Protecting You ("The Shadows" Series: Book I)

XXII

Lily's POV

White....

All I saw was white. I looked around frantically to find something a little colourful than that....gray would have been an eye candy for me at this time...

Time....what time is it...where am I....what was I doing...I looked down at me but saw nothing but white...

Was I beheaded or something...

No that was not the case. I saw my fingers, hands and feet. I was draped in white. No noise, no whistling of air, no place or thing to look at, just pure white nothing.

I was getting a sinking feeling on what might have happened to me but I wanted to not dwell on what's or what's not.

Suddenly I felt a stinging pain in the shoulder region. It suddenly increased to the point that I collapsed on my own feet and almost cried out. But no words came out as the white began to fade into black and my eyes started to feel heavy. And the next moment that I opened them, I saw white ceiling and my ears started to work as if they came out of vacuum or some shit like that and I felt pain flow through each and every nerve in my body as my eyes tried to focus, along with all my senses that hopefully I still had intact in me and in working conditions as well.

I heard distant voices of my name being called hurriedly as if their life depended on it and then someone holding onto my palm as if I was pristine glass antique that would break even if touched. The warmth that I felt, very little, I had no idea why, was familiar. I wanted to see the face of the person. As if sensing my prayers, he emerged in front of my view.

Ryan.

He looked devastated. He had a bandage on his forehead, a plaster on his wrist...on the hand that was caressing my face right now, dark disheveled hair, eyes that carried dark circles around them, stubble older than a day, lips turned into a frown and eyes disoriented and focused at the same time as his gazes locked with mine. I don't know how a person could look disintegrated and sexy both at the same time.

But...who was I to complain..

Suddenly a swarm of white coats flew at the corner of my eyes and he was being dragged out of the room, profanities flying out of his mouth as doctors pricked, prodded and continued with their examination, trying to focus on the job at hand rather than the death threats he was giving them. I tried to keep my eyes open but failed miserably and fell unconscious.

After floating for what felt like eternity, my eyes blinked open to see Ryan sleeping with his head on his not so bandaged but bruised and calloused hand. His eyelashes fanning his cheeks as he slept while snoring lightly. He looked so peaceful that I restrained myself from going in search of a camera. I raised my hand, with very difficulty might I add, and ran my fingers through his mane. I was not in the mood to wake him up or was not planning for it but I knew he would wake up. No one's going to stay asleep if someone's trying to play with your hair when your lying next to an almost dead person. He stirred a bit in his sleep and then rolled his head a little to face me more. His orbs met mine and he looked at me as if I was a dream he was still not out of. His eyes soon turned wide, his face looking as shell shocked as his whole body that had stiffened like a statue, he was not even breathing. He looked long at me with a blank face that I had almost the urge to squirm, but doing that would hurt me more physically. So I let him scrutinize until he uttered

"Lily."

His whispering sounded like he was shocked. His one syllable directed towards me was enough of an indication that he was alive and healthy in front of me, the last time I saw him, he was covered under me, battered, black and blue. I couldn't stop the tears that started to stream down my face like a dam let loose. I should really check whether I had enough water to shed after all.

His face turned horrified as he stood up and got closer to me, holding my face in his big palms while brushing the tears of my face, asking me frantically to tell him what the fuck was wrong and why I was crying.

I laughed. I actually laughed and Man it hurt like hell.

Then I half laughed, half chocked and then full on coughed for until I felt the pain go away that I could breath shallow but enough to save me from death. The look on his face was disapproving to what I was doing to myself but his eyes looked relieved when I winked at him or tried to wink, I don't know what I looked like while trying to blink my one eye but blinking both simultaneously. A ghost of smile played on his lips as he spoke

"Do you want me to call the doctors?" His voice sounded happy but also finality in it that I should not prioritize my health with anything else, even if it meant him.

But I was a far gone case. And I was not thinking to look at anybody else's face than him.

The safest and most familiar of all.

I shook my head and continued staring at him as if he was a present that I always wanted from Santa every Christmas and he gifted me at last, after a lot of persuasion. I don't know but I felt he looked at me like that too because someone cleared their throat to stir us out of the trance we had gotten ourselves into. We looked in the direction of the sound to see Evan standing there with a smug look. He softly padded his way towards me and kept his hand on Ryan's shoulder as if telling him that he had his support while kissing the back of my hand that was in the firm grip of Ryan's.

"You should have not done that. But thank you for saving his life. You were more stubborn than I thought when we first met." His soft voice told me how grateful he was for what I did.

"What happened?" I said with hoarse voice and instantly Ryan's hand held a cup of water with a straw, right in front of my mouth. I sipped as long drag as I could as Evan continued

"You both were attacked by Gonzalez. He sent few of his best men to hunt and kill you down and bring your bodies to him for proof. Ryan was knocked out cold because of the combination of impact of the car crash and the beating but he wasn't as bruised as you. You had no idea that you were also shot the moment you draped yourself on him. Someone saw that we were backing you and Ryan up so they wanted to be close to call you dead so that Adam doesn't kill them. So they shot him. Unfortunately or fortunately for them you got in their way, taking the bullet first. They tried to shoot again but we had the upper hand when they got distracted by you and we won. Two of them are still alive and are under the wrath of him." He said tipping his head over to Ryan who sat silently all the time and held my hand tightly but as gently as possible at the same moment. My eyes drifted towards him as he looked in internal battle as he relayed the memories of what Evan was telling. I don't know what he wanted or why he was giving himself the doubt of what if he was awake that time or what he could have done when nothing was in his hand. I stroked my thumb with difficulty, over his knuckles, trying to pull him out of his world. It worked.

"I'm sorry."

I heard the sharp intake of breath from Evan, the third and last person in the room while I felt my eyes filling a new set of tears, ready to break the dam again. He looked so hurt and remorseful that I wanted nothing but to cover him again but this time from what had already happened...the past. He looked older than his age and I hated it. I wanted to just forget about it but he was too stubborn to let this slide.

"Don't leave me. That's all I want." I said, my voice small and fragile to my own ears. I looked dead in his eyes through my tearful ones to tell him in my ways how much I needed him. I was the most vulnerable I felt in my entire life. And I bet he was in the same state because he gave in with a soft nod of his head. He kissed my forehead and said nothing else as Evan told me tales of his gang life that would distract the three of us from the reality outside this room. I knew when we all get out of this place, it would be a chaos...not for us but for Gonzalez. Because this time, he had crossed his limit. He had gone too far to get back to where he could have been safe for the rest of his life.

Ryan was a time-bomb. An active volcano that would erupt any second. And I...

I was scared...

Scared that people would get burned...

Including me....