Page 74 of Michael's Awakening
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Gabriel
I was in a perpetual state of misery… with that misery being constant bed rest.
I’d spent the night in the hospital after my attack and had been sent home the next day. That was about a week ago. Since then, Michael had been standing guard over me like a hawk, not allowing me to make even the smallest of movements. Which was fine, it wasn’t like I could do much moving anyway without feeling excruciating pain in my ribs.
A few ribs were fractured and bruised; therefore sending massive bolts of sharp pain through me when I tried to take a deep breath or make even the slightest twist of my body. Every time I coughed or sneezed, I wanted to scream and throw a little kid temper tantrum because of the amount of agony it caused. The doctors told me they’d have to mostly heal on their own over time and that I needed to ice the injured area to help reduce the swelling.
Pain medication was definitely my best friend at that moment.
The gash on my head had required me to get quite a few stitches, but head wounds always looked worse than they actually were. Occasionally, I’d have dizzy spells and nausea, but it was mostly just a splitting headache that bothered me. Other than that, I had deep bruises and scrapes; nothing too bad. Which was a miracle.
The entire situation could have been much worse than it was.
I didn’t remember much from the attack, other than being afraid Sometimes, I’d get glimpses of what happened, but for the most part, everything was a blur. From what Michael told me, three men had attacked me, but two had run off when he’d arrived.
The man who was caught confessed to everything. He’d even bragged to the police about the attack and how he was doing the world a favor by doing it. In his confession, he also admitted he had planned to kill me that night and was pissed that he didn’t get to finish what he started. In his arrogance and pride at himself, he even mentioned wrecking my car too, him and his buddies.
Michael said he’d be sent away for a while because of it and it would be an easy conviction, especially because there was security footage to back up the confession. That footage also showed the other two guys, so even though they hadn’t been caught yet, it shouldn’t be that long before they were.
I was apparently also on the news and had received countless messages on my social media from people I didn’t even know, showing their support for me. It was all so overwhelming. I never thought in a million years people around there would be so supportive and accepting of me. And not to be a total cry baby, but I had shed a few grateful tears over the kind words complete strangers had told me.
My outlook on the people in this town had changed drastically. It seemed that even though there were the intolerant and hateful people, there were also people who had hearts of gold and chose to love instead of hate.
“How you are feeling?” Michael asked as he entered the room and took a seat on the edge of the bed.
Smiling weakly, I answered, “I feel okay. Just hard to breathe.”
He frowned and looked down at the watch I had bought him. “It’s time for you to take another dose of pain meds. I’ll go get you a glass of water.”
After pressing his soft lips to my forehead, he stood and left the room.
I watched him leave and then stared out the window.
The sun was shining bright as it reflected off every surface outside. Trees swayed in the small breeze, their branches still mostly bare from winter, and I longed for springtime. I bet Michael’s country home was beautiful in spring; all of the flowers blooming and the trees having regrown their leaves.
Spring was a time for growth and change, and I’d finally made my decision about living with Michael.
After my attack, Michael went to my apartment and packed a suitcase of clothes and necessities for me, and brought me to his home. I’d been there since. Within that time, I’d done a lot of thinking– mostly because that’s all Icoulddo. But anyway, I thought and thought about everything. If he asked me again, I’d say yes to living with him.
My home was anywhere he was.
“Here you go, Princess.” Michael walked back in and handed me a few pills and a glass of water. After I took them, he fluffed the pillow I was laying on and tucked me back into bed.
“How awful do I look?” I asked him, causing him to gently smile and sit on the edge of the bed, careful not to put any weight on me.
“You look beautiful,” he answered and I rolled my eyes.
I hadn’t put on an ounce of makeup or shaved in days; I knew I looked hideous. But the twinkle in his green eyes as he looked at me caused my heart to putter and those damn butterflies to flutter in my stomach.
“What’s that?” I narrowed my eyes at his arm. It was positioned at his side as if holding something I couldn’t see.
Michael’s eyes flashed to mine and a flash of worry creased his brow.
“Gabriel…” He stopped and inhaled deeply.
Shit, this must be bad,I thought to myself. My insides knotted up. Was he going to leave me? Having an urge to bitch slap the sassy bitch that was spreading negativity in my head, I held my breath as I waited for Michael to say more.
