Chapter 24

Everything hurt.

My head felt like it’d been split in two. I was tired and weighed down like I was underwater. All I could think of was Bodhi. Where was Bodhi? I was sure I’d called for him at some point, but I didn’t know if I’d said his name out loud or just in my head. Time was a hazy mess of colors and movement. Where was I? What had I been doing?

I remembered people asking me questions, like my name, the date, and who the president was. I had a distant memory of Theo standing over me, but I just couldn’t remember.

How did I get here?

Groaning, I turned my head to see Bodhi—my Bodhi—standing next to me.

“Bodhi.” I couldn’t help the grin that stretched my lips, but smiling sent pain through my jaw and up to my temples.

“Shh, you’re okay. You had an accident. You’re in the hospital. What do you remember?”

“I don’t know.” I tried to think of the last thing I’d done. “We had our date....” It was wonderful. My brothers had helped set it up, and we’d put a movie on, then darkness.... “Next thing, I was here.”

Why couldn’t I remember?

“The doctor says you have a concussion.”

That answered some of my questions. “I’m just so tired.” I squeezed Bodhi’s hand weakly. Soon after, I fell asleep.

The next time I woke up, I was somewhere different. Bodhi was still by my side, but so were Mama and Yaya.

“Oh Atty, you scared us, ómorfo agóri mou.” She brushed her hand down the side of my face.

“I’m okay, Mama.” It took a lot of energy to reassure her.

She smiled softly at me, eyes full of unshed tears.

“He’s made of strong stuff, Katerina. He’s my engonós after all.” Yaya hugged Mama from the side. She was shorter and stockier than Mama but had an inner strength that rivaled the strongest of men. She might be small, but she was oh-so mighty.

“The boys are all waiting outside. They want to see you. You think you’ll be okay if they come visit?” Mama asked.

“Sure.” I took her hand in mine.

“You stay here, dear. I’ll send them in.” Yaya strode for the door.

“I thought you boys were past scaring your mama half to death with hospital visits.” Clasping my hand to her chest, she said, “O thee mou.”

Bodhi had moved forward to take Yaya’s place, wrapping an arm around Mama’s waist. It warmed my heart to see Bodhi so close to Mama and being embraced fully by my family.

Heavy footfalls came down the hall as the door burst open, and Lyric, Seb, and Theo all came rushing in. Seb looked stricken, Theo looked pale, and Lyric appeared shell-shocked as they all came to stand around my bed. Mama and Bodhi stepped back.

“Fuck, Atty! Don’t ever do that to me again.” Theo gripped my shoulder as he checked me over. “I thought I was prepared for life as an EMT, but seeing you in that truck.... I’ll never forget it,” he said, visibly shuddering.

Hmm. . . . Theo was there?

“Sorry, bro. I don’t really remember what happened.”

“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, but I 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.