Is he really a bad boy? [English]

~Chapter 76~

I opened my eyes and stared into a bright white light. The rest of the room was also sterile. So cold and lifeless. Where was I? I continued to look around and realized that I was lying in a bed. Surrounded by hoses and cables and beeping devices. A hospital. What happened? I looked at my hands and could see pink stripes on my joints. And suddenly the memory hit me like a blow. James. The Black Building. Maxim. The shot. The shot! Where was Maxim? The first shot hit me, I was aware of that by now but who did the other hit?
"Veronica! Thank God, you are awake!", I heard my father say. He came through the door and held a coffee cup in his hand, placed it on a small table and came to me to hug me and kiss me on the head. His hug hurt but I didn't complain. According to his exhausted look, he had worried enough.
"How do you feel, my darling?", he asked me and stroked my cheek.
"Where's Maxim, Dad?"
"Veronica.", he said and his gaze changed strangely.
"Dad!", I straightened up and felt some stings caused by the needles in my body. Also, my whole body hurt as if I had been walking through the wilderness for days without interruption. "Where...is Maxim?" I asked again and groaned with pain.
"You shouldn't get overexerted or worried right now. You must rest." Why did he ignore my question? Oh God, what if something happened to Maxim? Did the second bullet hit him? Was he hurt badly? Was he still alive at all?
"Veronica! Veronica! Please calm down!", I could hear the loud, fast beeping from the monitor that indicated my heartbeat. I was dizzy and the air was as if strangled; I could no longer breathe. I got a panic attack. A cramp, pain drove through my chest, which was impossible to describe, at least it was much more terrible than all the physical pain I felt at the same time. Was Maxim still alive?
"Where is he?", I moaned, "Dad, where is Maxim? Is he here?"
"You have to calm down, Veronica!", he ordered again without answering my question.
"Dad! Tell me he's all right!", I begged him desperately and ignored the shrill beeping of the devices. "Tell me he's okay!"
"Veronica! Please lie down!", my father asked and tried to gently push me down on my shoulders. "Veronica! You're only making it worse! You're hurting yourself!"
"Where is he Dad? Where is Maxim? Tell me where he is! Tell me if he's all right! Please!", I begged him, crying. "Where is-", I was interrupted by someone entering the room. Immediately I turned my head to the door and my father did the same. The beeping of the monitor told me that my heart was beating as fast as a hummingbird and yet I had never been so relieved and reassured in my life.
"Veronica!", he sighed with relief and ran to me with quick steps. My father let me go. I smiled at him gratefully and he left the room smiling and sad at the same time. Then I straightened up and he put his arms around me. A stabbing pain went through my body, but I ignored it. All I cared about at that moment was feeling his calm heartbeat on my ear.
"My baby!", he mumbled against my hair and kissed me on the head.
"I thought you were dead!"
"What?", he asked shocked.
"There were two shots; one hit me. And I thought the second one had hit you!", I sobbed, "And my dad wouldn't tell me what happened to you. I thought you were dead!"
"Hey, baby! Stop crying, okay? It's all right. I'm here, with you!", he wiped my tears away and bent down and gently kissed me. "How are you feeling?"
"Everything hurts me!", I answered truthfully.
"Do you need more painkillers? Should I get someone?", he asked worriedly.
"No. No."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. I'm fine. I love you, Maxim. You know that, don't you?", I told him.
"Yes. I know.", he said. "Listen", he said after a few moments, "Veronica, I hate myself so much that I never told you that. I love you.", he said. I looked at him with big eyes and couldn't believe what he had just said.
"What did you just say?", I asked him surprised.
"I said that I love you. I love you so much, Veronica!", he replied and all the pain disappeared for a moment. I had always convinced myself that I didn't care if he loved me or not. But secretly I had always hoped that he felt the same as I did. And he did. He really did.
"You need to lie down now, baby. Rest.", he told me mumbling against my hair.
"I don't want to."
"You will feel better afterward. I'll stay here too and won't leave.", he assured me. I let him go and laid down again. As soon as I laid down I reached for his hand. I looked into his face and was shocked at what he looked like. The shadows under his eyes were as dark as the night, his cheeks had collapsed and he apparently hadn't shaved for several days and his hair hadn't been done as usual either.
"How long had I been gone?", I asked him.
"6 days."
"6 days?", shocked, I asked.
"Yes, you lost a lot of blood and the bullet had to be removed. You...um...you had," he started and a tear rolled down his cheek, "you almost didn't make it."