A Duet of the Soul

Chapter 46: Coming Home

*Maria's POV*

A ringing started in my ears as I stared at Monica.

"Breathe, Maria," she reminded me. I tried to follow her instructions, but my lungs were too tight and were fighting against accepting the air I was trying to force in. "He's alive, but he was shot last night after they got to Adam's hideout."

"Sh-shot?" I stuttered. The room started to tilt back and forth as darkness crept in around the edges. I fought it back, struggling to intake more air to keep me from passing out. Monica squeezed my hand and nodded her head. She took another deep breath to steady her voice. I needed to hear the rest of this, but it was almost impossible to stay focused on her upcoming words.

"Adam shot him in the stomach before he escaped. Sean and Ryan rushed him to a surgeon they knew on the outskirts of town. Fortunately, it sounds like it didn't hit anything vital. That's why they didn't come back last night, but they're on their way back with him now. He's alive, but he's going to be on bedrest for a bit. He's going to need a lot of care over the next couple of weeks." Monica squeezed my hands again and tilted her head towards me.

I inhaled another shaky breath and nodded my head. My lips trembled as I whispered, "I can help him."

"That would be good." A small, sad smile graced her face. "But remember, this is a serious situation, and if you have any doubts about staying this is the time for you to step out. If you're not serious about staying with him, his brothers should take him back to Chicago with them to care for him. So, before you say you can help, be sure that's what you want and know what you're committing yourself to."

I silently nodded my head, understanding what she was explaining.

She patted my leg and stood up. "He should be home soon, Maria, but you've got a little time to think it through. I'll be upstairs with Amaya, and Greg is gonna keep an eye out around here until they show up."

Monica slowly stood up and disappeared up the stairs. I focused on steady breathing to ensure the room didn't start spinning again. I knew something had gone wrong; I knew it deep in my gut. I told him I was starting to fall in love with him, but I haven't said those three words directly to him. I could have lost my chance forever.

Sniffling, I wiped away the tears on my cheeks. I hadn't realized I was crying until I felt a drop fall onto my hand. I closed my eyes and swallowed the bile rising from my stomach. My hands bunched the hem of the t-shirt I was wearing. When I opened my eyes, Greg had taken a seat across from me.

Like Monica, his eyes were red and slightly puffy as though they'd both been crying before I came downstairs. It looked as though he had aged by ten years overnight. Did he stay up all night long? He must have, I realized. Otherwise, who would have been on lookout overnight? After Justin came back, I would offer to stand guard so Greg, Justin, and his brothers could all get a few hours of sleep in this afternoon.

"You doing okay?"

"Y-yeah. Yeah, I'm okay. Are you? He's your best friend..."

He smiled and nodded his head. "Yeah, Justin's tough and will be fine. He wouldn't leave knowing that he still needed to protect you."

I wanted those words to be true. He wouldn't leave me because I needed him. I didn't realize how much I wanted him nor how much I needed him in my life until last night, when the fear of Adam taking him from me first started swirling around in my mind. Hearing that Justin was almost killed last night solidified my decision and determination to stay with him. He had fought so hard to get me and now that he had me, he couldn't leave so easily. He had to keep fighting.