Chapter 41

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

JJ

I'd been in a coma for two weeks. That was how long I was told it had taken for the doctors to feel it was safe for me to open my eyes.

Once I had, it was Shep's face I'd seen and like a dam had broken, we'd burst out crying.

I'd thought I was going to die. I hadn't wanted to; I wanted to live with Shep as old wrinkly men.

My recovery would take a very long time, and no one knew when I'd be one hundred percent. But with Shep by my side, I knew I'd get through all of it.

Getting updated about everything that had happened while I'd been asleep was crazy. And I hadn't gotten the whole story until they'd moved me out of the ICU and into a regular room.

Mason had talked a mile a minute. "After Harper died and they found his body floating in the river, everything fell apart. The FBI got involved, all the boys and girls were removed from the houses, they started tearing into his records, and Aziza even stepped in to offer her help in finding treatments for them. Not all the boys were killed, and I know it's been hard on Gabe and Shep, but so many more are alive because of you, JJ."

"Not just me."

"Fine, but a lot because of you."

Mason hugged me gently. "How's Four?"

"Good. He doesn't go far, likes being with you."

"We can't abandon him, Mason."

He smiled. "We'd never. We're going home, and he'll come with us. He's welcome to stay, and there'll be no vote about it."

I chuckled. "Thank you."

Shep rarely left my side, and we often enjoyed watching the news and the end of the Reese name. People were being arrested left and right as more was exposed through the FBI's investigation.

Two had gone to a psychiatric facility, one that Aziza worked with. Angel, surprisingly, followed up on his progress. I didn't know Angel was capable of love, but maybe he was caring about someone for the first time ever.

"They wanted you to go to rehab," Shep said one night while we watched a movie on his laptop in the hospital.

"That sounds awful."

He laughed. "That's why we hired a live-in physical therapist. He'll help you, so you can stay home."

"Oh, thank you, thank you! I love you."

He beamed and took my hand. "I love you, so much, JJ. Never ever run your mouth and get almost-killed again."

"Why do you ask for impossible things?"

He didn't answer; he just leaned in and kissed me until the machines started beeping.

SIX MONTHS LATER

"You're doing so great!" Matt, my physical therapist, grinned so wide as I walked down the driveway.

My recovery felt like it had taken forever. I'd had quite a few setbacks, but for the first time I was walking almost like I used to. The nightmares that plagued me daily lessened and between Shep and Mason, every day was a little easier. Of course, Shep was dealing with his own terrors. Many nights, it was me waking him as he screamed about the boys he killed. We were working through this as a unit, and we'd prevail.

"I get cake for this."

Matt chuckled. "Absolutely!"

Just then, Nick walked by, and Matt's smile fell and he got all serious.

"Okay, JJ, let's go inside. Get you that cake."

Nick laughed like he heard the funniest joke, got into his car, and sped out of the driveway.

"Did something happen?"

Matt shook his head. "Nothing."

I didn't want to push, so I let him be.

When I got inside, Mason waved at me to join them. "Maxwell is on FaceTime. Come over."

Max had sold his house, said he couldn't live there anymore. He'd moved to where his daughter had gone to her rehab because Georgia had decided she really liked it there, and he didn't want to be away from her ever again.

"Hey, so I wanted to call you. Agent Callahan called me a short while ago. Remember that guy, Mark Spriggs?"

"Only by name and the fact that he was your fake-buddy-slash-consortium-member," I answered with a smirk.

"FBI found him. Real name, Norris Jameson. Worked for Harper, of course, but was never a boy of his. This guy was wanted on three counts of murder, kidnapping.…Either way, he's locked up now."

"That's great news." I was overjoyed.

"Yeah, well, I gotta go. Georgia and I are going to see a play, you all take care."

"It's nice how everything is coming together." I squeezed Mason's shoulder and went to find Shep.

He was, of course, baking in the kitchen. "Matt said you earned cake."

Chuckling, I wrapped my arms around him. "I did."

"Then I'll make you the best cake ever."

"Okay, where's Four?"

"Aziza took him out, actually. He's going to visit Two. Some group thing, and it's huge, and we will give him some cake later for being amazing." Four still went by that name, but I hoped someday he'd let it go and maybe him and Two might even work things out and become friends.

"Wow!" I dipped my finger into the batter and licked it. "Oh, that's good…sweet."

Shep leaned down and licked over my lips. " Mmm , sure is."

"You're killing me, my Viking. No sexy times until later."

He turned and scooped me up gently; my body was a work in progress.

"I promise, I'll only kill you sweetly."

"Deal."