Targeted

Chapter Twelve

~Arabella~

     Waking up in the hospital isn't a good feeling, waking up in the hospital after another Rebel attack is even worse. Groggily, I open my eyes to find Adrian staring down at me worriedly.

     "Hey," I croak, watching him relax with a loud sigh. He places his head on my stomach, running his hands through his hair.

     "Are you feeling okay? Are you in any pain?" He asks worriedly, jerking his head up to meet my eyes with his frantic green ones. I smile lovingly at him, running my hand through his hair gently. He closes his eyes, sighing and leaning into my hand.

     "I'm alright, I promise," I whisper as he reopens his eyes. He nods, still looking unsure. "Where are the kids?" He smiles.

     "They're with Ariel, the doctor refused to let them in, he says they're too 'untamed'," he laughs, shaking his head. "We sure have some weird staff." I smile, laughing quietly.

     "Only the best for us," I tell him, sitting up slightly, ignoring the sudden pain in my stomach. Right, I was shot. His eyes widen in alarm before he pushes me back down quickly. He sighs, his eyes dropping, leaning back. Sitting up, I place my hand on his cheek, turning his head to me. "There was nothing you could have done, Adrian, nothing is your fault. I'm alive, I'm right here in front of you, everything is going to be okay, I promise." He nods, the corner of his lips lifting in a small smile. I smile back, leaning forward to kiss him gently. "When can I leave?"

     "I'll go get the doc to check on you and we'll see what he says." I nod as he gets up and runs to the door, looking back at me the whole time. I smile, love filling my heart. How did I get so lucky?

     Adrian runs back in with the doctor trailing behind him, looking very annoyed, the look vanishes, though, as he stops beside my bed. After a thorough check, I could finally leave and go to my own room after he told me to be careful of the gunshot wound. Although I could walk perfectly fine, Adrian still insisted on carrying me up to our room, I didn't object, of course. In the room, I was met with the excited faces of Tucker and Sadie as they ran away from Ariel to crowd around me as Adrian put me on our bed gently.

     "Mommy!" Sadie yells excitedly, crawling up onto the bed to lay next to me. Tucker whines until Adrian picks him up and places him on the other side of me. "Where did you go, Mommy?" Sadie asks, looking at me with her curious wide green eyes, the color identical to her father's. She definitely resembles Adrian more with her dirty blonde hair that frames her face perfectly, her bright green eyes, and toothy smile exactly like his. Tucker looks more like me, with curly red hair sitting adorably on top of his head, wide chocolate brown eyes, but he has dimples that neither Adrian or I have, which I find absolutely adorable.

     "I wasn't too far, I just had some business to attend to," I tell her, smiling lovingly down at my two beautiful children. I look over to find Adrian sitting at the foot of the bed with a soft smile on his face as he stares at us. I smile, mouthing 'I love you' to him. His smile widens as he says it back. "Okay, we've all had an exciting day, but I think it's bed time for you two little munchkins." They groan, but Sadie crawls off the bed and walks to stand by Ariel as she picks Tucker up.

     "I'm happy your okay, Arabella," she says as she walks out the door with Sadie in tow. I sigh as the door closes, leaning against the headboard tiredly.

     "Why am I so tired? I was asleep literally the entire day," I groan as Adrian pulls me to him, careful of my stomach, now laying next to me.

     "You were captured, Arabella, and chained to a tree for who knows how long, it's perfectly normal to be tired after that." I sigh, laying my head on his shoulder.

     "Why does this always happen to me?" I whisper quietly, scared of his answer. His grip tightens on me and I feel him press a warm kiss to the side of my head.

     "Because you're the Queen, but this will never happen again, I promise. We captured the Rebels, all of them, they're never getting away again, you'll never be taken from me again." I look up at him with wide eyes as a smile spreads across my face.

     "You caught them? Even Zach and Brittany?" His smile falls and he sighs.

     "We got all of them, but after Zach shot you, I shot him. Brittany's with the rest of them, though, I'm sure she'll love prison." I laugh quietly, but stop as a shot of pain shoots through me. Adrian looks down at me worriedly, his eyes checking over me quickly.

     "I'm fine, just a little sore." He nods, still looking worried, and lays back down, pressing another kiss on my forehead. I smile, warmth filling me. "I love you," I whisper, looking up at him. He smiles lovingly, leaning down so we're face to face. Slowly, he presses his lips to mine, kissing me slowly and passionately.

     "I love you," he mumbles against my lips, smiling. Pulling away, I snuggle more into his arms, yawning quietly.

     "Here's to the start of a safe life, hopefully." His chest rumbles with a laugh and he kisses the top of my head.

     "Here's to the start of a safe life, definitely." I fall asleep with a smile of my face, feeling safer than I ever have.