Chapter 115 HARPER
“I’m sorry I didn’t get here sooner.”
Dad had said it twice already, but he said it again as he stood beside my bed, his voice tight with guilt.
“I came as soon as I could after your call,” he added. “If I’d known it was this serious, I would have dropped everything immediately.”
I shifted slightly against the pillows and tried not to wince when the movement tugged at the stitches near my temple.
“It’s okay, Dad,” I said quietly.
He shook his head immediately.
“No, it’s not okay.” His arms folded across his chest, the same way they always did when he was upset about something he couldn’t fix. “I should have been here sooner. And don’t worry about those girls. I’m going to make sure they’re punished for what they did to you.”
I sighed softly.
“Dad, please don’t start a war with the school over this.”
“They attacked you.”
“They didn’t plan to hurt me like this,” I said. “It was a mistake. Things just got out of control.”
His expression hardened.
“You ended up unconscious on a bathroom floor.”
“I slipped,” I replied gently. “That part really was an accident.”
He still looked unconvinced, but I continued before he could argue again.
“It’s the last term before graduation,” I said. “I just want to finish school and leave without any more drama. I don’t want meetings and investigations and rumors going around again.”
Dad let out a long breath, rubbing his forehead like the conversation itself was exhausting him.
“You’re too forgiving sometimes.”
“Or maybe I’m just tired of fighting with people,” I said quietly.
For a moment he didn’t respond. Then his expression softened a little.
“Your mother sends her greetings,” he said.
A laugh slipped out of me before I could stop it.
“Did she?”
He hesitated slightly, clearly sensing the tone in my voice.
“She said to tell you she hopes you’re feeling better.”
“Well,” I said dryly, “send my regards back and tell her not to worry about me.”
Dad frowned faintly.
“Harper…”
“She’s busy taking care of other people anyway,” I continued with a small shrug. “Even though her own daughter is lying in a hospital bed.”
His jaw tightened.
“She’s working. You know that.”
I could already see the defense forming on his lips, the familiar speech about how important her work was and how she helped so many people.
Thankfully, the door opened before he could begin.
I looked up immediately.
“Mark,” I said. “Come in.”
Dad glanced over his shoulder and then stepped away from the bed.
“I’ll give you two a minute,” he said.
Mark walked inside as my father left the room, quietly closing the door behind him.
For a second Mark just stood there, looking at me.
His eyes traveled over the bandage on my head, the IV line in my arm, and the hospital bracelet around my wrist.
“How are you?” he asked.
“I’m fine,” I said, though my voice sounded weaker than I meant it to. “Honestly, I didn’t think you’d come.”
He pulled the chair closer to the bed and sat down beside me.
“Why would you think that?” he asked gently.
I shrugged slightly.
“Because things between us are… complicated right now.”
Mark leaned back in the chair, his expression soft but tired. “Harper, whatever happened between us doesn’t mean I stopped caring about you.”
I looked down at the blanket covering my legs.
“A lot of people were worried,” he continued. “When Tyler carried you out, everyone panicked. Jax, Kane, Peter…they all came along.”
I looked up at him.
“They’re here?”
He nodded.
“They were outside earlier.”
“Where are they now?” I asked.
Mark hesitated.
The pause was small, but I noticed it immediately.
“What?” I pressed.
He rubbed the back of his neck.
“Tyler didn’t take it well when you told him Racquel was involved.”
My stomach tightened slightly.
“What do you mean?”
“He looked furious,” Mark said slowly. “He left right after he stepped out of your room.”
My chest tightened.
“He left?”
Mark nodded.
“Peter, Jax, and Kane followed him.”
My fingers curled slightly into the blanket.
“He looked like he was going for a confrontation,” Mark added quietly.
A wave of worry rushed through me.
“I shouldn’t have told him,” I murmured.
Mark studied my face.
“How long has he been gone?” I asked quickly.
But instead of answering, Mark looked at me with a strange expression.
There was something heavy in his eyes. Something almost sad.
“I wish you cared about me half as much as you care about him,” he said softly.
The words caught me off guard.
“It’s not like that,” I said quickly.
Mark shook his head gently.
“Don’t worry about it. I get it.”
“Mark…”
“You and Tyler are meant for each other,” he continued.
I blinked in surprise.
“What?”
“The way he looked when he carried you out,” Mark said quietly. “I’ve never seen someone look that terrified before.”
My brows furrowed.
“He carried me out?”
Mark nodded.
“How? With his injured shoulder?” I asked in disbelief.
He shrugged slightly.
“You’d have to ask him that.” He paused for a second, then continued. “I offered to help, but he refused. Honestly, he almost didn’t want anyone touching you.”
A small warmth crept up my neck.
“He even told the paramedic you were his girlfriend so he could ride in the ambulance with you.”
“Oh,” I said.
That was all I managed to say out loud.
But inside, my chest fluttered nervously.
At the same time guilt twisted in my stomach.
I reached over and took Mark’s hand.
“You know that’s not true though, right?” I said quietly. “We’re not dating.”
He looked at our hands.
“I can’t just start dating Tyler right after ending things with you,” I added. “That wouldn’t be fair.”
Mark gave a small, sad smile.
“But you’re going to date him eventually anyway.”
I didn’t respond.
“So why not now?” he asked gently.
“Because I don’t want to hurt you.”
He shook his head. “Stop holding yourself back because of me.”
My chest tightened.
“Seeing you two together might hurt at first,” he admitted. “But I’ll get used to it.”
His voice dropped slightly. “Because honestly… I’m not sure I’ll ever fully get over you.”
Guilt flooded through me.
“Mark…”
He squeezed my hand lightly.
“I’m serious when I say I just want you to be happy.”
Before I could say anything else, he leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on my forehead.
At that exact moment the door opened.
I turned my head toward the doorway.
Tyler stood there.
Behind him were Jax, Peter, and Kane.
My eyes widened immediately.
Tyler’s uniform shirt was wrinkled and smeared with blood. His hair looked like someone had run their hands through it several times and his breathing was still slightly uneven. His right hand was clutching his injured shoulder.
“You got into a fight,” I said instantly.
Tyler stepped further into the room.
“Something like that.”
“What did you do?” I asked.
“What needed to be done.”
He walked toward the bed and stopped beside it.
Since Mark was still sitting in the chair, Tyler lowered himself to one knee beside the bed instead.
Peter raised a hand in greeting.
“Hey, Harper,” he said cheerfully. “You look good in blue.”
I blinked at him.
Jax smacked the back of Peter’s head. “Dumbass.”
Kane leaned against the wall with a small grin.
“Don’t worry about it,” he told me. “Cap here got vengeance for you.”
My attention returned to Tyler.
“What did you do?” I asked again.
He reached for my hand instead, but then realized I was still holding Mark’s.
My fingers instinctively pulled away.
Mark noticed.
He stood up slowly.
“I should probably get going,” he said quietly. “It’s getting late.”
He glanced at Tyler.
“Thank you.”
Tyler looked slightly confused but nodded anyway.
Mark gave me one last look before heading toward the door.
As he left, a dull ache spread through my chest.
He looked so broken.
At the same time, I couldn’t deny the small sense of relief that came with his departure. Being near Tyler felt easier without the weight of guilt pressing on my shoulders.
Jax stretched slightly.
“We should probably head out too,” he said. “We’ll visit tomorrow after school.”
Peter waved at me.
“Try not to scare everyone like this again.”
Kane followed them toward the door.
“Goodnight, Harper.”
Soon it was just Tyler and me.
I looked at him carefully.
“You should probably go home too,” I said. “Your family must be worried.”
“I already called them,” he replied.
My brows lifted slightly.
“And I told your dad he could go home and get some rest.”
“You did what?”
Tyler smiled faintly.
“I told him I’d stay here tonight.”
My heart skipped slightly.
“So now it’s just you and me.”
He reached for my hand and gently lifted it.
“If you want to get rid of me,” he said softly, “you’ll have to get better soon.”
Then he pressed a slow kiss against the back of my hand. When he looked up again, his eyes were still filled with emotion, his brows drawn with that same stubborn determination.
And I knew it didn’t matter what I said.
Tyler wasn’t going anywhere.