Page 16 of Bishop

"Then the guys will come. I'm sure of it. Wyatt and the rest of them will come for us. We just have to hold on," Gabi nods her head hard, almost as if she's trying to force the idea that the cavalry is just around the corner into her mind. As much as I want to believe that too, I'm not going to bet any of our lives on it. Liam is going to take matters into his own hands, and soon. I can tell. He's getting desperate.

Before I can say another word, the door to the cell swings open, and Gabi jumps in fear before quickly scurrying to the other side of the cell.

Dread fills my gut not only because I know I can't soothe her like she's done me, but also because it's possible that when we get out of here, instead of building on whatever relationship we might be cultivating right now, she'll only look at me as another one of the people who hurt her. By choice or not, I'm one of the reasons Gabi is holding onto fear.

I've never felt this way about another woman, but that in no way means she feels the same about me. It's time I acknowledge the fact that even though I may not be an evil man, I'm a main character in Gabrielle's nightmare. It just hurts to know that my feelings are one-sided.

Eleven

Gabrielle

I'm home.

A few months ago, home was where my belongings were, but today, home is in Bishop's arms.

After Uma was deposited back into the cell with us, the five of us rolled Bishop onto his front and exchanged the soiled bandages.

I went through five minutes of hell to get some first aid for him, and even though I know he's not happy that I had to trade myself to help him, I'd do it all over again if it meant keeping him alive.

Bishop is just one of those men who deserve to let their light shine in the world. I'm not going to sit by and let it be snuffed out by some maniac on a power trip.

Once we finished cleaning him up, he fell into a deep sleep, and I talked to the girls a little bit.

Uma was closed off. Her "entertainment" came in the form of strip-teasing for the few clients Liam and Shade managed to scrounge up. She admitted it wasn't as intense as some of the things she'd been forced to do in the past, but she hated the idea of those bastards being able to look at her. It made her feel just as dirty as if she were being held down and forced to have sex with them.

After the five of us spoke and ate the small helping of food the guards brought in, there was nothing left to do besides go to our respective corners and rest.

I know I should give Bishop some space, but I feel whole with his arms around me.

It's like our souls are entwined with each other. At one point in the middle of the night, while I was sleeping in his arms, I must have been having a nightmare. My eyes opened to the sound of him humming one of my favorite songs, "Strange Fruit" by Billie Holiday. He was still sleeping himself. Even his subconscious wanted to take care of me. I rolled away from him once, thinking I was hurting him, but he grimaced and groaned until I moved back into his arms. As much as it feels cliché for me to say, Bishop and I are connected on a way deeper level than I've ever been attached to anyone else.

"You okay?" Bishop mumbles as he comes out of his sleep. His breathing is shallow, but I'm not sure if something more is going on in his body or if he's just in pain. I didn't get much of the pain-numbing gel from the guard, but I should have enough to take care of his back for this morning.

"I'm fine. Are you okay?" I question.

"Yeah, I'm straight," he replies quickly. Too quickly.

"Bishop," I admonish, and he lets out a sigh.

"One day you're going to believe me when I say that." He chuckles tightly.

"And one day it'll be the truth. But that day isn't today. Is it your back, or is something else going on?" I sit up, looking down on him. His eyebrows are knit together tight, and there's a fresh sheen of sweat breaking out on his brow and upper lip.

"My back. I must have reopened some of the cuts in my sleep or something. They burn," he admits finally, and I can't help the pout that pulls my lips down. This is going to be a long journey for him, one I know he doesn't want to take. Especially with him talking about leaving in the near future. We all have to be at our best if we even have a chance of making it out of the compound alive.

Whatever Bishop needs, I'm going to have to take up the slack for him, the same way I know he would for me if the shoe was on the opposite foot.

"Hold on, I have a little bit of the medicine left, but it's the last of it." I question him with my eyes, trying to gauge if he's in enough pain to accept it.

He nods slowly, and I rush to get April and Willa. Uma is still recovering from her time with the clients last night; she doesn't need to be woken up for more gruesomeness.

April groans a bit, but she wakes up quickly when I tell her that Bishop needs help. Willa, on the other hand, is harder to rouse; I'm sure the pregnancy is kicking her butt. She's at the last stages. Soon a new baby will bless all of us with their presence.

After a few moments, Willa gets up too and walks over to where Bishop, April, and I are sitting.

"You look like dog shit," Willa jokes with Bishop, and he gives a small smile.

"I can't say I feel much better than that anyway."