Burning Love

16

At 7:00am the next morning, a nurse starts prepping me for surgery. She places an IV and starts attaching heart monitors to my chest. Owen paces around the room. Something is off.

"I'll be back in a bit with the anesthesiologist." The nurse says politely before walking out of the room.

"Haz, I'm sorry." Owen says softly.

"Why are you sorry?" I asked.

"I'm supposed to protect you and I did a real shitty job of it last night." Owen admitted and put his head in his hands. He looks exhausted

"Owen, you had no way of knowing that was going to happen. You can't beat yourself up about it." I said sternly.

Owen didn't say anything and I saw a tear slip down his face.

"Did you sleep last night?" I asked and Owen shook his head no.

"Your dad texted earlier. They're letting Dylan sleep in since we had a long night." He said.

"That's okay. He needs the rest." I said.

Soon, the anesthesiologist comes in and talks to us for a while. He asks about allergies and anesthesia tolerance. He leaves and Owen and I are left alone again.

"Why was Swat here last night?" I asked softly.

"Haz, we'll talk about this later. You don't have to worry about it." He answered and looked down.

"Owen..." I got interrupted by the nurse pulling the curtain back.

"It's surgery time." She said with a smile.
I glanced at Owen who still looked very uneasy. He inched towards me and leaned down, placing a kiss on my forehead. He wrapped me up in a quick hug.

" I love you." I said
"I love you too, baby. I'll see you later okay." Owen said before kissing me again.

The nurse wheeled me out of the room. I glanced to the left, where a swat officer was stationed beside my door. Another officer was a ways down the hall. What is going on?"

.....fast forward—post-op......

My eyes flutter open and I glance around the room slowly. I see Owen sitting in the recliner in the corner. Dylan is curled into his side and they're both fast asleep.

"Owen." I croak softly. Damn my mouth is dry.

I watch him stir slightly before opening his eyes.

"Hazel." He responds with a smile and moved Dylan to the side. He gets up from the chair and sits on the edge of the bed with me. Owen brushes a piece of my hair to the side.

"How are you feeling?" Owen asked

"Not bad. I need some water." I answer and he hands me a glass

As I'm taking a drink, the nurse comes in and checks my vitals. She said they'll come back in later to check in and go over the days that are to come.

"Owen, why is there heavy SWAT presence in the hospital?" I asked and he sighs heavily.

"They think Matt put the hit out for you." He answered and looked down.

"The hit out for me?" I questioned

"The gunman was specifically aiming for you, Haz. He just has terrible aim. He ratted everyone out when he was questioned. They're making sure they have the suspects and that you're protected. Don't be alarmed, but I'm carrying my 9mm... I can't just sit around and wait for that shit to happen again." Owen confessed and I saw a tear roll down his cheek.

"How'd he find me? He's back in prison." I say, shocked as hell

"That's what they're trying to figure out, Haz. I don't understand it at all." Owen kissed my cheek. I felt a tear slide down my face.

"I don't understand, Owen... are we safe? Is Dylan safe?" I question frantically. I will NOT let anything happen to my son...

"I have every reason to believe we're safe honey. I've been talking to some of the best guys on the force that I worked with. Your dad is working tirelessly to make sure everything is getting taken care of. We'll be okay." Owen reassured.

"Have they talked about witness protection?" I asked softly.

"Yea we've spoken about it. It's kind of a last resort situation. They just want you to be safe, for us to be safe." Owen answered and fidgeted with his hands.

I reached out and touched my hand to the top of his. I sighed. This shit can't be happening.

"We need to protect Dylan at all costs." I said and Owen nodded.

A couple hours later, my dad rushed in with two of the S.W.A.T Officers and my nurse. The nurse began unhooking my IV line and taking off the heart monitors.

"Haz, we're moving you out...we've received a tip that there may be another prison riot in the works that's headed by Matt and his men. We need to send you to witness protection." Dad said sternly.

In a blur, we were rushed outside into an unmarked non-suspicious vehicle. Nobody wanted to draw attention to what was going on or have anyone on our tails... it all happens so fast. Owen, Dylan, my parents, and I are all loaded onto a small government plane and before we know it, we're off.

Dylan grips my arm.

"Mommy, what's going on?" He asks nervously.

"It's okay, baby. We're just going on a little vacation. It'll be fun, I promise." I answer, hoping that everything ends up going okay.

Owen looks at me from across the aisle and gives me a pained look. I feel bad about dragging him into all of this. Sooner than later, Dylan is passed out halfway in my lap. I stroke his hair softly before planting a kiss on the top of his head.

"Where are we going?" I turn towards dad and ask.

"I don't know, sweetheart. They wouldn't tell us." He answered.

"I'm sorry that you all are in this mess because of me." I announced.

"I'd do anything for you. Try to get some rest, Babe. It's been a long 24 hours." Owen said softly.

I took his advice and snugged in with Dylan. Even though I tried to fight it, my eyes grew heavy and I drifted off to sleep.