I make my way over to Thorne’s bedside and instantly scan over the bloodstains that are covering his body. He should have been cleaned up, but I guess it wasn’t exactly the kind of procedure that allowed much time for the little things.
Walking over to the small storage cupboard, I grab a bowl, some disinfectant, and some sponges before making my way into the private bathroom and quickly filling the bowl with warm water.
I put myself right in front of Thorne and instantly begin washing the dried blood from his skin as I watch him sleep. His face is pale, void of all its usual color, but for the most part, he looks peaceful. I don’t doubt that he’s in a world of pain though.
The sponge gently roams over his warm, tanned skin, washing away the horrors of the day. I do the best I can, trying to scrub it all from his body but having someone sponge it off is nothing like standing under a proper shower and being able to scrub yourself clean. Though, it might be a while before he’s able to stand up and do those things for himself.
The minutes tick by, and while it’s only just been over half an hour, it feels like a lifetime that I’ve been waiting for his eyes to begin fluttering open. A low groan pulls from within his chest as he takes a moment to recall the bullshit that he just suffered through, and not a second later, his eyes widen with horror. “Fuck,” he curses, attempting to sit up in bed. “I got shot.”
“Hey,” I say, rushing right into his side and pressing my hands to his shoulders, trying to keep him as still as possible. “You’re okay. We’re all okay.”
Thorne takes in my face, his eyes bouncing over it, taking in every tiny detail before his arms wrap around my body and crush me to him. He breathes me in as though having me in his arms is all he’s ever wanted. “Fuck, Autumn. I thought I was never going to see you again.”
The raw emotion in his voice overwhelms me, and I bury my face into his shoulder. “I was so scared,” I tell him. “I thought … I thought you were gone. You stopped responding and I didn’t know what to do because I couldn’t go to you and no one was coming. I—”
I struggle to get the words out but nothing needs to be said as Thorne tightens his grip on me, holding me impossibly closer as his hand snakes up and tangles into the back of my head, his fingers knotting into my hair. “I can’t even begin to tell you how much I love you,” he murmurs into my ear. “Please don’t cry. I’m okay. I’m here and I’m alive with you in my arms and that’s all that matters.”
I nod into his chest, struggling to calm my erratic breathing. “I just … I never want to see you like that again.”
“I know, baby,” he soothes, his hand rubbing up and down my back while I’m supposed to be the one consoling him. “How are Ashleigh and the baby? Did you get her out in time?”
“Yeah,” I say, pulling back to meet his eyes. “Ashleigh is in the ICU. She lost a lot of blood and was nearly flatlining for a minute, but Dr. Terrace got there just in time and saved her life.”
“Good. What about the baby?”
“She’s doing alright. She’s very small and her heart rate was struggling to calm down but she’s being watched carefully. They should both make a full recovery. I can’t say the same for her husband though.”
Thorne’s eyes widen and I watch as horror crosses his beautiful features. “He didn’t make it? I tried to control the bleeding, but I was getting too weak to hold it.”
“No, no,” I rush out, realizing that my bad choice of words nearly sent him into a panic. “He made it through surgery and will recover. I just mean that the second I’m through here with you, I’ll be going down there and ending him myself.”
Thorne’s hand creeps across the bed and takes mine before squeezing it and lacing our fingers. “You did incredible, Autumn,” he tells me. “It was unfair of me to put that kind of pressure on you, but I knew you were strong enough to pull it off. It’s because of you that everyone is still breathing. You’re a fucking force to be reckoned with.”
I shake my head. “No, don’t say that. I panicked. I couldn’t take the pressure. It was too much.”
“You kept everyone alive until you could get help and that’s all that matters. You’re a hero in my eyes and deserve to be worshipped.”
I roll my eyes, trying to hide the emotion burning through me. “I think you must be high on morphine,” I tell him, pretending to check his meds. “If you could have seen my face while I was doing all of that, trust me, you wouldn’t be so impressed.”
A grin pulls at Thorne’s lips and my heart instantly swells with love. He looks over my shoulder to the bag that sits on the small counter. “Are those my clothes?” he asks.
I look back and nod. “Yeah, they had to cut them off you because they were drenched in blood.”
“Can you get them?”
My brows furrow as my lips pull up in disgust. “Really?” I grumble, not exactly wanting to fiddle around in a bag of bloodied clothes. “Why?”
“Just do it,” he grumbles, shaking his head.
I groan and get up and as I walk toward the counter, Thorne’s voice fills the room. “I realized something today,” he tells me. “As I was lying on the floor, trying not to pass out and thinking that might have been the last time I ever saw you, I realized that I can’t do this without you. I love every single part of you and I never want to be without you.”
“I know,” I whisper, grabbing the bag and untying the handles as I walk back toward him. “Is it insane to feel like this when we’ve only been together for three months? When I looked up and saw that you’d passed out, my whole world crumbled and I thought you were gone. These past four hours have been the worst hours of my life. I can’t … I don’t want to let you go.”
“Never,” he whispers, taking the bag from me. “The next bastard who tries to end me better come with a two for one special because I don’t intend to ever live without you. If I’m passing on to whatever exists after this, I want you there with me.”
I nod and can’t help the twisted grin that spreads across my face. “I mean, that’s kind of morbid, but I get what you’re trying to say.”
Thorne rolls his eyes, letting out an irritated huff but can’t help but grin right back at me. “Would you shut up and let me say what I have to say?”
“Fine,” I grumble. “But hurry up. I haven’t had a chance to kiss you yet, and the longer you make me wait, the worse it’s going to be for you.”
The bag of destroyed clothes is tossed aside and not a second later, Thorne’s eyes are back on mine. “Before you asked if it was insane to feel like this after just three months, and yeah, I think maybe it is, but how insane would it make me to have known the very first day I met you that I wanted to be with you for the rest of my life?”
“Now that’s really insane,” I tell him as he takes my hand and gives it a warm, loving squeeze.