23-Donovan
"Where is she?" I storm through the double doors with Ash on my heels as we bulldoze down the hallway toward Tia and the rest of the crew.
Tia holds both her hands up to stop me. "Whoa, Papi. She's ok."
I was halfway to the hospital when Tia called, stating that Shorty fainted and was being treated for dehydration and stress. I was losing my mind with worry, wishing the car was a portkey so I could teleport like Harry Potter. Instead, I am in the passenger's seat, trying not to kill my brother while he drives like an old lady.
"Tia," I warn. "What. Happened?"
She sighs. "She caught Max and Gio's dumb asses sneaking out of their rooms. They said she was sweating, her face was pale, and she used the wall to hold herself up. She was in bad shape."
"Fuck." I breathe, rest my palms against the cool wall, and hang my head.
"She's going to be ok," Tia reassures me, rubbing my arm. "Come on, I'll take you to her."
I push off the wall and follow Tia further down the hall until we stand in front of Room 1260.
"Tia, is—" I swallow a gulp of fear, afraid to ask and hear the answer— "is the baby ok?"
Tia's warm smile answers my question, and I sigh in relief.
Thank fuck.
The door is half open, and I let myself in, seeing Shorty sitting up on the bed. Her eyes are closed, and her head is slanted to the left, facing the window.
She's so beautiful.
Shorty whips her head in my direction as if she senses me in the room. A faint smile forms on her kissable lips.
"Hey," she whispers.
"Hey baby." I stride toward her and sit beside her on the bed. "How are you feeling?" I ask.
"Ok, I guess."
"I'm sick and tired of seeing you in a hospital bed."
She laughs. "I know, me too."
"Shorty, what happened?"
She sighs and looks away, but I'm not having any of that shit. With my fingers under her chin, I force her to meet my gaze. "Don't do that. Talk to me."
"I felt sick to my stomach and threw up." She sighs and closes her eyes briefly. "But I'm ok now," she says as her eyes open.
My little Latina vixen lies.
"What made you so sick?"
"Seeing Seb so helpless, knowing it's my fault they are being targeted."
"Baby, that's not your fault." My tone softens.
"Yes, it is. She wipes away her tears. "The garage blew up. They could've died!" she says in an angry whisper, turning away from me.
My chest aches at seeing her this way. I feel helpless when I don't know how to help her, and anger swells inside me. I lean in closer and pull her to my chest.
"I'm so sorry." I hold her face in my hands. "It's ok to cry and get pissed off. But don't ever blame yourself for other people's actions," I say more sternly.
She breaks down. I pull her into my arms, and she silently cries. I feel her pain through every tremble from her body.
"Do you hear my heartbeat, Shorty?" I wait for her to respond. She nods against my chest and sniffles.
"Just focus on that. Everything is going to be ok."
She fists my shirt with urgency. "I can't lose you too," she cries, hiccupping with every word.
"Baby, you're not going to lose me. Nothing is going to happen to me."
After a while, her cries settle. She's the first to pull away, but I want to hold onto her longer.
Her brown eyes glisten from her tears, like root beer shining under the sun. She blinks, letting the remaining tears descend, but I catch them with my thumb before they fall. I lean in and kiss her eyelids, forcing them to close.
She inhales a breath and exhales when I pull away, just enough for us to breathe. Our eyes lock onto each other.
I cup the back of her neck, close the space between us, and gently kiss her lips. Slowly, my hands tangle in her hair and run down both sides of her neck, keeping her in place. The tip of my tongue sweeps over her lips, teasing her until she allows me to slip into her mouth.
I can taste the minty mouthwash and the warmth from her lips. That's when I realize I'll never get enough of the way her lips felt against mine. When my cock stirs in my pants, that's my cue to stop before I devour every inch of her body. I pull back, and she looks back at me with lust in her eyes. I smile and cup her neck and place a soft kiss on her forehead.
"I promise always to love you and to always be here for you, even when you don't want me to."