Zero

“Yes.”

Zero tugged the wires out of him that hooked him up to the machines.

“You can’t leave your bed,” Prue said.

“I will do whatever the hell I want to do.” Zero sat up in bed, grunting with the movement. Several nurses ran into the room trying to stop him. Ignoring them, he stood up. “Tiny, I’m going to see Lash and the woman who tried to save my life. Tell them to back the f**k off before I end up in prison.”

Tiny shouted out for them to leave him alone. Standing tall, Zero held onto Prue and made his way out of the room. He felt a little dizzy and gripped onto the wall for stability.

“Your ass is showing,” she said.

“I don’t give a f**k. There will be no more fun until Alan is f**king dead.”

They walked down the long corridor, and he was starting to have doubts about going to thank Lash.

When they walked into a room he was more than thankful for the respite. Prue dumped him into the closest chair. The drugs they’d given him were a f**king strong combination. Lash was sitting beside Angel, who was hooked up to several machines. Nash stood in the corner of the room with Sophia beside him.

“Come on, baby. You need to wake up. I need you. Our son needs you.” Lash kept talking, stroking his fingers up her arm. “Wake up and I’ll take us away for a long summer vacation. You want to go to Italy, we’ll go.”

The pain in Lash’s voice tore at Zero.

“Come on, wake up.”

Sophia was sobbing in the corner.

“I’m sorry,” Zero said.

Lash jerked around to look at him. “Are you all right?”

“Yes, she will pull through.” Zero nodded toward Angel. He wouldn’t accept anything other than her making it through.

“She will. Tiny has agreed to let us go for the summer. I promised her on our honeymoon that I would take her to Italy. I’m going to make sure she gets everything her heart desires.” Lash was stroking her blonde hair off her head.

Silence fell in the room for several minutes.

“I don’t blame you,” Lash said, turning to look at him.

A lump formed in the back of his throat. “Why? If it wasn’t for me this wouldn’t be happening.”

“You did what you did. Blaming you will not change what’s happening.” Lash wiped the tears off his face. “The f**ker will pay for what he’s done.”

Zero looked at Lash feeling the anger consume him. “I will bring you the bastard’s head.”

Alan had been controlling this game for so long. It was time to take a little back for themselves.

“Good.”

Zero stayed inside Lash and Angel’s room for several minutes. On his way out he saw Devil was making his way toward the room. As they passed each other the older man reached out, touching his shoulder. “We’ll kill the bastard. Tiny told me everything that happened. He will die.”

Nodding, Zero made his way back to his room with Prue by his side. She fussed around his bed, putting his wires back where they came. “I didn’t know you were a nurse.” She hooked up each machine to the pad. The needle he’d pulled out, stopping the morphine, Prue called the nurse to come and replace.

“All night I’ve stared at these machines. I remembered where they went.”

The nurse walked into the room replacing the morphine.

Sitting in the bed, he waited for the pain to lessen.

“Stop walking around the room. Come and lie with me.” He patted the bed, moving over to give her room.

“I was so scared. I thought I lost you,” she said, lying down beside him.

“It takes a lot to take me out.” He wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her close. Her lemony scent invaded his senses. “I can rest knowing you’re beside me.”

Kissing her neck, Zero waited for her to ask the question he would bet was right on her lips.

“Go on, ask me, baby,” he said, waiting patiently.

“You told me you loved me.”

“I know.” Staring at her face, he waited for her to look at him.

“Do you love me?” she asked.

“With all my heart. Do you love me?”

“Yes, I’ve loved you for a long time.” She turned to him, stroking his face. “I’ll be with you.”

“What? You want to move to Fort Wills?”

“I’ll move to Fort Wills. I’ll stay by your side and love you, support you.”

Linking their fingers together, he pushed some of her red hair away from her face.

“I’m going to hold you to that.” He leaned forward, taking her lips.

“Alan?”

“Will die. He’s a scarred man intent on revenge.” Staring up at the ceiling, Zero searched for the right words. “He’s not a ghost. Alan’s like any man. We’ve just got to wait for him to take what he wants.”

“You’re not afraid?” she asked.

“I’m afraid of many things. I’ve got something to fight for. I’ve got you back in my life. Taking out Angel was his biggest mistake,” he said. “We’re going to fight back.”

“You need to get well first.”

“I’ll be out of here by tomorrow. I’m not waiting around. Alan is going to strike again while we’re all panicking.”

“How do you know?” she asked.

“It’s what I’d do. You’re intent on revenge and want one person to suffer in particular, you strike hard.” Zero rubbed his eyes, wondering who he was going to hit out at next.

“You don’t seem scared of him anymore,” she said.

“He’s made his move, and I’m waiting for him to make his demands.”

Prue rolled to her side, staring him in the face. “Do you think he intended to hurt Angel?”

“I’ve no idea. It had to have been a stroke of luck for him to get her and—” Zero stopped, frowning. “He told you he was going to take pleasure in my pain. Why would shooting at the compound give him pleasure? He couldn’t have been the shooter. The car was moving too fast for him to be there,” he said, trying to work out where his thoughts were going.

“He was waiting around, watching what was happening,” she said.

“Get Tiny. I need to talk to him.” He watched Prue leave the room, and he sat up. Alan had to have been in the background watching.

Running a hand down his face, he felt tired with all the shit.

Prue entered the room with Tiny and Devil.