Page 51 of Petals of Blue: Part Two
The most recent punch to my heart was the way Violet ran through the hospital room. This was an hour ago, and I still can't stop seeing her pale face as she came to a screeching halt in the doorframe.
I could tell she had been crying for a long time, and once her eyes landed on Blue, she sobbed like she was in physical pain. That one noise woke Blue up with a vengeance, as if she knew Violet was there. I bet she did. Her eyes snapped to Violet immediately, as if her motherly instincts heard the cry of her kid.
Neither woman has stopped crying since. Nor hasViolet stopped apologizing and taking the blame for Blue's tragic kidnapping.
Blue had tried to talk, probably to tell her it wasn't her fault, but Felix was quick to stop her. Just the brush of his finger over her lips was enough to halt Blue in her tracks and keep her voice silent.
Felix had bent down, murmured something in her ear that made her blush. Before he pulled away, he kissed the sensitive spot beneath her ear, and we all heard her breath catch.
Violet watched as Blue took a sip of warm tea. Anguish was written all over the blonde woman's face as she witnessed her mama struggle to swallow.
Blue looked around the room, then reached a hand out to me. Of course, I immediately went to her, feeling like I was on the fucking moon because she neededme.
Since seeing her in this hospital bed, I feel like I've shut down. Jokes have no space in this room, so what good am I?
There's still that feral anger I've been battling, but it's all aimed at the bastard who hurt my woman. We did our absolute best to find Blue, and we did. We found her. The monster who stole her is dead. What now? Will she kick us to the curb once she's healed? How long do we have before she comes to her senses and remembers how badly we hurt her first?
"Yeah, Bee?" I whispered, crouched beside her.
Blue studied me for a moment before trailing her fingers down my cheek in a reverent way that made hope bloom in my chest. Does she see my guilt? Does she feel my love for her? I had so many questions, sowhen she mimed a texting motion and pointed at my jeans, I was confused and slow to catch on.
Felix did immediately, though, and of course he suggested she not aggravate her fingertips. Blue rolled her eyes, then blinked up at me, waiting with a little smile.
"Be gentle," I murmured when I handed over my phone so she could communicate with Violet. Ignoring Felix's glare was easy, considering I had the woman I love smiling at me and asking me to come closer so she could kiss my cheek.
For an hour, I've been touching the spot she kissed like a schoolboy who was kissed for the first time. Declan nudged me, smiled, and gave me a thumbs up when I sat beside him on the couch.
Since then, Declan, Roman, and I have been pretty quiet. Felix has been monitoring Blue's fluid intake and has stopped her from speaking a few times. Blue and Violet have dissolved into tears multiple times now, and it makes me wonder what they're saying to each other.
Blue would never blame Violet for what happened to her. I don't know Violet well enough to say that she would believe what her ma says, though. My hope is that Violet will be able to release her guilt soon, because I can see the path she's going down and it scares me.
Blue sets my phone aside and opens her arms to Violet. They've been texting back and forth for a while, and Blue's eyes are drooping already. V hesitates but eventually curls into her mama's side on the bed and begins to cry again.
I'm glad Jared's parents stayed out in the waitingroom so Violet could have this time. From what I heard V mention, Nichole, Bethany, Janine, and Dakota are out there too.
The only people missing are?—
"Levi and Kevin are almost here," Roman answers my thoughts. "They have a change of clothes for all of us, as well as some burgers."
"Thank fuck," Declan groans, tipping his head back. "Wait, from where? It's like two in the morning."
Roman mentions a diner down the road, but I don't really hear him as I catch sight of some blood splattered on his neck. "Rome, go take a shower," I suggest. "One of us will get you an outfit."
Roman frowns at me, then looks over at the bed of sleeping women. "Not right now. You go ahead."
"It wasn't a suggestion." I gesture to his neck and some of the stains on his pants. "When the girls wake up, they won't want to see blood."
He grimaces and quickly rushes to the bathroom. Like a gentleman, he closed the bathroom door before turning the light on so as not to disturb Blue and V. The shower turns on soon after, and I feel my eyes droop.
I understand Roman not wanting to take his eyes off Blue. He came up earlier after his phone call and took a short nap. I bet leaving for a shower was hard. So much of meneedsto sleep, but the guilt and fear of closing my eyes for just a minute are strong.
We'll all have some stuff to work on once we get home.Please be here when I wake up, Blue.
Thirty-Seven
VIOLET
My face hurts and my eyes burn, but I won't complain. What I'm experiencing is nothing compared to the pain Blue is in.
