Beautiful Outlaw by Emily Minton

Awake

Shay

I wake up to the sound of machines beeping and force my eyes to open.  Tin is sitting beside me, his head resting on the bed.  Slowly moving my head, I search the room for Bowie.  He isn’t here, and I want to cry out for him.  I need him here, need him to hold my hand and tell me that everything is all right. 

I’m blinking back my tears when I feel a hand grab my arm.  “Thank fuck, you’re awake.”

Turing to look at Tin, I do my best to force the tears away.  “Where’s Bowie?”

He reaches up, using his thumb to brush a tear away. “He’s taking care of something, but he’ll be here as soon as he’s done.”

I close my eyes and take in a deep breath.  Expecting pain, I’m relieved when I only a feel a pinch.  Opening my eyes again, I start asking questions.  “Is Tag alive?”

I hold my breath, waiting for him to answer.  “Yeah.”

“Is he going to be okay?” The thought of losing him is tearing me apart inside. 

“It was touch and go there for a while, but he’s stable now,” Tin replies, taking my hand in his.  “He woke up for a few minutes after he came out of surgery.  The stubborn fucker wouldn’t go back to sleep until the nurses brought Rollo in.  Soon as he told him you were okay, he was out like a light.”

A smile plays on my lips when I think of Tag screaming at the nurses. The thought of him brings his mother to mind.  “How’s Domino?”

By the look on Tin’s face, I know my answer.  Moving my head closer to him, I whisper out my confession, “I shot her.  I didn’t mean to kill her, but I shot her and now she’s dead.”

“Don’t worry about that now, Shay.  Bowie will take care of it. Don’t worry. Just forget that it ever happened.”

How can I not worry about killing someone?  Is there any way to forget something like that?  Not wanting to think of it anymore, I ask another question. “Did he kill Marcus?”

I know the answer before I even ask.  Still, I need to hear him say it. Part of me wants him to say yes, but another doesn’t want Bowie taking a life for me.  Still, I know as long as Marcus walks this earth, I will be in danger.

Tin’s eyes flash, letting me know he doesn’t want to tell me.  “That’s something you need to talk to Bowie about, sister.”

“But,” I start but shut my mouth when the door opens and an older man in a white coat walks in. 

“Glad to see you’re awake.” He smiles at me, but his face grows cold when he looks at Tin. 

Tin lowers his mouth to my ear and whispers, “You fell down the stairs.”

I nod, letting him know I understand.  “I just woke up.”

The doctor looks at me, taking in my face that I can only assume is covered in bruises.  “Can you tell me exactly what happened to you?”

“I don’t remember much, just falling down the stairs.  I’m not really sure what happened. I must have lost my footing,” I lie, hoping he won’t ask many questions.

His eyes jerk to Tin then back to me.  “Would you like to talk to me alone?”

I can feel Tin’s body tighten in anger, obviously angry this man thinks he would hurt me.  Trying to pretend I didn’t understand his meaning, I say, “No, that’s okay.”

“Are you sure?  We need to discuss your injuries. You may want your privacy.”

“You can talk in front of Justin,” I reply, purposefully using Tin-Man’s full name.

The doctor takes a second to look between Tin and I before nodding his head.  “You suffered a mild concussion during the fall. You also have three broken ribs. Luckily, the breaks are clean and should fuse together with time.”

Remembering the blood that filled my mouth time and time again, I know that the doctor needs to know in case there is something they didn’t find.  Not sure of what all Tin told him, I have to be careful not to say too much.  “Is there a reason I’m tasting blood?”

The doctor shakes his head.  “You have some bruising on your lungs.  It’s not severe, but it can cause a little bleeding.”

“Are you sure that’s it?” I ask, wondering how a bruise could cause so much blood.

The doctor merely nods and goes on.  “Yes, we had X-rays and an MRI done, and no further damage was found.  Still, the broken ribs and bruising will cause you a lot of pain. I am going to keep you for the night.”

After a few more questions, the doctor finally leaves the room.

“Well, he’s a prick,” Tin says as soon as the door shuts. 

I let out a laugh, causing pain to shoot through me.  “Don’t make me laugh.”

As the pain works its way through my body, I remember what caused it and suddenly remember about Red.   I instantly turn to look at Tin.  “I need to talk to Bowie.”