Break Me (Taken Series Book 2) (14 page)

Chapter 10

Sierra

I held Damon's hand the entire way to the hospital. I needed his touch to know that this was real. That he was here, but most of all, I needed his touch to know that he was still alive. He lost a lot of blood. Too much blood. The EMT's made quick work on loading him on the stretcher and into the ambulance. They cut his shirt and vest off to get a better look while they tried to stop the rapid flow of blood coming from the tiny whole in his side. The man who pulled me away from him while the EMT's loaded Damon on the stretcher didn't fight me when I said I was going with him.

"Baby girl." I try to shush Damon when he tries to speak. His voice is hoarse, he is wheezing, and he sounds as if he is whispering but I have a feeling he's is trying to scream his words loud enough for me to hear.

"Shh. Don't speak. You need to save your energy." He smiles and closes his eyes peacefully. I think he has passed out and I begin to worry that he may not wake. I am about to panic when the EMT's don't try to wake him but he quickly reassures me when his eyes slit open.

"Forrest needs you. He's fucked up. He needs you to save the broken man he's become." He starts to cough and the EMT's quickly move me over to put the mask on his face to help him breath. They haven't stopped working on him since being in here, checking his vitals, hooking him up to god knows what, but there is only so much they can do without literally cutting him open here and now.

"Damon, don't you leave me now. I need you. I just got you back and I can't lose you now." I cry out.

He smiles under the mask before pulling it away to speak. "I love you baby girl. I love you. Be good to Forrest." Before I can get another word in, the monitors that were beeping to his hearts rhythm stop and turn into a drawn out noise. The driver calls in letting the hospital know they need to be ready, that the patient is coding. I sit back as far as I can out of the way, but continuously call to Damon to wake the fuck up and not to leave me. I need him. He can't fucking leave me now.

"Damon. Damon don't you fucking leave me now. Wake up. Please wake up." I plead and cry, and plead some more while the EMT's work on him with chest compressions and breathing air into his lungs. I didn't notice when the ambulance stopped but the doors flew open and a nurse helped pull me quickly out of the way so they can get Damon out. One guy is sitting on his stretcher continuing the chest compressions as the other man is squeezing a bag to push air into his lungs when the other guy stops, and several nurses and doctors follow as they rush him through the emergency doors and out of my sight.

The loud chatter as the doctors and nurses tried to find out what was going on and who knows what else quieted, and I was left standing in shock and fear. I have no idea if Damon will make it out alive. He was in bad shape and he lost a lot of blood. He was so pale from his normally tan complexion. His eyes seem to lose their life before my eyes in the ambulance and I knew it couldn't be a good sign.

The nurse who rushed me out of the way led me to a room where she proceeded to check my vitals, take my blood, and run some tests. I dazedly answered her questions. How old was I, did I have any known injuries that needed to be looked at first, was I feeling any pain anywhere, among other basic questions. I was looked over from head to toe while another nurse wrote down whatever I or the nurse checking me over told her. I know they can see the scars all over my body and when she asked how I received them, I told her to mind her business. She got the message and only asked what she needed to know. Before long, I was left alone while I waited for my test results to come back. I have no idea what they were testing me for and honestly, I didn't care. All I wanted was to know what was happening with Damon and to be in Forrest's arms again.

***

Everything happened so fast at the house that I didn't get to process my feelings or thoughts. Damon slipped through my door startling me. I wasn't expecting Damon to be here and as much as it pleased me to see him, it also scared the shit out of me knowing he was here. He would be killed if he was caught, but for some reason I know he isn't here alone. If Damon is here, that means Forrest is here somewhere. If Forrest is here then they are going to try to help me escape.

"Damon, you can't be here. If Jeremy finds you, he will kill you."

He smirks at me and I groan. "Hey sis. It would be nice if you said how much you missed me." I smile despite my fear.

"God I missed your humor. Now leave. Before he catches you, please." I plead with him. It would kill me if I were the reason he was hurt or worse, killed.

"But sis, I am here to rescue you. Normally it's the prince who saves his princess but your knight in shining armor is busy right now so you get me." He spreads his arms wide as if I should be ecstatic he is here but I am in fear of what Jeremy will do to them.

"NO! Oh, god no. You need to go get him, Damon. Jeremy knows. He is going to kill him. You need to get him and get out of here before you both are caught. Please Damon. Please get out of here."

"Too late now sis. Besides, the feds will be here soon and I am supposed to get you out of here before they crash through those front doors and storm the place. Forrest doesn't want you to possibly get hurt. Besides, I have a feeling Forrest will be just fine."

I chew my lip and wring my hands unsure of what to do. As much as I want them to leave, I want just as much to be rescued.

"We need to hurry though so just stop thinking so much and stay behind me." I blow out a nervous breath and nod my head. I'll just give them both hell when this is all said and done. Damon grabs my hand and squeezes before winking at me causing me to roll my eyes.

"I need some theme music. I feel like Batman. Give me the Batman theme song before we head out." I chuckle quietly before humming the batman song.

"Stay behind me, if you see any movement or hear something, tug the bottom of my shirt. Don't make a noise just in case we missed someone when we came in."

"Ok." I whisper.

"Let's jet." Damon's stupid saying has me smiling even in the worst situations. God I missed him. I missed my family so much it hurts.

We sneak out into the hall and head to the stairs. Damon has his gun ready for whatever as he looks around for any danger. Motioning with his head in the direction of the door, I nod even though he isn't looking at me, and we slowly creep down with our backs to the wall. My heart his hammering, palms are sweaty, and my hope is soaring the closer we get to our escape. We are so close. Freedom is just a few feet away. I can see into the office and my heart stops for a moment before racing at the sight of Forrest. I can't hear what he is saying and it doesn't matter. Just the sight of him is like receiving water after walking the barren desert in the hot son for days.

I drink him in for the brief moment and feel relief at the sight of this strong, beautiful man that seems to have defied even death just to rescue me. My heart soars with overwhelming love for Forrest. How I ever thought my feelings for Jeremy were real, I have no clue. Seeing Forrest again, I know that those feelings are pure and the love I thought I had for Jeremy was just a lie. I didn't love Jeremy, I just accepted my fate and imagined my feelings to help me cope. Loving Forrest, now that is true and pure love and I will never again mistake it for something else.

Just when I think we are going to make it I'm shoved roughly to the ground at the same time the pop of a gun goes off before another quickly follows. I wait for the pain to come but feel nothing as I look around for the source of the shots. A guard lays earthly still at the bottom of the steps and already a pool of blood has started to form where he lay. I look over towards where I was pushed and find Damon lying on the cold floor barely moving. I can see his chest moving up and down slowly and nothing else. I crawl over not noticing the puddle before my hand lands in it. When I look down it is not just a puddle, but a pool of blood coming from Damon. I look quickly for the source and put my hand to the spot I see the blood leaking from.

"Damon. Wake up Damon. You're going to be ok." His eyes flutter open slowly and I can see him trying to mask the pain in his eyes.

***

After I called for Forrest, everything else became a blur. Things moved frantically around me and time seemed to not exist. Arriving at the hospital, being checked over and waiting for my parents to arrive could have taken anywhere from twenty minutes to twenty hours. I was too out of it to really notice what was going on. The shock of the day, from Damon being shot, and from my escape hadn't settled yet. So much happened and I was still reeling from it all. Even Forrest's presence in the waiting room didn't seem to bring me out of my shock.

I vaguely remember my parents arriving at the hospital and worrying over me. I know they cried as they held me and told me they missed me but it's all just a hazy memory. I don't remember exactly what they were saying to me, I barely registered when the police came to ask me questions, I can't even remember who helped me out of the room into the waiting room to wait to hear about Damon's condition. If I answered their questions, I can't remember.

              I only remember the moment the doctor came out to let us know what was happening with Damon. To hear the words that Damon would no longer be in our lives was like a vice squeezing my chest. I have never felt such pain. It hurt. I wanted to crawl into a hole somewhere and never come out knowing that if it weren't for me, he would still be alive. He jumped in front of a bullet for me. It was ridiculous but the blood on my hands, Damon's blood, was a metaphor. I had his death on my hands. I wished it were I instead of him that died. I deserve to be dead.

              We cried for what seemed like forever, my parents holding each other while Forrest held me close, so close that I can hear and feel every beat of his heart against my ear. It was soothing in a way. I used its strong and steady beat as a way to calm myself. I needed Forrest more than ever and whether he likes it or not, he needs me just as much. We are all we have and hearing him blame himself for this mess pisses me off but I let it slide for now. We need to have a talk just not right now. Right now we need each other.

              Later, when we finally make it home, Forrest guides me to the bathroom without a word. I have no idea where my parents are, probably still at the hospital taking care of the paperwork most likely. Forrest doesn't utter a word and it's a relief knowing we don't need words to comfort each other. Helping me to undress, he takes extra care with me as if I am a china doll that will break at the slightest touch. Even though I am not as breakable as he may think, he must know that I need this.

              Without my notice, he had turned on the shower and already the bathroom was heating up with the steam from the cascading hot water. Stripping himself down, he throws all of our clothing into the trash before helping me step into the steaming shower with him. Holding me close under the hot spray, I feel myself start to relax. My tense muscles start to loosen and the comfort of Forrest has me silently crying. The tears fall from my eyes but I don't make a sound. I watch as Forrest squeezes the liquid soap onto the sponge and with careful movements, begins to rub the dirt, blood, and pain from my skin. I know he can see the scars that line my body as he tenses over each one but he must know not to talk about them right now. Instead, he continues to clean me from head to toe carefully before washing himself.

              I watch the last of Damon's blood washed from our bodies go down the drain with care. That is the last piece of Damon I have even if it is a sick way of looking at it. Forrest plugs the bath and switches the water off from the showerhead to pour out of the faucet to fill the tub. Carefully he lowers me down to a sitting position before sliding in behind me and pulling me close between his legs.

              We sit quietly as the bath fills up but the silence is comforting in a way. I don't want to talk about what happened today or even about the past few months that I have been held captive. As much as I know he wants to question me about my time, and how much I want to question him about his, right now this time is for us. We need each other and all the unanswered questions can wait.

              By the time the water is done, I am tired of waiting. I need Forrest in every way. I need him to love me, comfort me, and help stop the constant noise in my head that doesn't seem to want to shut off. I know he probably just wants to hold me close but I need to be connected to him in every way.

              Forrest looks so unsure, like a lost puppy afraid to get too close. The pain I see in his eyes that he can't hide lets me know that he hurts more than he is letting on. I knew this already, but my big strong man is just that, big and strong. But sometimes no matter how strong you are, there are some things you need help with to over come. There are too many reasons he is in pain right now but if we can at least help each other forget, for just a little while at least, then maybe it will help make it just a little bit easier.

              I spread my legs to go on either side of his hips and slide my hands around his neck to glide through his long hair. He looks different now. Harder, angrier, more like a killer. His hair has grown out to his shoulders, he now sports a grizzly looking beard and mustache, and his muscles have grown from big to massive. I've never seen anyone look so large and scary. But knowing he is my Forrest, he's not so scary to me. He may look different on the outside to most, but when I look into his eyes, I know he is the same man on the inside. There is no mistaking that he has broken bit by bit from the things that had occurred, and that he his harder, darker, and more killer than man now, but with me, he will always be the same man.