Page 41 of Within Shadows
“I wonder if we should give him a matching braid. That wouldn’t be very cool rocker of him, though,” my dad mutters, and I scoff out the ghost of a laugh as my dad finishes and sits next to me.
“Can’t believe sweet Jess ran a guy over. Or that the little roach lived. She and Al have told me quite a bit about your sleeping beauty.” My dad laughs at his joke, and I almost groan at him. “A man who fights that hard for my little girl, to protect her and earn her affection, is alright with me. Oliver tried awfully hard to slander the poor boy, but your statement and the security footage cleared that all up. They’re still going to need you to testify, sweetheart,” he says gently, taking my hand in his. Obviously Al left out quite a few details of just how Knoxearnedmy affection, including stalking, and that’s for the best. I nod and lean forward, resting my head on Knox’s shoulder.
He’s so warm and right next to me, but it feels like he’s a million miles away right now. His arm flexes beneath my hand and I shoot up, ripping my hand from my father as I grip Knox’s arm.
“Knox?” My voice cracks as I watch him, waiting for another sign that he’s waking up.
“Honey?” my dad asks, squeezing my shoulder.
“He moved,” I whisper, mentally begging him to do it again. My dad sighs and sits back down.
“It was probably a reflex, Maeve. The doctors have said that—” he begins, but I cut him off.
“No. Fuck those doctors,” I rasp out as I cup Knox’s face, pressing my forehead to his. “Wake up, please. I need you,” I beg him, finally feeling something worse than despair for the first time in days.Hope. Yet nothing happens. The monitors don’t change, his chest continues to rise and fall in a steadyrhythm with the hiss of a machine. My legs start to shake and I dejectedly drop back into my chair, tears clinging to my lashes as I lay my head down.
Soft steps shuffle into the room, and the crinkling of plastic is at my ear. My mother’s perfume washes over me and I welcome the way it takes away the sterile hospital smell for a moment.
“Jess brought your muffin and lemonade. Al is taking her home so they can shower and rest for a bit.” My mother shoves the muffin into my cheek, and I pull back to frown at her.
“Eat before I help them sedate and drag you out of here. Jess even got you a bright orange bendy straw.” My mom cracks open the bottle and drops the straw inside, thrusting it into my hands and standing over me until I take a reluctant sip. She nods once in triumph and raises a brow until I finally take a bite of the muffin.
My stomach rumbles at the first taste of food I’ve had in two days. It’s dry and sticks to the roof of my mouth, but I silently eat the entire thing as she watches me. My mother takes the trash and nudges my father towards the door.
“Go get some fresh clothes for her, Al took Jess back to his house. When he wakes up, she’s not going to want to stink this badly.” My mom doesn’t bother lowering her voice, and I shake my head. Feeling full, the exhaustion hits me like a wave as I lay my head onto Knox once again, clutching his hand in mine. I let the sound of the machine lull me to sleep along with the slow rise and fall of his chest. A blanket is draped over my shoulders, wrapping me in comfort and warmth.
My eyes fly open as I’m wrenched backwards, and I scrabble to grab onto something, anything. The lights are flicked on and I turn my head away, blinking rapidly to clear the spots from my eyes. Nurses are rushing the room as Knox thrashes in the bed. Al has an arm wrapped around my chest and shoulders as he holds me back.
“What’s happening to him?” I scream, fighting to break loose of Al. A doctor jogs into the room as a nurse pulls out the breathing tube, and the chaos calms. Knox relaxes into the bed, coughing as he weakly raises a hand to rub at his face.
Al pulls me, turning us away from him, and I try to get out of his hold.
“Give the guy a shred of decency.Catheter,” he mutters, and I nod, my lip quivering as tears burn the back of my throat. I let Al take the brunt of my weight as my legs give out and I struggle to catch my breath. The doctor stops in front of us, but I can’t raise my eyes away from the blurry floor.
“He’ll need some rest, and we will have to do a few tests, but I’ll give you guys a moment.” With that, the doctor leaves and Al finally releases his hold on me. My feet hit the ground running as I rush to the bed, a sob breaking free when he smiles at me. I wrap my arms around his neck, careful to keep my weight off of him. Knox groans, burying his face in my neck as he pulls me onto the bed until my body lies flush over his.
“Your wounds, Knox,” I manage to cry out, but he shakes his head and holds me tighter.
“You’re alive, muse. My injuries be damned, I didn't know if I would ever hold you again.” His voice is raspy, and he coughs into my shoulder but doesn’t let go. We finally relax our hold on each other enough that I can sit on the edge of the bed and stare into the eyes I’ve missed so much. Al holds a cup of water out to me and I take it, helping Knox sip from the straw.
“I’m so sorry, brother,” Al says, standing over us. Knox rolls his eyes and clears his throat as he pulls me close again.
“A lot of what happened is fuzzy, but we are both alive. Thanks to you, I’m guessing?” Knox raises a brow, laying back against the pillows as if talking is exhausting him.
“Jess and I were coming home. Pulled in and saw you bleeding overtop of Maeve. Jess hit the gas and plowed into Oliver just before he could put a third hole into you.” Al crosses his arms and takes a deep breath. “Thought you were gone. Maeve wouldn’t let go and kept screaming. I pried her off and handed her to the medics. I thought you had—” Al grunts, sniffing hard as he looks away. Knox reaches out and weakly punches Al on the arm.
“Shut up, you saved her. That means more to me than anything. I owe you my life.” Knox turns to me and tucks a loose strand of hair behind my ear.
“What about you? Are you okay?” he asks me. I smile and nod, catching his hand to rub my cheek against it.
“Liar,” Al says, and I shoot him a dirty look.
“She ain't been sleeping, showering, or eating. Just sits at your bedside and growls at us. She might also have mange, from the looks of her. They kept her sedated and in bed for a week, but she ripped out her I.V. and stormed the castle to find her damn prince.” I try to kick at Al’s leg, but he moves and Knox sits forward with renewed strength. He grips my chin and forces my eyes to meet his. There’s a storm behind his eyes and I’m at the center of it.
“You don’t get to neglect yourself, Thalia. I didn’t risk my life for you to let yourself waste away. This changes.Right. Now. You’re going to shower, eat a hot meal, and only then can you come back to my room.” He narrows his eyes when I open my mouth to argue.
“Says the man who pouted because his girlfriend let his alter ego finger bang her,” Al scoffs, and Knox turns his glare on him.
“You told him?” I playfully smack Knox on his good shoulder, and he winks at me.
