It took me a long time to crack my eyes open as it always did but this time I didn't want to open my eyes. I didn't want to face reality, I didn't want to face a world where Marco didn't exist. Especially since it was my fault that he was gone in the first place.
But as much as I wanted to remain in my isolated world of deep sleep, I knew I couldn't hide from my actions forever. So when I was satisfied with the amount of time that I just laid there with my eyes closed, I finally summed up the strength and courage to let my eyelids flutter open although I couldn't see anything past the bright light boring into my corneas.
I gently lifted my hands to my eyes to wipe the sleep away. Slowly, my sight came back to me and I found that I wasn't laying in the basement as I had presumed I probably would be. Instead, I was laying in the infirmary. It was hard to miss the pure white walls and the crisp cotton sheets. My clothes had been replaced with a hospital gown and my hair had once again been thrown up into a bun to hide the grime that had no doubt built on each strand growing from my scalp.
There was a soft moan near my feet and I took in my surroundings for the first time. There was a couch against the far wall where I saw Luke and Toni sleeping. Next to them on yet another couch were my parents, my father and my real mother, not the one that tried to kill me. They were sleeping as was Arnold who had taken residence on the lazy-boy lounge chair off in the corner.
And sitting in a chair that had been pulled oddly close to my bed, was the Marco look alike. He had his head resting on the bed next to my hip as he slept.
My heart sank, and suddenly I became very aware of a rapid beeping noise wailing from my other side. My eyes landed on a machine that was recording my heartbeat through a device that was clutched around my finger. I ripped the device away from my finger and let it fall onto the floor with a light clack.
When I turned back, I found that the Marco look alike wasn't sleeping anymore. Instead he was sitting up and staring at me in shock and wonder. There were deep purple bags under his eyes and he looked pale beyond comparison. My heart ached for this man, he looked like he hadn't slept or eaten in days. And up close he looked so similar to the man that I had lost, but I knew it couldn't be him.
Miracles didn't just happen.
"You're awake." The man said quietly, smiling at me genuinely.
I gave him a small smile back, "Yes. How long have I been out?"
The Marco look alike let out a somewhat shaky breath as he replied quietly as not to wake up the rest of the room, "About four days. The doctors said you were starving and dehydrated and just overall exhausted. They didn't know when you'd wake up but they assured after a good rest you'd be just fine, thank God."
I nodded, twiddling my thumbs in my lap as he spoke, "And my mother? What happened to her?"
"Well Arnold took her into custody and she's been locked away in the deepest, darkest room the organization has to offer. She'll be given a proper trial but the evidence is piling against her. I doubt she'll get anything less than life behind bars." The Marco look alike explained, still smiling at me as if he physically couldn't stop.
"And what about Brett? Was he captured as well?" I wondered, keeping my eyes casted down. I was too afraid to meet his gaze because I knew I wouldn't see those beautiful dark eyes that I loved so much.
"He is actually assisting in the investigation. We offered him a deal, a reduced sentence if he t4estifed against your biological mother. Still, that only brings his sentence down to seventy-five years, so he'll be away for a long time as well." The man informed quickly, as if he wanted to move on.
But I couldn't bring myself to smile at him as he was at me, he didn't understand that he had only been hired to scare my mother. He wasn't the real Marco. He was only an actor, a fake.
"Harmony, why don't you ask me the question you actually want to know the answer to?" The man suggested, scooting his chair closer if that was even possible.
I shook my head and stated plainly, "I don't have any other questions for you."
However, the man seemed to notice the hitch in my voice. Because he stood up slowly, his face twisting in pain as he did so. And then he did the one thing that I expected the least. He gripped the hem of the gray t-shirt he was wearing and pulled it up until it revealed an extremely bloody bandage tightly tapped all the way around his body.
I gasped loudly, bringing my hand up to cover my mouth. I couldn't rip my eyes from the crimson gauze taped to his body, it was in the same location as where I had witnessed the blade plunge through Marco's torso. But this couldn't be right.
My eyes snapped up to meet his as more tears swelled within my eyes, "No, this isn't possible. I saw you get stabbed, I saw you die!"
He sat back down, dropping his shirt and taking my shaking hands into his. He smiled softly before breathing deeply, "It was all a part of our plan. We knew that your biological mother wouldn't come out of hiding until she knew that I was dead and unable to hurt her. So we devised a plan for me to somehow 'die' but we didn't count on you finding out about your real mother so soon. When you ran from me, I heard that spy crawling around in the vents and I knew that we had run out of time."
"So, what, you knew that Brett would stab you? How could you have possible known you weren't going to die for real?" I asked incredulously, trying to figure out how any of this could be real. I was glad that I had taken that device off of my finger because my heartbeat was pounding faster than it ever had before.
He smiled fondly at me before placing a warm hand on my cheek, "I didn't. But that was a chance I was willing to take in order to keep you safe. It was the only way to get your mother out of hiding and we... I couldn't pass up an opportunity like that."
I placed one hand to my forehead while I tried sorting through the millions of thoughts rampaging through my mind, "So wait, what happened then? Because I saw you die, Marco. You weren't just pretending, you were gone."
He nodded, his grip on my hand tightening as he remembered what he had gone through, "Well, according to the doctors, I was dead. For almost five minutes. But they were able to revive me once they had taken me back to the infirmary. I remained unconscious for days, which was why it took me so long to find you and I'm truly sorry for that."
Tears had escaped my eyes by now as I brought his hand up to my heart, clutching it tightly, "Please don't apologize, I just...I can't believe that you're actually alive. I was so sure that you were dead and that it was my fault and when I saw all that blood I knew that-"
"Shh, don't bring it up. I'm also sorry that you had to see what Brett did to me." Marco quickly moved up to sit next to me and I instantly pounced on him, wrapping my arms around his neck as I hugged him tighter than I ever had before. His arms came around my back as he hugged me back but it wasn't as tight as my arms around his neck, clinging to him like a lifeline. But after a minute, I heard Marco grunt as he quietly spoke, "Um... Harmony, please loosen your death grip. I can't breath."
"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm sorry." I quickly exclaimed, pulling away from him to sit back on my own side of the bed. He took a few moments to just lay there, holding his midsection. And that's when I saw all the dark bruises and deep cuts dressing his body. I had nearly forgotten that he had been tortured before he had been stabbed.
But that only made me want to hug him more. I couldn't believe that he had been alive this whole time while I had been wallowing in self pity. He was here, he was alive, and he wasn't mad that I had basically gotten him killed.
So when he finally opened his eyes again, I grabbed the front of his shirt and kissed him.
"I'm so sorry for everything, for all this trouble I caused." I cried against his lips, feeling the tears dripping from my eyes and then getting caught between mine and Marco's cheeks.
His hands cupped my face, holding me tightly against him as he replied, "None of this is your fault, Harmony. I'm only going to say that once."
I nodded, too tired and happy to argue with him. I returned my attention to our kiss, the way our lips molded together and sparked a fire within my heart. For the first time in a week, I felt happy. I felt alive and joyous. The feeling of Marco's lips on mine assured me that I hadn't killed the man that I loved.
He held me closer to him, gathering me in his arms and hugging me tightly while I deepened our kiss. My fingers tangled themselves in Marco's hair, gently bringing his head closer to mine so that he could kiss me harder. I wanted him, all of him, and even though I was basically on top of him I still felt like I wasn't close enough.
"Can you two please get a room?" Someone commented behind me, and I reluctantly pulled away from Marco to see that everyone else in the room was awake. They were all smiling, except for my father who was all but glaring at Marco and how his arms were still wrapped tightly around my waist.
But they were all here. They were all alive and they were all standing here before me on his own two feet. I had expected so much worse, and I had almost gotten it. When I thought Marco was dead, that was the end of it for me. Even if I had managed to get out of there without his help, I still would have lost in more ways than one. But that was something I didn't have to worry about. Because everyone was here.
I giggled lightly before rolling back onto my side of the bed and sitting up to face them all squarely. Toni ran to my side, hugging me tightly as she repeated in my ear over and over again, "I love you, I love you, I love you."
"Hey man, how you doing?" I heard Luke ask Marco who was still laying down next to me. Toni and I turned to see Luke standing over his best friend, both men smiling at each other. It physically warmed my heart and soon more tears were spilling from my eyes.
"How are you feeling honey?" My father asked, coming to my side and wiping the tears away from my cheeks. I nodded to answer his question, worried that my voice would betray me if I tried to speak.
Then my mother slipped around him and hugged me tightly, "I am so sorry, sweetheart. We should have told you a long time ago about your real mother and none of this would have happened-"
"You are my real mother." I interjected, hugging her back and smiling into her shoulder, "And I am sorry for the way I acted."
"You have absolutely nothing to be sorry for, honey." My mother responded, pulling back to placed both her hands on my cheeks as she kissed my forehead.
"I think I speak for everyone when I say that we are glad that you are alright and unharmed." Arnold spoke from the back of the group. We all turned to face him and I saw that he was actually smiling for once. And when he turned to stare at my bodyguards, I saw pride swimming in his eyes, "We have completed our eighteen year mission."
Suddenly, nausea pummeled at my stomach as I asked, "So what now?"
"What do you mean?" Arnold cocked his head in confusion.
I cautiously turned to stare at my three friends who had become my family in these past months, then I looked back at Arnold in fear, "Well you just said it yourself. Your mission is completed. So does that mean you guys are going to leave? Move on to another client?"
Arnold's eyebrows rose in thought before shifting his gaze to my father. Both men remained quiet for a long time before Arnold finally smiled and stated calmly, "Well Miss Harmony, we all know how clumsy you can be. Maybe it's for the best if your bodyguards remain with you. Besides, just because we've taken out the most immediate threat doesn't mean that you're entirely out of danger. After all, you are the only heir to your father's company. Unfortunately, others will come after you as your biological mother did."
"But we'll be here to keep you safe." Marco spoke up, now pushing himself into a sitting position as well. He smiled lightly at me before saying, "We'll always be here to protect you and that is one thing that will never change."
I smiled back at him, letting my head fall on his shoulder as I hugged his arm to my chest, "I figured you'd say that. So let me be the first to say that just because you're my bodyguard doesn't mean you aren't my boyfriend."
"What does that mean?" Marco asked quietly, suddenly extremely aware of my father's intense gaze over us.
I looked back up at him and smiled as well, "It means that you can protect me when there is danger but otherwise I want you three to act like normal teenagers for once in your lives. I want to take you guys bowling, and camping, and we can go to an amusement park. I want you to walk on my side of life."
Marco chuckled deeply, that sound rumbling through my chest as I have loved in the past, "Deal. As long as you promise to never run away from me, ever again."
I reached up to kiss his cheek and whispered, "Promise."
My mother cleared her throat as she began herding everyone out of the room, "Come on people, let's give the happy couple some privacy."
"Whoa wait, you're okay leaving them in here alone?" My father exclaimed, his eyes flashing back and forth between Marco and I as my mother practically shoved him out of the room. And just as she shut the door, I saw her shoot me a wink.
Then we were alone, both sitting on a hospital bed, both broken beyond repair. But that didn't matter even in the least. The only thing I was concerned with at this point was spending as much time as I could with Marco to make up for the lost time this past week.
"How are you feeling?" I asked Marco, slowly pushing him back down until he was once again laying down.
He winced slightly, closing his eyes tightly. But soon, I saw his face relax as he composed himself before replying, "I'm fine, don't worry about me princess. I've been through tougher injuries than this, can't really think of any right now but I'm sure there are some."
I laid down next to him, letting my body naturally fall against his and cuddle into the side of his comforting body, "And I'm sure there will be more."
He shrugged, "Probably."
"And of course, you're not worried right?" I asked him, raising a single eyebrow.
He laughed lightly, holding me tightly against his body, "Oh Harmony, when have you ever known me to worry about this kind of stuff? Everything will be okay baby, just like I promised."
I thought back to the moments just before Marco had been stabbed, recalling how he told me over and over again that everything was going to be okay. And as always, he was right. Everything had worked out on the end; he was alive, my biological mother couldn't hurt anyone ever again, and my bodyguards got to stay with me.
"Guess you were right..." I began, before pinching his side playfully, "But if you ever die on my like that again, I swear I'll kill you."
Marco laughed, that unquestionable laugh that I loved so very much, "I promise I'll try to keep myself from getting killed ever again. How does that sound?"
I rolled my eyes and tucked my head into the crook of his shoulder, "Well I know you won't be able to keep that promise. Especially if you're going to continue protecting me like you have been. And I hate to say it, but I wouldn't want it any other way. I guess that kind of makes me a little selfish but I don't really care anymore."
Marco shrugged, "I don't think it's selfish."
"So does this mean you guys are coming with me to college?" I wondered slowly.
Marco nodded, "Of course."
"And what about my arranged marriage?"
"What about it?"
I narrowed my eyes at him, "Well as far as I know, Brenda still has my husband planned out and I don't think you're one of the candidates. So what are we going to do about that?"
Marco smiled to himself before looking down at me, "I've almost lost you so many times over these last few months. And when I was laying in that basement, dying, the only thing I could think about was how badly I had let you down. But I promise, right here and now, that I will never make that mistake ever again. You are mine and I will fight for your honor until you ask me to do otherwise."
"Well don't wait around for that day because I doubt it will ever come." I informed him cheekily, kissing his jaw.
He enclosed me in a tight hug as he kissed the top of my head, "Good, I have no arguments there."
"Can I make one suggestion though?" I questioned.
"Go right ahead."
Then, as quickly as I could, I flipped myself over until I was straddling his waist. I made sure to stay clear from his wound but squeezed my legs around his hips tightly. Then I placed my thumbs over his eyes, as if I planned to pop them out. He laughed from underneath me as I leaned forward and whispered against his mouth, "Teach me how to fight. Properly. So I can kick ass just like you."
His hands snaked around my own hips before he whispered back, "Of course, princess."
"And stop calling me that."
"Never."
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Okay, that's the end of it!
Sorry that it's such a short chapter but i like the way it sums the book up so I'm leaving it. Thank you to all who stuck through it and supported "For Her Honor", i can't even begin to tell you how much i appreciate it.
Keep a look out for my next book, coming out soon.
And one last time; vote, comment, and let me know how you liked it.
Thanks again everyone!!!