Royal Pain in the Ass (59 page)

“Don
’
t you tell me what I want to do!
”
Chase shouted.

“
Chase, if you kill us all, we can
’
t be together.
” 
Xavier gave me a reassuring nod as he came closer.

“
What?
”

“We can
’
t be together if you kill me.
”

Chase seemed to think this over for a moment.
  “
True.
”

“
So, I think we should talk.
  Just talk.”

“
Talk about what?
”

“
About this.
”

“No. 
I don’
t want to talk about this.
”

“
Whatever you want to talk about then.
”

“
I want you back, Jules.
  I
’
ll do anything to make that happen.
 
Anything.
” 
Chase pointed a shaking hand with his finger on the trigger at Maverick.
  “
Come here or I
’
ll shoot him.
”

“Okay, I
’
m coming.
 
Nice and slow.
” 
I took a tentative step closer.
 
If Chase was going to hurt someone, it wouldn
’
t be Maverick.
 
I spared him a glance and could already see a bruise blossoming across his face.
 
Oh Chase was so going to pay.
 

I looked at Chase
’
s shaking hand.
 
I had one shot at this.
 
If I messed up, well, it wasn
’
t only myself I was gambling with.
  “I
’
m coming, it
’
s all good, Chase.
 
We don’
t have to do it this way.
  We
’
re all sensible human beings.
 
We can work this out.
” 
He did what I wanted.
 
He relaxed a fraction and the gun lowered a little to where it wasn
’
t pointing at Maverick anymore.
 
I did the only thing I could think of.
 
I lunged at him and for the gun.
 
I heard the deafening shot and I felt warm liquid.
 
I looked down and saw the red before anything.

“
Juliet!
”
Xavier screamed.
 
He punched Chase and he was out cold.
  “
Juliet!
”
Xavier screamed.
 
I knew he was screaming, but it sounded a million miles away.
 
I couldn
’
t feel anything.
 
Both of Xavier
’
s hands were pressing against my stomach.
 
His mouth was moving but I couldn
’
t hear anything but the blood rushing in my ears.
 

Everything was fringed in white.
 
It was like everything was edged with sea foam.
 
It was kind of pretty.
 
My eyelids felt heavy and I felt like I was filled with sand.
 
I was tired.
 
So tired.
 
All I wanted was to sleep.
 
I closed my eyes, just for a moment.
 
When they opened I saw a bright white light and people dressed in white.
 
I blinked and I was somewhere else.
 
Someone put a mask over my face and I felt my eyes close again.

I woke up and didn
’
t recognize where I was.
 
I heard an annoying beeping.
 
Why would someone leave something beeping.
 
It was annoying as hell.
 
I was tired and I wanted nothing but to go back to sleep, but I had to know where I was.
 
I looked down and realized I was in a bed.
 
I was taking in my surroundings.
 
A hospital.
 
I was in a hospital.
 
Why was I in a hospital?
 
My head felt foggy and hurt the harder I tried to think.

I looked and tried to focus my eyes.
 
The beeping was a heart monitor.
 
Maybe it was a good thing it was still going.
 

I noticed a figure slumped in a chair.
 
It didn
’
t look comfortable, but I recognized him at once.
 
Xavier was sleeping in my hospital room.
 
I couldn
’
t help but smile, images started coming back and my smile wilted.
 
He was leaving.
 
He probably was just making sure I didn
’
t die, then he
’
d be on a flight back home.
 
He was leaving.

I looked down at my hands.
 
My stomach hurt, not like a stomach ache, like it was beaten or something.
 
I looked down and lifted my hospital gown.
   
There were stitches up my abdomen.
 
It looked ugly and I knew it would scar terribly.
 
I wanted to cry.
 
I was beginning to remember.
 
Chase had a gun, he
’
d tried to hurt Maverick, so I did a very stupid thing.
 
I would carry this scar for the rest of my life to prove how stupid I can be.
 
I felt stupid for wanting to cry but I did it anyway.
 
I couldn
’
t help it.
 
I didn
’
t mean to.
 
I tried to be quiet, but I woke Xavier up.

“
Juliet?
”

“I
’
m fine.
”
I sobbed, and crying hurt.
 
It pulled at the stitches and every movement hurt my stomach.
 

“
You are not.
 
Stop being stubborn and let someone take care of you.
”
Xavier warned.
  “I can
’
t keep watching this.
 
Juliet, I can
’
t watch you do this to yourself.
”

I cried harder. 
He was saying goodbye now.
 
He was really leaving.
 
He was about to leave and it would be over.
 
I would never tell him how I felt.
 
He would never know what he meant to me.
 

“
Juliet, it will be alright.
”
He soothed as he sat next to me.
 
He took one of my hands in both of his own.
  “I
’
m right here.
”
He soothed, his thumb making small soothing circles on my hand.

“You
’
re leaving.
”
I sobbed, barely more than a whisper.
 

“
Ask me to stay.
”

I looked up into those chocolaty brown eyes.
 
I was expecting something far from what I was seeing.
 
I expected cruel or condescending, something to say you need me and you know it.
 
What I saw made me cry even harder.
 
There was kindness and hope in his eyes.

I sat up, despite the pain and grabbed onto him like he was the last solid thing on earth.
  “Stay! 
Please stay!
”
I sobbed into his chest.
 
His arms wrapped around me and I felt safe.
 
Nothing else mattered.
 
If he would stay, I would be okay.

“
As long as you want me,
”
Xavier sighed.

I pulled away and looked him in the eye.
  “Xavier,”

“Yes?”

“
I love you.
”
I whispered, embarrassed.
  I
’
m not sure why, but I felt stupid saying it.

“
I love you too.
”
Xavier smiled back and kissed me gently on the forehead.
  “
Now, you
’
re going to need your rest.
  I
’
ll call the nurse and your father and let him know you
’
re alright.
 
He was here by the way.
  I
’
ll explain everything later, just relax
” 
I nodded.
 
A nurse came in a put something in my IV and I was out like a light.

Chapter XXX

Xavier and I talked, and I found out what happened after what I could remember.
   
Maverick was fine; he just had a minor concussion.
 
Amanda on the other hand, Xavier had to restrain.
 
Apparently she almost killed Chase.
 
She came and visited me and so did Maverick which brightened up my day.
  I
’
d been in the hospital for a week before I woke up, I was shot in the stomach, but there was no permanent damage.
 
Senator Evans tried to come see me, but Xavier and Amanda and the police had kept him at bay.
 

Apparently when I was out James had come and visited, but he couldn
’
t wait around more than a few days.
 
I can understand that, he is a diplomat after all.
 
The more things happen the more I realized I
’
m not where I belong anymore.
 
So long as I
’
m here, Chase can find me and he
’
s proven he
’
s insane.  He
’
s in an institution right now, Senator Evans had him transferred before he went to jail.
  I
’
ve already made my decision.
  I
’
ve told Amanda she
’
s welcome to my house all that she wants, my car too.
 

“
How are you feeling this morning?
”
Xavier asked.
 
He had coffee.
 
I was jealous.
 
I wasn
’
t allowed to have coffee yet.
 
I was going to be on a liquid diet for a while.
 
I was so not happy.

“Hungry.” I groaned.

“I
’
m sorry, love.”

“It
’
s alright.
”
I shrugged.
  “
How much longer am I going to be stuck here?
”

“
Just a few more days, they want to be sure you won
’
t tear the internal stitches.
 
If you do, you could bleed out, but if your external stitches are fine, we
’
d never know until it was too late.
 
Just a few more days.
”

“
I hate hospitals.
”

“
I know.
”