Secret Deception (Jonathan Black's Love Story)

Chapter 8: Aftermath

Blinding pain shot through my side, heat licking my feet. I could hear the sirens and alarms. When I opened my eyes shadows clouded my vision. I tried to pull myself up to sitting but the pain caused a scream to rip from my throat.
"Alexia!" I heard David call my name.
"Here!" I called back pushing back the pain and sitting up pulling my feet away from the flames.
David grabbed ahold of my shoulders and helped me pull myself up to my feet. I could feel the blood rush out of the wound in my side. My head spun as I gripped ahold of David's shoulder.
"I've got you. We need to get you to an ambulance." I heard him yell at me over the sirens.
I nodded unable to argue. I lost conciousness again before we reached the ambulance.
I could hear his voice talking to me.
"You're okay, Lexa. I'm here."
I opened my eyes from my nightmare and felt his arms tighten around me. The skin on his chest soft against my shoulder.
"Jonny?"
I snuggled against his chest wrapping my arms around him.
"You had a bad dream. It's okay." He reassured me.
I sighed into him but something was wrong. I tried to sit up but he wouldn't let me.
"Just relax, Lexa."
"No, Jonathan. Something feels wrong. Let me sit up."
I felt sharp pain shoot through my chest.
*CLEAR*
I coughed hard as the paramedic shocked my heart again.
"She's back. Let's go." He called over his shoulder.
There was an oxygen mask over my face. When I looked at his face it was fuzzy and unfocused. I wanted to move but I couldn't.
"We're almost to the hospital, Director Carter. You're going to be just fine."
I thought of Jonathan and closed my eyes again. No matter how bad the pain was he needed me. If I expected him not to give up I couldn't either.
I felt the ambulance come to a stop. The doors opened and I was being pulled out.
"Laceration to the right side from the explosion at the National Geographic Museum. It's at least 3 inches deep and she's lost nearly 3 pints of blood." I heard the paramedic say.
"They'll take good care of you, Director. You'll be okay."
The lights were bright as they pushed me into the operating room. I felt them move me from the stretcher to the operating table. I felt the IV insertion and lost conciousness again.
The sun blinded me as I opened my eyes; Jonathan pressed against me. I sighed as I pressed back into him, feeling the grass underneath me. Jonathan wrapped his arms around me and pressed his lips to my neck.
"It's time to go home now, Lexa." He whispered against my skin.
"Hmm..." I muttered.
"Come home, Lexa. Come back to me."
I opened my eyes feeling the softness of the pillow under my head, the warmth of the blanket on top of me.
I groaned once I felt the pain in my side again.
"Alexia?" I heard Cameron's voice from my left.
"Cam?" I said.
Even I could hear how weak my voice sounded.
"You scared us all to death." He said walking up to my hospital bed.
"Have you talked to Jonny?" I asked softly.
"I just got off the phone with him. He's really worried about you." Cameron's voice was soft.
"What happened, Alex?" I noticed Dina was in the room for the first time.
"I'm not sure, honestly. I got a letter from one of the waiters before the speech. It said, 'Let the game begin' and it was signed M.W. Does that mean anything to anyone?"
"Do you know anyone with those initials? Maybe someone you just met?" Gunther asked from the foot of my bed.
I glanced at him then at Cameron whose gaze was fixed on the clock above the door.
"Uh... Come to think of it; I met a woman at the fundraiser who said she knew Cameron from the show in Reykjavik. Her name was Marianne Waller."
"Did you find it odd that a random woman remembers Cameron from 15 years ago?" Jordan piped up from the corner.
"At the time no. To be honest I wasn't paying much attention to her. I listened to her, looked her over, then Dave called me over and I forgot all about her until I read the note."
"Can you guys give us a minute?" Cameron said finally looking at me.
Silently left the room.
"Cam. What's going on?" I asked reaching for him.
He took my hand and looked at me.
"Did you say anything to her about Jonny?"
"No. Of course not. Cameron..."
"I think she's the one who set Jonny up for murder. She found out we're twins and she set him up. She must have figured out you're the one he's engaged to and he tried to kill you."
"I don't understand. No one outside of the team knew Jonny existed until after the accident. No one outside the team knows I'm engaged to him."
"Someone set him up for a reason. Someone blew up the museum you were at. You can't believe they're unrelated incidents."
"Cameron. This isn't the 1st time I've been nearly blown up."
"I'm certain it's her. She didn't know it wasn't me in Reykjavik. If she's realized it was Jonny and she realized you're in her way to get to him?"
I looked at my future brother in law and I saw a seriousness I rarely saw in him.
"Okay, Cameron. Okay. We'll look into it."