Fight For You

Epilogue- Jackie

Nicky Ragusa. El Principe. The Fighter. The love of my life. Now he looked like a shell of the man I knew as he lay there in the hospital bed. I hadn't spoken to him in days, not since I left his condo crying, thinking that he was a monster. That didn't stop my tears. He almost died at the hands of someone I went out of my way to defend.

I hadn't left his bedside since Dominic called me that morning. I couldn't leave him until he opened his eyes and I knew he was going to be okay.

It's funny, I never thought the night we met would end up being a blessing, but the hospital regulations made people leave after visiting hours if they weren't family and he still had me listed as his fiancée. I'd never actually thought about marriage and kids and all of that before, but for Nicky I would think about a future. If he lived through this, I would have a forever with him.

"You gonna stay here all night, Jackie?" Dominic limped in the room. Nick's dad had tracked his phone after he left his aunt's house that night and when he saw where Nick was headed, he called in the cavalry. If they'd been just a little faster, Nick wouldn't have been lying in a hospital bed. But at least they came in time to get him to the hospital and save Dominic. I didn't even bother asking what happened to El Lobo and the guys that shot Nick. I didn't want to know.

I nodded. "Yeah."

He handed me a foam cup of coffee from the vending machine. "I figured you would be."

"Thanks, Dom. How are you holding up?" He stood at the end of the bed, staring at his cousin.

He shrugged. "Could be better."

I winced. It was a stupid question to ask. The guy's father had been killed, then he himself was kidnapped and nearly killed, and his favorite cousin got shot all within about twenty-four hours. "Sorry."

"Don't be." He patted the footboard. "Casualty of this lifestyle." He sighed, staring at Nicky as if he was lost in thought. "I should get going, though. My mom's been hounding my ass and I've gotta get up early to open the restaurant. Somebody's got to keep my dad's legacy going"

"Thanks for the coffee," I murmured. "I'll keep you posted if anything changes."

He nodded. "Yeah. Thanks, Jackie." Slowly he let go of the bed, not taking his eyes off Nicky until he was out the door.

I let out a deep breath and looked down at Nicky. It was just the two of us now, aside from the nurses that came in to check on him every hour.

"You're pretty banged up, baby," I whispered, tracing the scar above his left eye. The one he got from the night his car was shot in front of my house. The guy had done nothing but fight for me. I'd never had someone care for me so much. No one that wanted me, no one like Nicky. My Nicky.

"No amount of 'I'm sorries' is going to fix this shit storm." I sniffled, wiping the tears from my eyes. "It's funny that it took me almost losing you to realize what I really had. All those things I said that I can never take back. All those horrible things. And now I just have to watch you lie here and suffer. It makes me feel like the real monster."

I stared at the monitor. His heart was still beating, but barely. The doctors said he was lucky the bullet didn't hit his heart or he'd be dead right now. As soon as he was out of the hospital, I was going to invest in a bulletproof vest and make him wear it everywhere like the fucking rappers did. If he still wanted me back.

"It's good to see that your heart's still ticking, because it's going to have a lot of work cut out for it. I'm never letting it go, you know?"

I held his hand, squeezing it gently. I wanted to know that he was going to wake up. His cousin was still in the next room, barely hanging on. There were talks of taking Phil off life support and I couldn't imagine having the same discussion with Nick's family about him. Just thinking about it made a whole new set of tears prick my eyes.

"Listen Nick, you always tell me that you're a fighter. I've watched you in the cage and I've watched you fight for your family and for me." I sniffled, wiping the tears from my eyes. "I need you to wake up, Nicky. I need you to fight for me again. Please, Nicky. Fight for me."

A small jolt flicked against my palm and I gasped, looking down at Nicky's hand. It couldn't be him. Could it? "Was that you?" I looked at his face which hadn't changed. It was still as stiff as a statue.

"Move your hand again. Show me that you're fighting. Show me that I'm not imagining it." I held his hand, bringing it to my cheek, staring at his face, willing something to happen. I waited and waited, but nothing changed.

Maybe I was imagining it. Maybe I was crazy. I sighed, and as a fresh set of tears dripped from my eyes onto his fingers I saw it. Even with my blurry eyes it was there. His thumb was moving.

"Nicky!" I stared at his hand and put it on my cheek and then put my hand on his face, looking at him. "You're awake. Can you hear me? Nicky?"

The EKG began ticking faster. Then slowly Nicky's eyelids fluttered until he opened them, staring right at me.

He licked his lips. "Mornin' Jackie."

"You're alive!"

"Of course I am, Jackie." His voice was rough, scratchy. "I told you I'd fight for you."

I climbed onto the bed next to him and held him as close as I dared. I knew the doctors would be in as soon as they figured out he was awake, but I just wanted to enjoy my moment with him. My fighter.

The tears fell freely from my cheeks. "I've missed you so much."

"I've missed you too, Jackie."

"I can't take back all of those mean things I said to you and I know apologies aren't going to mean shit right now but—"

"You said it yourself, apologies aren't going to fix anything. Let's just move forward from here. You and me. I'm just glad I have you back. You were the only thing I could think about. The only person that's made me want to be a better person. I've never wanted to fight for someone so much in my life. Please just don't leave me again." He struggled with the words, each no louder than a whisper.

I wiped the tears from my cheeks and nodded. "I promise, Nicky. I'm yours. Forever."

He smiled and I sealed it with my lips.