Inferno - Chelle Bliss by Chelle Bliss

She gazes up at me, but her eyes aren’t focused. “Where am I?”

“You’re in the hospital.”

She tries to sit up and winces.

I push her down again as gently as I can. “Baby, you’re okay. Just a broken nose.”

Tears form in the corners of her eyes. “Jeff?”

She looks so small and helpless in this bed. “He’s dead. He went through the windshield and hit the pole.”

She closes her eyes for a moment, letting those tears spill down her face. “I did it.”

“Oh, honey. You didn’t do anything but survive,” Fran tells her as she grabs her hand and gives it a squeeze.

“No,” Opal says, opening her eyes. “I grabbed the steering wheel. He’s dead because of me. I crashed the car.”

In this moment, I don’t think I’ve ever been prouder of someone. I brush away the blood-caked hair from the side of her face. “You did good, Opal. You saved your life.”

“But…” she starts to say.

I shake my head. “He killed himself. You didn’t make him get in that car. He made you get in at gunpoint. If he weren’t dead, I’d kill him myself.”

“The man got exactly what he deserves, sweetheart. Don’t feel bad about that. He would’ve killed you.”

“I knew he would, and I couldn’t let that happen,” Opal admits. “I didn’t have any other choice.”

I smile down at her, hating that she’s beating herself up for that asshole’s death. “You’re not in trouble. You did what you needed to survive. He got what was coming to him.”

“I don’t know,” Opal mumbles.

“He never would’ve stopped, honey. Never. You would’ve had to look over your shoulder your entire life—and Stone too. You never would’ve had peace. He brought this on himself. Wipe him from your mind. He isn’t worth the time or the energy,” Fran says to Opal.

“Knock, knock,” Gigi says as she pokes her head into the room. “Can we come in?”

“A few at a time,” I tell her, knowing damn well the entire family is in the hospital waiting room.

Gigi nods, motioning to someone in the hallway before the door pushes open and she, Tamara, and Lily walk in.

“Sweet Jesus,” Tamara mutters, her eyes locking on Opal’s black eyes.

“Those are some shiners,” Lily adds.

“I have some concealer that’ll cover those bad boys. No worries, babe,” Gigi says, trying to keep the mood light.

Opal laughs, but her tears continue to fall. “You guys didn’t have to come.”

“Doll,” Tamara says as she slides in next to Fran, “the whole family is here, and it’s a requirement. When one of us is hurt, everyone shows up.”

“Everyone’s here?” Opal whispers, her eyes wide in amazement.

Lily nods at the foot of the bed. “Yep. It wasn’t so hard because we were all together. As soon as we got the call from Stone when he found you at the scene, we hauled ass out of the house and headed here.”

I’ll never be able to get the image of Opal’s motionless body out of my mind. Blood oozing from her nose, with her head tilted to the side. My heart stopped for a second until I could find her pulse, realizing she was knocked out and not dead. The ambulance arrived a few minutes later, but I stayed at her side, holding her hand until they forced me to let go.

“You found me?” Opal asks, her eyes soft as she looks up at me.

I lean over, placing a kiss on her forehead. “I’ll always find you.”

“Way to sound creepy, man,” Tamara says with an eye roll.

“It was meant sweetly,” Lily tells her.

“Thank you,” Opal says to me, ignoring the girls arguing about my statement.

“Always, baby. I was petrified,” I admit.

“I’m not as helpless as you think.”

I shake my head. “I never thought you were helpless, Opal. I just want to be the one to protect you. I hate the idea of you being in danger.”

“You can’t protect me from everything and everyone.”

“Obviously,” I say, laughing a little, but hating that she had to go through all that. “You did good.”

I feel like I need to keep repeating those words. She did the best she could and got herself out alive. Anyone would’ve done the same thing in her situation, but they might not have been lucky enough to survive.

“When you’re all healed, we’re going for drinks,” Gigi tells Opal.

“Don’t come in this week,” Tamara says to her. “You need time to recuperate.”

Opal shakes her head. “I don’t want to take the week off. I’ll be in tomorrow.”

Tamara shakes her head. “Take two days, then. Boss’s orders. I won’t take no for an answer.”

“Don’t rush it,” Lily adds. “You’re still in shock, and tomorrow you’re going to hurt like a mother.”

The door to Opal’s room opens again, but this time, it’s my mom. “Girls, I want a moment,” she says to Gigi, Lily, and Tamara.

“Yes, Ma,” Lily says, touching the blanket over Opal’s feet. “Rest up, sis. I’ll come see you tomorrow.”