Chapter 140: We Will All Be Okay

I staggered back after the attack. Years of tactical training with Matt had prepared me for this. They thought it was fun to beat me, but it took a year before I really got the hang of it. I had nothing better to do sometimes, so we'd spend a few hours a day training. Since Amelia and Donald entered my life, I hadn't done any training. I would have bet all my money that I wouldn't have been able to protect the people I loved. I was so grateful for my training.

I fought hand-to-hand because I had to. After I took down the fucker, I ran into other guys and managed to hold them off until Matt and his men arrived. We worked well together—years of training had made us a team. Lack came over, placed a hand on my shoulder, and practically shook me out of my shock.

“Fuck, man, I’m so glad you’re one of us because these guys came prepared. We should have been prepared,” he said, scanning the scene.

A few of them got a couple of body shots, but aside from hitting my head in the car, I wasn't hurt. I checked on Donald before rushing over to him. I was numb, but the sight of him passing out with a knife cut across his palm was alarming. I knew I had to keep my composure, even though I wanted to fall apart. Medics were getting him onto a stretcher. I searched for Amelia, panic rising when I couldn't find her. I tried to take a deep, steadying breath, but the reality of what just happened crashed down on me.

I called out, but it came out as a whisper. I couldn't breathe. I dropped to one knee, and Lack rushed over.

He said, helping me to my feet. “She’s in the ambulance with Donald. Come on.” He guided me to the ambulance where Donald was being loaded, and I saw her sitting inside, shaking uncontrollably. When she saw me, she broke down in tears. I pushed past Lack and ran to her, climbing in and holding her. I could finally breathe again.

The medics had wrapped her in a blanket, but it was already soaked through with blood. I assumed Mathew was the one who cut her; that fucker was going to pay. I didn’t care who I had to pay off to make sure the full extent of the law came down on him.

“It’s okay, baby,” I whispered into her hair, which was also soaked with blood. She had been so strong, and I was so proud of her. “We’ll all be okay,” I said, and Matt walked up.

“I’ll take care of everything here. I suggest we keep this out of the office. I’ll make sure the news doesn’t get a hold of this, and the police records with your names on them will disappear. We’ll just say it was a car accident,” he said, remaining calm, although I could tell he was extremely upset. He was close to me and my family, and I knew he’d beat himself up for not keeping us safe. He always called me stubborn for never wanting personal security. I didn’t feel like I had anything worth protecting before. But now, I did.

“Thank you, Matt. I don’t know what we would have done if you hadn’t come so quickly,” I said. His eyes darted down to Amelia and then back to me. I read every emotion in his eyes.

“You did everything you could; don’t beat yourself up over my stubbornness,” I said softly. He nodded briefly, turning to leave before pausing and turning back.

“You did well, young pop,” he said, a smirk playing on his lips before he left.

I hated being called that. I’d been training with them for seven years, and they still called me that. They closed the door, and we drove off. They gave Amelia and me oxygen and I.V. fluids. Between the smoke inhalation, head wounds, and blood loss, they needed it. They checked my head wound; it didn’t look serious. My phone was destroyed in the car, but I knew Matt would keep my family informed. I didn't want to tell them because they were planning a wedding for Grallin and his crew, and I didn't want to dampen their mood. We would be okay for now.

The next few hours were a blur. They took Donald back to surgery while I stayed with Amelia as they stitched her up. She would have a scar, but otherwise, she would be okay. I could tell she was extremely depressed about it, but I stayed to comfort her. They gave us a private wing in the hospital with the highest level of privacy; everyone who worked on Donald and Amelia had signed NDAs. Donald was a celebrity after all, and Amelia is…our woman. Their right to privacy was extremely important. Matt provided new clothes and new phones that Jocelyn helped him program for us. I was the one who needed mine, but I made sure to call Donald’s family and told them he had been in an accident. I was sending a plane to get them. His parents were a little surprised that I said I was his boyfriend, but their concern for their son was all that really mattered.

It had been four hours since the accident, and Donald was still in surgery. I got hourly updates. They brought in the best surgeon money could buy to make sure he didn’t have any nerve damage in his arm or hand from the knife cutting through muscles and nerves. They said he should have ninety percent full function in his arm by the time he recovered. I hoped he would be okay. I sat in the chair finally, after talking to my sister and brother, who had just been told. I told her everything. I had to keep it to a minimum. I held Amelia’s hand while she slept. Matt had hinted that she couldn’t tell us. He’d shown me the text minutes before the attack.

Her keeping it from us told me she wasn’t as secure in our relationship, and I needed to change that. I didn’t want her to leave; I couldn’t bear to lose her. All I’d done was spoil her and shower her with affection, but she needed more. It was dark outside by the time the painkillers and overwhelming exhaustion wore off, and she woke up. She squeezed my hand, and I looked up at her.

“Hey, babe,” I said softly, standing and moving to sit on the edge of her bed. Fresh tears came to her eyes as she watched me. I laid down next to her and pulled her close.

“It’s okay, my love. Everything will be okay.”

“It was my fault,” she cried, her voice even raspier than usual.

“No, baby. You can’t control what other people do. They’ve been caught, and even though we have some bumps and bruises, we don’t have to worry about them coming after us again,” I said softly, stroking her hair.

She cried quietly into my chest until I felt her drift back to sleep. It broke my heart that she felt so guilty, but I would do anything in my power to help her through it. A nurse came to the door a few minutes later to inform me that Donald was awake and asking for us. I looked down at Amelia, who was in no position to move.

“Is there any way we can get the beds put in the same room? I don’t want to leave her,” I said. She looked around before nodding.

The nurse left, and I waited a good thirty minutes before Donald’s hospital bed was wheeled in. The room was a good size, but it was still cramped. He had some bruising on his face from where his head hit the steering wheel, but aside from that and his bandaged arm, he looked okay. As soon as he saw us, he let out a deep breath. I climbed out of the bed and went to him.

“Hey,” I said softly, reaching out and stroking her cheek.

“Hey,” he said back.

We let the silence pass between us for a while. So much emotion welled up inside me that I felt incapable of speaking. I felt the tears on my cheeks as the reality of everything finally crashed over me.