SERA was kept sedated for the first few days after she arrived at Luca's. She'd suffered a collapsed lung during the trip, but otherwise had relatively minor injuries, all things considered. The first bullet had gone straight through her shoulder. The second they had to remove at the hospital. It had also torn through her small intestine, but the doctors were able to patch her up. She'd lost a lot of blood, but somehow, she'd made it through.
I had her put upstairs in our bed, and during that time, I never left her side except to shower and use the bathroom. Lisa or Veda brought food up for me. And on occasion, Luca or Tristan would stop in and give me updates on what they'd found out about the shooters. Unfortunately, it wasn't much. No one had gotten a plate number from the vehicle, and since the shooter had most of his face covered, I wasn't able to recognize him. But I wasn't concerned. The truth would come out sooner or later. It always did.
I'd pulled one of the chairs from over by the window to the bed, and that was where I spent most of my time when I wasn't sleeping beside her. So that's where I was when I heard her voice, raspy from disuse, for the first time in way too long.
"Hey."
I lifted my head and my eyes clashed with Sera's. The light inside of them was a bit dull, but it was there. "Hey," I told her softly. Relief washed over me in such a strong wave, I felt a little lightheaded. "You're back."
She looked past me and then around that room. "I'm in our room."
"We had you transferred from the hospital. Luca has a team of doctors who come by every few hours to check you. One of them stays here at the house at all times in case of an emergency. You're in good hands."
Her eyes came back to my face. "You look like hell."
I smiled. "You look beautiful."
"Am I going to be okay?"
"Do you think I would let a couple of gunshots take you away from me after I've fought so hard to keep you here?"
She smiled. "I guess not."
I narrowed my eyes at her. "However, we're going to have a talk about this shit you pulled. What the fuck were you thinking, Sera?"
She reached across the bed and took my hand. "I was thinking that I couldn't just stand there and watch you die right in front of me."
"So you decided to throw yourself in front of a bullet?"
"No. I was just trying to push you out of the way."
I took her hand in both of mine and leaned closer, sticking my face in hers. "You could've been fucking killed," I snarled.
She squeezed my fingers. "That wasn't my intention."
"I don't need you to protect me," I told her. "Do you understand? Don't you ever, EVER, pull that kind of shit again."
A small smile broke out on her perfect face as I yelled at her.
"Jesus Christ, Sera." I pulled her hand to my mouth and kissed her fingers. "Promise me you'll never do anything so stupid again. You can't put yourself in danger like that. My heart can't take it."
"I promise I'll try."
"Marry me," I begged. "Marry me and let me keep you safe."
She didn't refuse me right away this time. "Why do you always insist on proposing to me when I look like shit?"
"You're beautiful," I told her again, and I meant it. "I've never met anyone as beautiful as you."
She laughed, touching her hair self-consciously. "You're lying."
"I'm not." I wracked my brain, trying to think of something I could say that would convince her to bind herself to me. Forever. "Please, marry me." I shook my head before she could say anything else. "Don't," I told her. "Don't refuse me again."
"Is that an order?"
"No. It's a plea. Sera…" I took a deep breath. I wasn't good with words. They made me feel exposed. Vulnerable. But I knew they needed to be said. And maybe, over time, it would get easier to say them. "I love you. And I really wish you would just…fucking let me."
She stared up at me, her blue-gray eyes too big for her face. "Okay," she said softly.
It took me a moment to comprehend her answer. "Okay?"
She nodded her head, and a gorgeous fucking smile broke out across her face. "Yes. Okay." She suddenly got serious. "When I saw that gun aimed at you…" Her voice broke, and she cleared her throat. "I just…I couldn't…" She looked away, but I didn't miss the tears filling her eyes.
"Hey, hey. None of that, baby girl. I'm right here, thanks to you. And I'm not going anywhere."
She wiped at her face with her free hand and then turned back to look at me. "But you can't lock me up in the bedroom."
"I can't promise you that," I told her honestly.
She smiled, and I leaned over and took her mouth with mine in a possessive kiss.
My wife.