Pain registered first. The biting sear of intense heat scorching his flesh. The stabbing pain in his abused lungs, starved for oxygen. Completely out of his control, Hook’s muscles jerked and contracted over and over as his system tried to dispel the poison and replace it with oxygen.
Once he calmed enough that his brain could engage in thought, he immediately needed to know if Marcie was safe. He clawed at the mask over his nose and mouth. “Marcie?” His ravaged vocal cords wouldn’t allow more than a weak croak. Men in uniform worked around him, ignoring his words.
Fuck that. Ensuring her safety was all that mattered. He struggled against strong hands that held him to the gurney.
“Hey, brother. Calm the fuck down. These guys are working to keep your ass on this earth another day. Cut them some slack.” Jester’s hulking form filled Hook’s field of vision.
“Marcie?”
“She’s all right, brother. Look to your left.”
With great effort, Hook turned his head. Marcie lay on a gurney about ten feet away, a mask on her face as well. Their gazes locked and tears streamed from her beautiful green eyes. Damn she was gorgeous. Soot covered nearly every inch of her, except for two tracks of creamy skin trailing from her eyes.
“That’s some girl you got there. She saved your dumb ass all by herself,” Jester said.
He had no idea what the hell had happened, but there would be time to fill in the details later. Now, he’d let the paramedics work on him. Hell, he’d let them do whatever the fuck they needed to do to him. Marcie was alive and safe. He’d be able to hold her soon. That was all that mattered.
“Sir, you have a few extensive burns on your legs. We’re going to give you some pain medicine now so it will have kicked in by the time we get you to the hospital. It will probably knock you out,” the paramedic said.
That was fine. Marcie was safe. Nothing else was important. It wasn’t long before the pain eased and darkness took him under yet again.
The next thing Hook knew, he was lying on crisp white sheets, in a sterile white room. Fogginess rimmed the edges of his consciousness, but he was alert enough to seek out Marcie. Sure enough, she sat sprawled in a high back, vinyl chair next to his hospital bed. Someone had given her a pair of green hospital scrubs and at some point, she’d showered, because the thick grime no longer covered her beautiful face.
Dark circles rimmed her eyes causing Hook’s stomach to clench. They were due in part to the exhaustion and stress of the last few hours, but they’d been evident during the party as well. Owing to the fact that she’d been up all night stressing about their relationship instead of sleeping.
He took a deep breath through his nose, inhaling the oxygen provided by the hospital and couldn’t hold back a wince. Damn, his chest felt like he’d gone three rounds with someone Jester’s size and lost, badly. “Marcie?” Yikes, the hoarse rasp of his voice sounded like something out of a horror movie.
She lurched and her eyes flew open. “Hook!” With a wince of her own, she leaned over the bed. “Are you in pain? Do you need me to call the nurse? Are you thirsty? What can I do for you?”
“Whoa, baby, calm down.” Her rapid-fire babbling had to be born of nerves and stress. “I’m okay. Now that I’m looking at you, I’m fine.”
Tears filled her eyes and she clung to his hand. “Hook, God, it was so horrible. I was sure—” She shook her head. “I love you, Hook. I’m sorry. I’m screwing this up so bad. I just couldn’t wait another to second to tell you. Today was too close. To think I almost lost you without telling you.” A choked sob exploded from her and she shook as tears spilled down her face.
Her tears and anguish slayed him. In this moment, he wanted nothing more than to hold his woman in his arms and ease her mind. “Climb into bed with me.”
With a hiccup, she shook her head. “I can’t. You have some burns on your arms and legs that the doctor bandaged. I don’t want to hurt you.”
“You in this bed with me is the only thing that will make me feel better. I promise.” He scooted over, masking a grimace of pain. No way could she stay in that damn chair. His woman’s body against his was exactly the medicine he needed.
Moving gingerly, she climbed into the bed and settled against him, one arm across his stomach and her head on his shoulder.
With the head of the bed elevated, he was able to look down at her sad emerald eyes. “You were right, you know, Marcie.”
A frown appeared. “Not that I don’t love to hear that, but what was I right about?”
“You’re so fucking strong and independent. And you can handle some serious shit without anyone’s help. Jesus, Marcie, Jester told me you were the one to get me out of there. You saved my fucking life, babe. And by the way, I’m going to need those details.”
A small sniff rose from her and she shook her head against his chest. “We’d both be dead if Striker and Jester hadn’t found us at the end. And I realized something myself. I’m tired of doing everything alone. I use my independence to shield myself, but I want a partner. Someone to take care of me and someone for me to take care of.”
Her words released a tension in him he hadn’t realized had been building since their fight. “Any idea who you want to fill that position?”
She chuckled. “You’re the only one I’ve ever wanted to take that job.”
“Thank fuck.” He pressed a kiss to her lips. It ended far before he was ready, but neither of their breathing was completely back to normal and they needed air before long. “I love you, Marcie. And I promise I won’t walk in front of you, but stand beside you for the rest of your life.”
“Hook…” Her voice was thick with emotion and love darkened her irises to a forest green.
“Christ, babe, don’t look at me like that. We need to find a way to get me out of here as fast as possible because I need inside you. And soon.”
“Sorry, buddy,” she said. “Doc wants to keep you overnight.”
“Fuck. Well then, I guess that gives you plenty of time to fill in the blanks and tell me what the fuck happened tonight.”