Prisoner

Chapter 4

It wasn't difficult to find Ethan at the hospital, his ward was the only one guarded with officers.

The other guy involved in the fight is in the operating room right now, even if he were to make it out alive, his face would be a mess.

I make a beeline for the door but the Officer has pulled my hand away before I could touch the handle.

"You are?" He narrows his eyes.

"His counselor." I straighten up and glare at him.

"You're a child."

"Okay I'm his girlfriend, and I'm so worried, can you please let me in?"

He eyeballs me and gestures me forward, I push past him into the ward.

Ethan struggles to sit up the moment I come in, "Addy." I let my eyes run over his bandaged nose and the stitches over his temple.

"Ethan, oh my god." I don't think before I rush over and frame his face in my hands, running my fingers under his busted lip. Ethan flinches from the contact but doesn't pull away.

"Are you okay?" I choke out, I was so scared watching him fight. I was afraid I might lose him.

"I'm fine. Where is Hugh?"

"In the operating room. They are fixing his face."

"Addy." His hand smooths up my arm until he's grasping me by the wrist.

"Yeah?"

"Leave." Ethan pushes me away gently.

"What?"

"Go home." He turns away from me.

"What are you talking about?"

"I will hurt you."

"What are talking about? You won't hurt me Ethan." I lean in to touch his arm but he grabs my forearm and yanks me forward.

My face is inches from his, so close that I can count the shades of his irises, that I can see the hurt in his eyes.

"You saw what I did to Hugh, I'm fucked up." Tears are welling in his eyes, "Stop wasting your time on me, Addy."

My heart clenches, "But I want to spend my time on you."

He pulls me closer, I can taste the coffee on his warm breath and a hint of mint. "What if one day I get mad at you and hurt you? I can't control myself." Suddenly, a thought comes over him and he jerks his arm away from me, releasing his grip on my forearm.

I glance down and see marks tracking up my arm, from the tight grip of his fingernails.

"I can't even hold you without hurting you," Ethan buries his face in his hand, he's crying. I never thought I would see someone as tough as him cry like that.

He lifts his face from his palm, "JUST GET OUT ADDY!"

"DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO, I WANT TO STAY." I shout back.

"WE CAN'T MEET EVERYDAY ANYMORE, I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOU." Tears are streaking down his face, he cries in earnest.

"WHY ARE YOU SO SCARED OF HURTING ME?"

"BECAUSE YOU ACTUALLY MEAN SOMETHING TO ME." He yells and suddenly the room goes silent, the reality of his words sinking in. Ethan leans back into the pillows, shocked and flustered.

I don't know what compelled me to do this but I lean in and press my lips lightly against his. I hold it for a while and Ethan doesn't pull away, then his lips part and he kisses me back.

"What are you doing," He whispers, cupping my face with one hand because the other is cuffed to the bed. He breaks away from the kiss. I tip my forehead to his, the material of bandage rough against my skin.

"I'm kissing you." I murmur, leaning in again and catching his soft lips in mine. Ethan pulls away, shaking his head frantically, "No, no, no, stop. This is wrong."

"Shut up," I try again, and this time, Ethan's hand comes behind my back of my neck, pulling me closer as he kisses me back. I brace my hands against his chest as our lips molder together.

It becomes an urgent kiss, I can feel his stubble scraping against my chin and his hot tears matting my cheeks. I break away to breathe, my head spins as I gasp for air.

Ethan throws his head back into the pillows, eyes shut and smiling slightly. His chest heaves as he looks up at me again. "By doing this, you're just asking for trouble, Addy."

I reach for his hand and intertwine our fingers. I play a kiss on his knuckles. "That doesn't bother me."