Page 66 of Phoenix
I close my eyes, relishing a little in the sting of their dryness, and settle in as close to him as I can. If this is the end, I am glad it’s with him. The man who brought me back to life. The man who reawakened me.
“Fuck!” I hear a heavily accented voice call out, and I feel myself being lifted away. I want to fight it, to not be separated from Warren, but I can’t move my limbs, not even a little bit. The sound of approaching sirens is the last thing I hear before I fall under the heat and smoke of the fire.
Chapter 24
Niamh
The beeping of a machine wakes me, and I instantly know I’m in a hospital. My vision is blurred but I can just about make out a few figures sitting to the side of me. At first, I just think about the fact I can’t see properly, but then it all comes flooding back to me – Robert, the fire, Warren. As soon as I recall the shallowness of his breath when I was lying next to him in that hallway, I begin to panic, and the tears come thick and fast. I reach out to the people who I believe to be Jake and possibly Lou, or his uncle, I still cannot tell for sure.
“Hey, hey, Niamh, calm down,” Jake’s voice flows out in soft waves between us, but it does not succeed in soothing away my fears.
“Warren,” I try to say, but it comes out in a cough and a barely-there voice. My entire throat burns so I grab at my neck to try and soothe it.
“Is awake,” Lou now says from beside him, her teeth flashing in a blurry smile. I blink away my sleep, rub my eyes, and try to focus once more. I then open them to discover I can see, almost as well as normal, only my eyes still feel incredibly dry. Looking up, I see Jake, who is dressed in his clothes from last night, alongside Lou and her husband, Daniel. They all appear to be happy to see me awake but I can’t help wondering why they aren’t with Warren. Is he really ok? What are they not telling me? The thought has me releasing gut-wrenching sobs that prompt Jake to rush to my side.
“What’s wrong with him? Why aren’t you with him? What are you not telling me?” I whimper.
“Niamh, Phoenix is fine, he’s just talking with Javier,” Lou reassures me before leaning in and lowering her voice, “you know, about what to do with Robert.”
“Oh, God,” I rush out, beginning to panic even harder, “do the police know? Am I in trouble?”
“No, no,” Jake says resolutely, “hence why we’ve been kicked out of his room. Javier has taken care of it; Robert is no longer a problem for you, me, or anybody.”
We take a few moments to just look at one another, letting that information sink in with a whole range of emotions. I notice Jake shed a few tears, even if he does try to brush them away with the back of his hand before anyone can see.
“He’s gone, Niamh, you fought back, and you won,” he whispers, being the only person in this room who can truly understand what that means for both of us. “We never have to look over our shoulders for him again. You are so fucking brave, Niamh!”
“I-I am?” My voice crackles through my tears, but I begin to calm down to the point whereby I can now feel his hand clutching hold of mine. It forces me to look down to where they’re interlinked, to where I can see the beautiful ruby ring Warren had gifted me just a few days ago. “Wait, so, I get to live happily ever after?”
“Yes,” he laughs, and I smile with him. “Yes, you get to live happily ever after as a fellow Flynn.”
“You’ll fit right in, Niamh,” Lou says with a smile from behind Jake.
“I will?” I ask as I wipe away at my wet cheeks.
“This family is full of strong women,” her husband, Daniel says, “even if this one is a Hunter now.”
“I know my mom would have been so proud to have you as her daughter-in-law,” Lou says, looking a little sad, for she never got to know her. “After all, she was one hell of a strong lady herself.”
“She was,” I agree. “She sacrificed herself for both of you.”
“Just like you were willing to do last night,” Lou says, now tearing up over the thought of losing her brother. “You saved both my brothers, Niamh, in more ways than one. I will always be grateful to you for that.”
“Please, can I see him? I need to see him, I need to know he’s ok,” I practically beg.
“Er…the nurse is a little formidable and she was quite adamant—"
“Where’s my future wife?” Warren cuts Jake off, and with the most delicious smile I’ve ever seen. Sitting in a wheelchair, being pushed by another mountain of a man, Javier and he look a little comical.
“She’s here,” I declare as I reach out for him. Javier wheels him over so he can pull himself up onto the bed and hold my quivering body against his.
“You crying for me, baby?”
“I almost lost you,” I utter as I continue crying against his chest, enjoying the feel of his warm arms around me, always heating me up from the inside.
“No, not with my girl on my side,” he murmurs, now stroking my hair. “I have too much to live for now; there’s no way in hell I was going to go without a fight.”
I look up to see his beautiful face and smile, letting him wipe away my tears with his thumbs.