When I woke up, I jerked. The smell of rubbing alcohol and cleaning supplies hit me first. The second thing was the sound of a heartbeat monitor. It seemed louder than it should've been. When I finally opened my eyes, I was momentarily blinded by all the white in the room I was in. Once my eyes adjusted, I could see that I was in a hospital room. I raised a hand and touched my stinging face to feel a series of small bandages.
"He, hey. Don't mess with that." A woman came into view, pulling my hand away. My memory kicked in and I remembered that she was Kara. Her tanned skin and dark curls melted into my mind.
"Kara." I said.
"Hey." She half smiled. "How are you feeling?"
"I don't know…. Confused?" My eyes darted around the room. We were the only ones in here.
"After… what happened… you passed out. The doctors said that your adrenaline bottomed out. Kai carried you here." She explained.
"Where is he?" I questioned. As if on cue, there was a loud bang across from us, a series of mutters and grunts following. The door opened seconds later and Kai nearly stumbled out. He wore a gray T-shirt and jeans, his yin-yang eyes tired. His dark hair was also a mess. Our eyes met and after a moment, I could see the relief wash over him. His shoulders even sagged a little. He tossed the fabric in his hand on the nearest chari and came to my side.
"How are you feeling? Are you in pain?" He looked me over, taking my hand.
"I'm fine." I smiled slightly. "You look tired."
"I'm fine." He gave me a small smile as he put a hand on my head. "As long as you're okay, I'm okay." Despite his words being cute, I turned my head to look at Kara.
"He hasn't slept in over 24 hours, barely ate, and I JUST convinced him to change out of his bloody clothes." She tattled. I looked at Kai again to see that he looked a little betrayed.
"I was dealing with the police, cleaning up, and security." He defended. I blinked.
"Are those guards okay?" I asked. I remembered the guards on their knees during the whole confrontation. They looked over to me.
"They are." Kai answered. He wore a strange look on his face.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" I sat up, flinching when the pressure in my face made my skin sting.
"Most people don't care about the guards." He shrugged slightly, placing a hand on my back.
"Well, they're people, too." I replied.
"How are YOU doing? You saw Kai… kill those people. You had their blood on you." Kara began to look worried. I thought for a moment, remembering the whole ordeal.
"I'm good." I told her. "They can't hurt me anymore. They can't hurt you or anyone again." Something flickered across her face but she quickly covered it with a smile.
"Kara?" Her expression changed to one that was hurting.
"I'll be outside the door if you need me." Kai released me and kissed my forehead before leaving the room.
"Talk to me, Kar. What is it?" There was silence for a moment.
"I know… that you saved me… and I appreciate it…, but I keep thinking…. What if they had gotten to me? What if they raped me?" Tears formed in her eyes.
"I would never let that happen. You know that." I took her hand.
"But what if you couldn't stop them?" She sniffled. I didn't say anything, but I could feel the self-hate building. "You did all that you could, but if Kai hadn't come when he did…." Her tears started to fall and I got on my knees and hugged her.
"I'm sorry…. I'm so sorry that you had to go through that." I tightened my grip a little. "You should've never had to."
"You're right." She pushed me away and stepped back. I felt my heart begin to hurt. "Ren…." She paused.
"I-I don't think we should b-be friends anymore." I could see her holding back a sob. I clenched my jaw against her words, my heart fracturing. Y-you're dangerous and being near you is dangerous…. I don't want to be in danger." I tried not to grab at the invisible knife that stabbed into my chest.
"I want your things out of my house as soon as possible…. Good-bye, Renley." She turned to leave.
"Kar, wait. Kara, please." I begged, getting out of bed. When I stepped towards her, I was stopped by a sharp pain in my arm. I looked down and pulled the IV out quickly. "Kara!" She stopped and looked at me. The expression on her face told me that I had to let her go despite everything in me begging for her to stay.
"I…. I understand…. I hope that you and Lucah have an amazing life together." I held back the tears, my throat burning with the urge to let go of a sob. She looked a little hurt that I didn't break down in tears, but I felt like I couldn't. I didn't want her to feel like she had to stay. The door opened and a doctor, a nurse, and Kai walked in.
"Goodness!" The nurse came to me and put pressure where the IV had been.
"Good-bye, Renley." Kara turned away and left the room. My eyes didn't leave the door and I didn't move.
"Let's ger you back in bed." The nurse pulled on my arm gently, but I didn't move. I wanted to go after Kara. I could feel the screams and tears building up inside of me. "Miss?"
"Ren." Kai placed a hand on my lower back and one on my arm and that is when I realized that I was hyperventilating. "Ren, look at me." He pulled my chin up so that I looked at him. He moved so that he was in front of me, the hand on my back gliding to my side. Tears began to fall from my eyes and I sobbed. He wrapped me firmly in his arms, letting me cry against him.