I was in pain, I’d never been so happy. Smiling wide, despite how it pulled at my eyebrow and hurt my jaw, I kissed him back. Our teeth clacked, and we laughed as we carefully rested our foreheads together and breathed the moment in.
Bodhi pulled back. “I’m so glad you’re okay. I’m sorry this happened to you.” Squeezing my hand in his, he brought it to his mouth to kiss. “This is all my fault.”
“How is this your fault?”
“Max and a few other men came by earlier.” After a moment of hesitation, he rested his cheek against my hand. “They found a bullet hole in the wheel and rim of the truck you were driving. They think it’s from a Remington 700, the same one Derek uses to hunt. The same caliber as the bullet he left at the garage. They said they’d be here in the morning before you’re released to talk to you.”
I wasn’t sure my brain was processing his words properly. “They think Derek caused the accident?”
He shot at me.
Ice went through my body, causing me to shiver. I was luckier than I thought if this wasn’t an accident.
“Yeah, they think it’s a possibility.”
“We’ll talk to them tomorrow. Maybe they’ll have more information by then. It’ll be okay.” I squeezed Bodhi’s hand in reassurance. There was nothing we could do about it now. Slowly, I shifted over in bed, careful not to move too suddenly, and I took stock of my pain as I did.
I reached for Bodhi. “Come snuggle. I need to hold you.”
Bodhi glanced hesitantly over his shoulder, then carefully hopped onto the bed. He rested his head on my chest and cuddled in close as I wrapped my arm around him. It was a tight squeeze with Bodhi half on me and half hanging off the bed, butI didn’t care. Having him close made everything better. I quickly fell back to sleep with the man I loved tucked safely in my arms, exactly where he belonged.
25
BODHI
I couldn’t sleep.
I’d been so scared when Max had mentioned the bullet that had caused the accident. Derek had shot at Atticus. I breathed him in, not liking the antiseptic hospital smell clouding Atty’s normal scent. His chest slowly rose and fell as he went back to sleep. Tears sprang to my eyes as it hit home how close I’d come to losing him. Derek was a trained marksman. Had he meant to kill Atticus or was this a warning? Where was he hiding? My mind was spinning with all the possible scenarios and the near-total fear of what could happen next.
I must have zoned out or dozed off because the next thing I knew there was a nursetskingas she came into the room.
“You shouldn’t be up there. Come on, off,” she said sternly, but she was smiling at me, so I didn’t think I was in too much trouble. I carefully shifted to stand and moved back so the nurse could do her check. It was dark outside, so I guessed it was still after hours.
“Sorry,” I said quickly as the nurse finished her checks. Rousing Atticus and flashing a light in his eyes made him groan,then wince, but they’d been by and done it a few times, so he knew it was coming.
“How’s the pain?” she asked him. She was a kind older lady with curly short white hair. With her brightly colored scrubs and bejeweled butterfly brooch, she reminded me of the fairy godmother from Cinderella mixed with a beloved grandma, or what I imagined a loving grandma to be. She even had thin reading glasses hanging from a beaded chain around her neck.
“I’ll live, mostly just tired,” Atty groaned.
