“We’ll be in shortly to run some tests,” she mumbled, dipping her chin before scurrying out of the room.
I got the feeling that in normal situations, my husband and his adoptive father would be the ones ushered out, while a team came to tend to me. Of course, things never worked any normal kind of way with the Five Points in attendance. Certainly not when those men were the head and one of his right hand men.
My gaze returned to Finn’s haggard face, and I saw his eyes were wet as he stared down at me. He’d bowed down slightly so my triceps could rest on the sheets, but he could support my forearm and use the position to press my hand to his stubbly cheek.
That he was being so affectionate in front of Aidan surprised me. PDAs weren’t exactly good for the reputation of a man in Finn’s position—it spoke of how scared he’d been for me.
By the sounds of it, I’d come off lucky. Well, as lucky as a bride can be when she gets shot on the church steps just moments after signing the wedding certificate, that is.
My lips curved at that, because yeah, I remembered what happened now. At my rueful smile, Finn gaped at me. What? Did he expect me to sob? Maybe I should have. Maybe I should have broken down and screamed at him, demanded he leave the room, leave me alone, but God, I really didn’t want to, and I figured the chick who’d just been shot could get her own way for a while.
“Was anyone else hurt?”
Finn’s features turned stoic. “Aidan, Lena, and I were the only ones who weren’t shot. All the brothers got hit.”
“Badly?”
He shook his head. “Aidan Jr. took the worst one—it fractured his patella.” My eyes widened at the repercussions of that injury. That would require months of rehab and some PT too. “Brennan and Eoghan were grazed. Conor was also, to the bicep of all places because it was such a large target or so he says—” Aidan snorted at that. “Brennan was mostly hurt when Aidan fell into him. Broke his wrist.”
I was inordinately grateful our wedding party had been so small. There’d been a few other guests, but the brothers had swarmed around us at the entrance, leaving the others stuck inside and safe.
“Jenny?” I asked after my best friend.
Finn’s fingers danced over my skin. “She’s fine. She was inside.”
Thank God for that.
Fumbling with the paper cup the doctor had rested close to my hand that contained mostly melted ice chips, Finn saw my struggle, dipped into it and placed a small piece in my mouth. He frowned at the cup, reached for it and mumbled, “I’ll get some more.”
Because I couldn’t tell him I’d prefer him to stay rather than Aidan, he headed out, apparently grateful to have a purpose.
Blowing out a breath, I caught Aidan’s eye. He was studying me like a scientist might peruse a new species of frog.
“What is it?” I asked huskily.
“You angry?”
The question made me frown, but I answered honestly, “I’m too tired to feel anything but thirsty.”
He pursed his lips after contemplating that for a few seconds. “I can understand that. Don’t blame Finn.”
Did I?
I didn’t think I did, even if that wasn’t a rational response.
Finn wasn’t directly at fault, but equally, the Five Points were at war with a Colombian cartel for a reason. They’d obviously done something to make the Colombians get itchy trigger fingers.
Still, I didn’t want to be angry with Finn. He was my husband for a reason. I’d only known him a short time, but he was rapidly becoming the person around which my baseline was set.
If he was okay, then I was okay.
Pathetic but true.
Was that what happened when you loved someone? Or was it just because I was a doormat, waiting for a Points man to trudge on me?
“The boy worships you. Any man with eyes can see that,” Aidan stated gruffly. “He’d take your place in a heartbeat.”
“Maybe, but he can’t actually do that, can he?” I replied, my tone soft. “I love him, Aidan. I don’t want him to beg for forgiveness on bended knee.”
“What do you want then?”
I shrugged, then grimaced as the simple gesture sent shockwaves of pain through me. “I don’t know,” I answered hoarsely. “Nothing just now. I’d be happy if this pain just went away for a while.”
Closing my eyes because I was tired again, I heard him sigh. He stepped