Not sure if this is the last chapter or if I'm going to do one more – I'll let you decide if this is a good place to end before the sequel (which will continue where this left off).
I rushed to get this chapter up because it's my * birthday today * and I won't be around later. You know what I want for my birthday? To reach 700 reviews!
As always, silverlining2k6 has mad quasi-beta skillz.
CHAPTER 38
Logan wrapped an arm around a shell-shocked Mac and walked her in the direction of her car. "You have a new VW now, right?"
She nodded. "It's green, like my lifestyle."
"Did you really customize the engine to run on cooking oil as you had threatened?" he asked with a disgusted expression as he spat out the words like bad meat.
Keep her talking, man.
She wasn't saying anything too worrisome, but Logan knew from experience that it was the silences he had to keep an eye on where Mac was concerned.
"Yep. You know I only do it because it offends your delicate sensibilities." Her eyes stayed focused on the ground ahead of them.
"So what you're saying is, were it not for me, you'd be damaging the planet?" he asked.
Mac shrugged. "Driving around in a diesel-fueled, classic muscle car is how I like to roll. You're jacking up my flava with your constant mockery of the eco-friendly lifestyle."
"I'm on to you, Freud. You think you can try the ol' reverse psychology on me. My dad loved to do that, but he wasn't very good at it." Logan circled around to face Mac as he walked backward in front of her.
He sure was good at swinging a thick piece of rawhide though, and I was good at taking a hit. Guess everybody has their talents.
Her eyes flicked up towards his, and he did his best to hold her attention. "Not that it worked, mind you. To piss him off, I'd make sure to do exactly as he said. Most fathers would love it if their kids listened to them, and yet...those were the times I usually had to call in sick to school the next day."
Mac's eyes widened in horror, and he knew the true meaning of his words had penetrated. Logan had never explicitly told her about the abuse he suffered as a child, but then again, he'd never really outright told anybody. He doubted many people even suspected it.
His mom knew, of course, and Lettie Navarro, who had seen the fruit of Aaron's labor first-hand. He was certain both Lilly and Duncan were aware, but neither had the gumption or desire to say anything about it to his face. Even if they had, there was no way their mother would have allowed them to talk about it with her, much less do anything to help him. Celeste Kane took being a WASP to an art form, wielding avoidance and repression like her palette and brush.
Only Veronica had ever said anything to his face. It was during the summer of Felix's trial and she'd gone back home with him between sessions. She claimed she wanted to help him alleviate his stress, so he assumed that meant he'd be getting a hand job. She did give him a hand job of sorts, but not the kind he was expecting.
It wasn't until her hands glided over the large moon-shaped scar under his right shoulder blade that he felt her fingers tense. To her credit, she never cried or descended into hysterics as most people would have, she merely pressed her lips against every nick and blemish on his marred skin and mumbled something into the back of his neck about bribing the bailiff to throw away the key.
Then, she flipped me over and gave me a hand job.
Sometimes, Veronica had the uncanny knack of giving him what he didn't know he needed in the exact way he needed it.
"My childhood was filled with delicious irony like that," Logan said, discomfort settling in. He didn't know what to say to keep Mac's mind occupied, and his compulsive need to fill the silences was making him ramble into dangerous territory.
"Your dad was an asshole," Mac said flatly, as if it were a given, and unlocked the car with her remote keyless entry.
He couldn't help the smirk creeping up the sides of his face. "As usual, you are the mistress of brevity, MacKenzie. You look tired, do you want me to drive?"
She looked at the keys in her hand for a moment and then threw them at him. "Think fast."
He caught them just before they would have crashed into his chest. "Wow. You must really be exhausted if you're letting me drive your new baby."
"No, Echolls, I just like to put you to work. Somebody should." She shrugged and leaned against the side of her car as he reached past her.
"Putting me to work, eh? That's fine by me." Logan opened the passenger door and waited for Mac to get in. "But before you ask, the answer is no: you cannot pay me in RAM."
She threw her head back and laughed. "How about I pay you in - -"
A loud explosion tore through the parking lot, rumbling the floor beneath them and startling Mac into a high-pitched shriek.
"Stay inside and call 911!" Logan slammed the door shut and took off toward the direction of the noise.
Fuck! Veronica! Oh God, please.
A cacophony of car alarms sang out of unison, drowning out the screams from pedestrians walking nearby. A young baby cried along in competition with several neighborhood dogs who were barking wildly in panic. Ukrainian curse words spilled from the lips of diners emerging from the Red Room Club to investigate the blast, the destruction seemed to shock even the most jaded of Petrenko's thugs.
Yet, Logan heard none of this.
The only sound he could register was his own uneven breathing as he pushed through the burning in his legs to run faster toward the edge of the lot.
Veronica!
Deep down, he knew Veronica was somehow connected with the explosion, but he wouldn't let himself acknowledge it. If he lent credence to his suspicions, that would mean that she was dead, and it would have been his fault. He wasn't sure he could withstand losing yet another loved one from his life. Actually, he was certain he wouldn't - especially not her, not his Bobcat.
Not Veronica. Anybody but her.
'Veronica!" he shouted as loudly as he could over the chaotic din. "Veronica! Ronnie!"
He spotted a lone person lying on the ground at the other end of the lot and stopped short.
No. No. No. No. No.
Logan looked into the smoke-filled sky and sent up a silent prayer, then nearly tore out his hair as he anxiously grasped it with both hands. He didn't know what he would find when he reached her, but if she was gone, he may as well throw himself on the pyre with her, because he wasn't going to make it back from this.
She's mine, whether I deserve her or not, and I'm not ready to lose her.
His stomach sank and he bent over to catch his breath and will himself the courage to close the last hundred yards between them.
If you don't look up, it's not true.
Logan never believed in superstitions before, they had never done him any favors or comforted him when his life was in disarray. He believed in the tangible, the things he could see in front of him, and dealt with them the best he knew how. But for a split second, he convinced himself that what he couldn't see wasn't real, and he sealed his eyelids as tight as a bank vault and made a string of lofty promises he knew he'd never be able to keep.
Stop fucking around and go to her. She needs you. Man up!
Logan willed himself to look up, and as he did, he caught sight of the slight figure struggling to stand up.
"Veronica!" Tears threatened his eyes and he took off at top speed toward the woman he loved.
Why isn't she turning around?Can't she hear me screaming her name? Is she in shock or injured?
"Ronnie!" he shouted again, but still there was no answer, and his blood pressure climbed with each passing second.
Logan watched with apprehension as Veronica swayed for a moment before dropping onto her hands and knees.
Shit. She does not look good.
She forced herself up again, but was anything but steady.
His chest was scalding from breathing in lungfuls of hot smoke, but he pushed on.
This is all my fucking fault. I attract shit and now it's getting all over her too. You fuck too many women and you're bound to piss one of them off enough to kill you.
Veronica collapsed again, and just as she was about to hit the ground, Logan dove forward and grabbed her from behind, like he was stealing third base.
"Oh my God. Oh my God." Logan wheezed his benediction into her hair and her pulled her into his arms.
Anything. Everything! I'd give it all up to keep her alive.
She was out cold, but her rib cage was still rising and falling with regularity, so Logan knew she was still breathing. "Baby? Come on, baby, stay with me," he begged, wiping the tiny fragments of glass from her face and hair. "Oh God, I love you. I love you so much. I love you Ronnie..."
He was desperate to kiss her, but he wasn't sure what part of her was safe to touch and didn't want to risk it.
She's alive. She wasn't in the car.
Logan repeated the affirmation in his head over and over again, but somehow, it still didn't seem real.
She's alive!
It would be hard to check for internal injuries right there, but upon his first survey, she looked remarkably untouched. Shallow cuts covered her face and chest, and the skin on each of her hands was skinned, but they would heal quickly. Her knees were probably the worst of her injuries, both appearing swollen and bloodied, but still, he didn't think they looked broken, so that was something.
"I'll never complain about you leaving the caps off of things again." Logan's unhinged laughter was a welcome release. As he gathered her up in his arms and kissed the top of her ear, he noticed the jacket she was wearing and looked around for Leo. "Leo? Leo! You out there man?"
It didn't take him more than a beat to notice the severed arm lying near them in the road. He pulled Veronica closer, choking back a single sob before giving up the fight and letting them all come out unhindered. "Fuck. Leo. Oh fuck, that's Leo. Jesus!"
"Logan Echolls?" a voice screamed from across the lot. "Is that you?"
He squinted his eyes and saw another deputy rushing toward him that he recognized from the station.
Thank God.
He sighed in relief. "Hang on, baby. Help is on its way soon."
"What the hell happened here?" Sacks asked without slowing his jog. The policeman noticed the small form in Logan's arms, and brought a shaky hand to his mouth. "Is that Veronica? She's not...?"
Logan shook his head. "She's breathing, but she's hurt. She needs an ambulance."
"One's on it's way now." Sacks turned in a circle and took in the hectic scene in front of him. "You haven't seen D'Amato around here, have you?"
Fuck. I hate giving bad news, and this is by far the worst news anybody could ever have to give someone.
The younger man exhaled a shuddering breath and nodded his head before burying his face into Veronica's hair to kiss her. "He's..." He couldn't say the words, but it didn't take more than that to get the message across.
Sacks' eyes grew wide in horror. "What? Are you sure he's...?" He looked as if somebody had knocked the wind out of him, and he leaned over to regain his bearing.
"I'm sure," Logan said somberly, looking at the smoldering wreckage in front of them. "He must have been in the car when it blew, because he's...he's all around here." He grimly nodded toward the grieving deputy, who was momentarily rendered speechless.
Sacks regained his composure and nervously combed a hand over his thick mustache. He pulled his radio from his utility belt and clicked the talk button. "This is Deputy Sacks, we have an officer down. We have an officer..." He let the button go and sobbed once into the back of his hand.
Fucking Leo. He was the only one of Veronica's exes I actually respected. If anybody deserved to be with a girl like her, it was him. This is going to kill Keith.
The keening of the ambulance drew closer and Logan looked to Sacks for further instruction.
"Go on, bring her over." He jerked his head toward the approaching EMS van. "I'll have somebody notify Keith to meet you. He's at the hospital already."
Logan hesitated before moving. "Hey, man. I'm sorry about your friend."
Sacks gave a brusque nod and pulled out a roll of yellow police tape to quadrant off the area.
Keith paced the driveway of the ER intake for the second time in an hour. After dropping Dick off with the medical staff and explaining his circumstances, the young man was whisked into the nearest triage room and given a much-needed blood transfusion, a tetanus shot, and an IV bag laced with antibiotics and morphine.
The kid's going to be fine. This one had a happy ending, thank God. Savor it, Mars, you know how rare those can be.
He caught sight of his tired reflection in the acrylic glass encasing the instructional CPR poster, written in both Spanish and English.
Not a confidence booster. Presumably, the staff here should already know how to do that without the need for a visual aid.
The first few bars of "Shattered" by 'The Rolling Stones' played over Keith's cell phone, and he answered the call before the chorus had a chance to cycle through. "Leo?"
"No honey, it's me. Don't you have me in your caller ID?" Alicia asked, slightly miffed.
He paced over to the end of the driveway and cupped his other hand to his forehead, as if it were a pair of night vision goggles complete with digital zoom. "Yeah, look, I just got a call from Sacks that they're bringing Veronica to the hospital."
Alicia gasped. "What happened? Is she going to be okay?"
He exhaled and paced back up the driveway to get a different perspective on the road. "I don't know. There was some kind of explosion in the parking lot. A car bomb or maybe a pipe bomb."
He heard a sharp intake of air. "She wasn't in - -"
"No. I don't think so, but she was near enough. Leo was supposed to be standing guard outside the club, but I can't seem to reach him," he said, getting more agitated by the moment.
He'd better be passed out in a ditch. It's the only excuse I'm going to buy for him losing contact right now. If I don't hear from him in the next ten minutes, he's going to be a desk jockey until my retirement!
"You sound stressed. Do you want me to come by?" she asked.
Keith noticed some lights twinkling in the distance and could feel his stomach clench. "Uh...let's see if it's anything serious first. For all we know it could just be a cut or something."
"I'm stopping by," Alicia said, definitively.
He walked back down to the road and could hear the faint wail of the siren as it approached. "It's really silly for you to come all the way out here honey. It could be nothing."
"I'll see you in 15 minutes," she said, and quickly hung up before he could get another word in.
I love that woman.
Keith laughed and rolled his eyes. "I have no doubt."
The ambulance screeched to a halt in front of him and the back doors flew open. Veronica's gurney was quickly lowered to the ground and whipped past a shell-shocked Keith.
This was so much worse than I was expecting. To see my baby lying there unconscious...
Keith looked inside the van to search for a familiar face. "Logan!" he shouted and ran over to help him out of the vehicle. "What happened to her? Is she going to be okay? Are you okay?" He patted the younger man down to check for obvious injuries.
Logan joined the sheriff and they trailed after Veronica's gurney as it was pushed into the ER. "I think she'll be okay. Her vitals are fine, but she might have a concussion, definitely some whiplash and shallow cuts with deep bruising, maybe a hairline bone fracture. They're pretty sure her lungs sound clear, but they can't rule out any internal bleeding until they've examined her further."
She really does have nine lives.
"He's right to call her a Bobcat" he murmured under his breath with a laugh as his eyes began to well with tears of gratitude.
"You okay, sheriff?" Logan looked at his with curiosity.
Keith dropped his head back and blinked away the impending tears. "That's...that's good news," he said, clapping a hand onto his daughter's boyfriend's shoulder. "You want to tell me how this happened? I thought you were with her?"
A middle-aged nurse in squeaking white loafers approached the men. "We're just going to take Ms. Mars into triage to examine her. You'll both have to wait outside, but I'll come get you when there's any news."
"Thank you." Keith nodded to the woman and turned back to face Logan. "You were saying?"
Logan cleared his throat anxiously. "I was, at first. We were all about to go into the club to get Mac, when she walked out of the front door all on her own."
"Who is 'we'?" he asked.
"Veronica and me. And Leo." Logan looked down at his shoes and scuffed the floor with them. "Veronica thought Mac might need a break to collect herself before being questioned, so she asked me to walk her to her car. Leo said he would take Veronica to get her car."
"Speaking of Leo, any idea where my errant detective could have wandered off to? I've been trying to reach him for the last 20 minutes, but he's not answering."
Logan pressed his palm backward against his mouth for a moment and then took an audibly deep breath. "It was Veronica's car that was blown up."
No.
Keith shook his head absently and leaned against the nearest wall. He knew what this meant. If two people get into a car that blows up and only one makes it to the hospital, it means the other person doesn't need a hospital.
Maybe he didn't get into the car? He could have been holding the door open for her when it blew.
He flipped around to face the wall and slammed his fist into it, startling the medical staff around them.
A heavy-set Jamaican nurse popped her head out of a curtain. "He okay?"
Logan placed a hand gingerly on Keith's shoulder and turned to the nurse. "Everything's fine."
Everything is NOT fine.
"Veronica never made it into that car at all, did she?"
Of course she didn't, you idiot. You've been doing this for 35 years. You know very well that if she'd been in that car when it blew, they wouldn't be treating her for whiplash and cuts, they'd be picking up pieces of her off of the street corner. Veronica wasn't in the car, she wasn't anywhere near that car when the bomb went off.
Logan reluctantly shook his head like the slowest setting of a metronome.
It was at that moment that Keith noticed the beige jacket that Logan was cradling so carefully in his arms. "Leo was driving," he said, confirming to himself what he already knew. "Leo was driving."
This is my fault, that car bomb was meant for me.
I killed him. I killed him. Oh God! I killed Leo.
That's when the dam broke and he collapsed against the wall in a fit of silent sobs.
Mac wandered through the antiseptic halls of the hospital, looking for room 323. Her dress was wrinkled and her face streaked with dusty tears, but she needed to be there.
Where else am I supposed to go? I've never felt this helpless before.
The ER was so hectic, and she had just been in the way, just another body to step around in order to treat those with real injuries. The kind that could be seen, at least.
Besides, with Logan and Sheriff Mars hovering around her, Veronica really didn't need another guardian angel sitting at her bedside. Still, Mac had nowhere to go, since she was too restless to sit alone and there was no way in hell she was going to involve her parents or any of her other friends in this mess.
She found herself outside of room 323 and hesitated, bringing her finger up to trace the number plate in a bid to stall for time.
Why am I so nervous?
"Hey! Do you work here?" a voice boomed from the other side of the door. "I'm dying for a glass of water."
Mac smiled and let her forehead drop against the steel plating.
Was there ever a time he could exist without making his presence known to everyone around him? They were so different that way.
She straightened her posture and took a cleansing breath before opening the door. "I can get you a glass of water."
Dick's face lit up at her presence. "I didn't think I'd see you again for a while. I figured Dr. Evil probably had you wearing a brass bikini, chained to the bottom of his chair. Not that I would mind seeing that at all."
"You're mixing up Austin Powers and Star Wars," she said, trying hard but failing to keep the grin from overtaking her face.
Holy shit he looks good. Funny how two pints of blood and some hospital-grade painkillers can really put the color back in a guy's cheeks.
"What can I say? I like a good Wookie," he said, playfully taunting her with an obviously intentional flub.
Sure, I'll play along.
"Jabba the Hut wasn't a Wookie." Mac sat down on the edge of Dick's bed and gently rumpled his hair. "Wookies are big and hairy."
Dick looked her over studiously. "For somebody who's not my friend, you sure do like sitting on my hospital bed. Visit a lot of the people you dislike in the hospital, do ya?"
She shrugged. "When I've got the time, I've been known to do a little charity."
He grabbed for her hand and she felt her breath catch in her throat. "We could joke around like this for a while, but eventually you're gonna have to tell me what's up. It's why you came in here, right?"
How does he do that?
Mac's eyes widened and she pulled her hand away gently. "I – uh – how do you know I didn't just come in here to check on you?"
Dick let his head bounce lightly against the headboard and pursed his lips in thought. "I don't know, I just do. You've been crying. You probably wouldn't be crying over me," he said, almost as a question.
If you only knew how many tears I've cried over you in the last 24 hours, you'd probably never want to talk to me again. Even I'm freaking embarrassed and they're my tears.
Mac abruptly stood up. "Let me get you that glass of water."
Dick grabbed her wrist and held her there. "Fuck the water, Mac. What's wrong?"
She sank back down on the bed and allowed her eyes to meet his. The look he was giving her wasn't sexy, it was one of deep concern, and for some reason that affected her even more than any half-lidded come hither stare ever could. "I don't even know where to begin."
"What happened after I left? That asshole didn't - -"
His face screwed into a frown and she grabbed for his hand to calm him. "No! No, of course not."
Well, kind of...but not as bad as you're imagining and definitely not the reason I'm losing my mind.
Dick visibly relaxed. "Thank fucking God."
Mac's stomach flip-flopped at his emotional investment in her safety and she gave herself permission to grip his hand tighter. "I didn't leave too long after you did. As soon as I saw them dump you onto the sidewalk in front of the hospital, I was out of there."
His forehead creased. "What do you mean 'saw'?"
Fuck. Should I lie?
"I made Alexei show me the video feed from the van they had you in."
Dick squeezed her hand softly. "You did?"
She bit her lip and nodded.
"Why?"
Ah yes, the million dollar question. How am I supposed to tell you why, when I don't even know myself?
"That was the deal, you heard it. I would come work for him and he'd take you to the hospital. I wanted to make sure he held up his end of the bargain," she said, trying to sound professional and detached about the transaction.
Dick leaned closed and a hint of a smile played on his lips. "Why did you make that deal, Mac?"
Oh. I didn't really anticipate followup questions.
"I didn't want anything bad to happen to you," she said, nearly in a whisper.
"Why?"
Jeez. He really isn't giving up.
She tried to turn her face away, but he reached out and tilted her chin toward him.
"Why?" he whispered, and the sound of his voice shot through her body, making even her toes tingle with an erotic pulse.
You need to put the kibosh on this right now. You're only making it worse for both of you.
Mac shook his hand off her face. "Leo's dead."
Okay, that wasn't exactly what I planned to say just now, or when and how I wanted to break that particular tidbit of tragic news. I panicked, okay? Lay off of me, conscience!
Dick's jaw dropped open and he fell hard against the headboard of the bed with a thud. "Fuck. Fuck! Leo? Really? Man, that's just...how?"
"A car bomb."
"That is fucked up..." he hissed angrily, shaking his head in disbelief.
Mac tucked her bob-length hair behind her ears and continued. "It was planted under Veronica's car."
Dick's hand flew to his mouth and he looked as though he was about to be sick. "Ronnie isn't...?"
Mac grabbed for his hand again and pulled it from his face. "Oh God, no! I'm sorry Dick, I should have clarified."
He smiled and let out the breath he was holding. "Shit. I've had my lifetime fill of 'Emo Logan', you know? If Ronnie had kicked it, he'd be the emoest version of himself there is. We'd have to hide his bath robe."
I can't even entertain that scenario in my mind without it turning into a nightmare.
"Yeah, it's not his best look."
Dick ran his fingers over his bandage. "Were you, um, there when it happened?"
She looked away and nodded.
"Man, I...shit. What am I supposed to say?" he asked in earnest.
Mac shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine."
Dick painfully scooted over and patted the empty space next to him in the bed, and she eyed him suspiciously. "What? I'm not exactly in the condition to try and fuck you on the hospital bed. I think you're safe."
Why does the prospect of getting fucked by Dick on a hospital bed turn me on? What the hell is going on with me?
"Fine." She slid up to the head of the bed and sat next to him.
He wrapped his good arm around her shoulders and despite her best efforts, she felt herself slowly melting into his side. "I mean, don't get me wrong, if I didn't have a hole in my chest I would totally try to fuck you on this bed, and you would totally let me, I can tell. I once saw a great porno where the nurses - -"
"No." Mac abruptly tried to stand up and he yanked her back down by the hem of her dress.
"Come on, Mackie, stay! I promise I'll be good," Dick begged.
You have no idea how badly I want to stay. I just can't. It's too dangerous for you if he catches us together. It'll only make you more of a target.
Her brow knitted as she considered his plea. She could leave, which would be the right thing to do, or she could do what felt right and stay with him.
Mac raised an eyebrow in admonishment and then settled back into her spot next to him. It didn't matter at that moment that she was probably being irresponsible and selfish or that he had no memory of what they were to each other, she needed him.
Maybe just this once...
He affectionately nudged her shoulder with his uninjured one. "You and me, we're friends Mackie. Admit it."
She shrugged unconvincingly. "I admit nothing."
Dick draped his arm around her again. "I think I like us being friends."
What?
Her expression dropped and she turned to look at him, wondering if he realized what he had just said. She peered into his face and looked for signs of remembrance, but found nothing there.
"I think I like us being friends too, Dick."
Mac was surprised that she meant those words far more now than the first time she'd said them to him.
The nurse walked briskly into Veronica's room and shoved an electric thermometer into her mouth, roughly waking her from her sleep.
Veronica was disoriented, and for a split second, had no idea where she was, until she looked down and noticed Logan's head lying face down on her lap, deep in slumber. She felt the cool strands of his golden brown hair float through the tips of her fingers, but noticed that was all she could feel.
Why are my hands all bandaged up?
She did a quick accounting of her body parts to make sure they were all in tact, and then turned to the nurse, who was busily jotting down Veronica's stats. "What...?"
"You were in an accident, dear," the nurse said sweetly, then patted the top of her wrapped hand softly.
Veronica shook her head, which felt heavy and stiff at the neck. She could see the woman talking, but no sound was coming through her lips. It was like somebody had pressed the mute button. "What?"
She squinted, as if looking harder at the nurse would help her hear the woman better.
The nurse tapped her hand again. "Oh dear, the doctor warned us this would probably happen. Just sit tight honey, and I'll get him for you."
Oh crap. It's not just her I can't hear. It's everything.
Her pulse began to race and a panic attack gripped her chest. "I can't hear you! I can't hear anything!" she called after the woman as she retreated into the hallway.
Logan stirred and noticed her panicking immediately. "It's okay, Veronica. I'm here."
He climbed up onto the bed next to her and grabbed the sides of her neck, bringing her forehead to rest on his. "You're okay. You're going to be okay. I've got you, baby."
She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, letting his strength wash over her. She was confused and in pain, but he was there with her, so she knew things would be okay. He'd make them okay.
Veronica was instantly taken back to her last hospital stay, almost three months ago. She had panicked then too, but the only one there was her dad, and while he made her feel loved, Logan made her feel everything.
Logan wiped the hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ears. "Hey," he said, smiling sadly at her. "You're okay."
Her face crumpled and her breath heaved a few times. "I can't hear anything."
He nodded. "I know. It's normal. NOR-MAL," he mouthed carefully, forcing her to make eye contact with him.
Normal for what?
Veronica looked down at both of her yellow-tinged hands, bringing one of them up to her nose, and inhaled the scent of iodine and smoke.
Why do I smell like smoke?
She next yanked the sheets off of her legs and saw the blood-soaked bandages covering her knees.
Fragments of memories started pouring in, stitching themselves to her like a patchwork quilt. She didn't know what the full picture would end up being, but the scraps she was piecing together did not look good.
Think logically, Veronica! Use those powers of deduction you spent so many years honing. You have bandages on your hands and knees, which suggests you fell forward onto something hard.
Logan hugged her to his chest and she smiled against it. She was making progress now.
There's no use panicking and imagining all sorts of crazy scenarios. Your imagination is probably dreaming up something way worse than what actually happened to you.
Focusing on the facts would busy her brain, which in turn would help keep her sane while she tried to figure out what the hell transpired.
My brain is foggy, but that's okay, I'm not brain damaged. If my brain is okay though, then why can't I hear?
Veronica knew there were only two things that could cause a traumatic ear injury like the one she had – sound and pressure.
I wasn't skydiving or underwater, so Occam's Razor would suggest that sound is the culprit. What causes a sound loud enough to rupture a person's eardrums?
"An explosion," she said out loud, and when she felt Logan pull her in closer to him, she knew that she was right. "I was in an explosion, wasn't I?"
She leaned back to look him in the eyes, and he met her gaze bravely. "Yes. An explosion."
Veronica tried to comb her bangs from her face to see him better but her bandages kept tripping them up.
Logan smiled and helped her clear her face, then planted a featherlight kiss on her lips. "I was so scared."
Oh Logan...
She didn't have to know how to read lips well to figure out what he was saying. It was written all over his face.
"I love you. I thought for a minute that I'd lost you, and it felt like I had died," he said, tears pricking his eyes.
Veronica softened and ghosted the sides of his face with her fingertips. "I'm okay."
He nodded. "This was way worse than with Lilly. What I feel for you is so much more." He let the tears fall liberally and she wiped them away. "I can't lose you."
Oh God, it must have really been serious if you're this upset. Did you think I was dead? Was I almost killed?
She shushed Logan like she had after his mom died and pulled him down to kiss her. "I love you. I love you more than anything. I'm not going anywhere," she said in between wet, salty kisses.
Logan sniffed loudly and started to laugh. "I just realized you can't hear a word I'm saying. I'm just some soft dude crying in your arms like Ryan O'Neill in 'Love Story'."
Veronica shook her head. "It's okay that you were scared, so stop mocking yourself. In fact, I love that you were scared."
He tilted his head and massaged his beleaguered brow with the knuckles of his hand. "You can hear me?" He mimed out his question.
She shook her head. "I don't have to hear you to know what you're thinking. I have many years of experience dealing with your mercurial moods."
He let out a puff of air and cupped her face again. "The world just isn't interesting enough for me without you in it."
She leaned forward and kissed him, then rested her chin on his shoulder.
It was then that Veronica noticed the jacket hanging on the back of Logan's chair and swallowed thickly. "Where's Leo?"
You know where Leo is. You passed out right next to his left arm.
He didn't speak right away, but she already knew the answer. It all came back at once. The car, the bomb, his body parts strewn throughout the lot. "I feel sick."
Logan grabbed a trash bin and held it in front of her while she vomited into it, securing her hair back with his other hand. She hadn't eaten for a while, so there wasn't much in her, but what was there was now gone.
"Are you done?" he mimed, handing her a wet linen from the side table.
Veronica nodded and took the washcloth to wipe her face. "Still happy I'm alive?"
Logan rubbed circles on her back and pressed a kiss to her temple. "That's not even a little bit funny. You're losing your touch Mars," he mouthed to her.
"They can't all be winners," she said, leaning heavily against him. "I'm thirsty."
Logan got off the bed and kissed the top of her head. "I'll flag down the nurse to get her to bring some water. I'll be back in 90 seconds," he said, forming the numbers with his fingers for her.
The moment the door shut behind her boyfriend, Veronica collapsed into a heap and willed herself to push out all of her grief in the next minute and a half. She couldn't be this exposed, even in front of Logan. She cried hard and with purpose, rasping through moist sobs until her throat had run dry.
Leo was gone. He was brave and sweet and the truest man she'd ever known, and now he was gone.
Leo D'Amato is dead and it's all my fault.
Veronica used her bed sheet to clean her face and put on a brave mask. She would need a strong facade to get the job done. If there was one thing she knew, it was that you don't have a chance in hell of chasing down a killer if you walk around acting like a victim. They'll see you coming from a mile away, and she couldn't have that. If she wanted to get it right, she would need to go against her nature and do this methodically, fly under the radar. Whoever killed Leo would never see her coming...at least, not until she wanted them to.
A/N - So what do you think? Did you like this one? End it here or do one more chapter? I'm fine with either.
Here I am - shilling for birthday reviews, favs, follows and whatever else you feel like throwing my way (ahem, jewelry).
:)
Thanks to everybody reading this for sticking with this long (sometimes confusing but hopefully entertaining) plot. There will be lots of story to tell in the sequel, so watch this space for an announcement. I cannot express enough how much fun this has been to write - with the best part being interacting with all of you and getting your reactions as the story progressed. THANK YOU!