Didn’t mean I was going to give up, though.

“I would so hit that if I ever decided to bat for the other team.”

Emmie’s out-of-the-blue statement shocked a laugh out of me that had everyone turning to look at us. It was the first laugh anyone had uttered in seven long days. It felt good, so damn good. Reaching for her, I pulled her head back down on my chest and buried my face in her hair. “Love you, Em,” I whispered.

“Ax.”

My eyes snapped open at the feel of Zander’s hand on my shoulder, shaking me awake. I blinked a few times, trying to dispel the dream I had been having. Fuck, it had been a really good dream. “What is it?” My voice was rough as I rubbed a hand over my face.

“He’s awake.” Zander grabbed my arm and pulled me to my feet since I wasn’t moving fast enough for him. “He’s asking for all of us.”

My heart jumped and I wasted no more time as I hurried after Zander. Even though it was the middle of the night, the ICU ward was busy. Several of the other patients had been moved over the last seven days. Liam and two other patients were all that remained and the other two were on the other side of the ward. It was a good thing because the noise coming from Liam’s room was pretty loud.

I heard Marissa’s sobs as soon as the doors opened. When we entered the room, she had her head on his chest. Liam was trying to comfort her, but nothing seemed to be working. I moved in behind the other six people crowded into the small room and felt my throat instantly clog with emotion at the sound of Marissa’s broken words.

“Y-you s-s-s-cared me so bad, Li.”

“Sorry, baby cakes.” Liam attempted to give her a smile that turned into a painful grimace. He looked small lying in that hospital bed. Over the last week Liam had lost a considerable amount of weight. With all the casts, wires, and tubes sticking out everywhere, he looked like some mad scientist’s crazy experiment. “I’ll do better.”

“I l-l-love you, s-s-so much.”

“Me, too.” It was what he always said when Marissa told him she loved him. Hearing it now brought a choked laugh from his sister and she stepped back from the hospital bed.

“Okay, okay.” Dallas, who had been reading something off of his monitors, clapped her hands, bringing everyone’s eyes to her. “Liam has had a lot of excitement over the last fifteen minutes.” Her face twisted with a sour expression before she shook her head. “Liam wants to talk to you all, and then you have to get out because the staff has officially kicked us all out.”

“You all look like shit,” Liam grumbled as his eyes drifted over each of us. They lingered for half a moment longer on Harris before he turned his gaze onto another member of our strange group. “Have you guys been here a while?”

“Dude!” Wroth glared at his cousin. “We’ve been here as long as you have. No way were we going to leave you here all by yourself.”

Liam’s eyes widened. “Really?” As if unable to believe what he was hearing, he turned his gaze to Dallas, as if asking her to tell him the truth. “Dee?”

She rolled her eyes at him. “They got here as soon as I could reach them, Liam. You’re family loves you. All of them.”

“Oh…” Liam swallowed hard, then closed his eyes for a long moment. When he opened them again they were bright with emotion. “Thanks.”

It was one word, but surprisingly it held a world of meaning to it. Liam, with all his fuckups and flaws, had never said ‘thanks’ to anyone as far as I could remember. He was an all take and no give kind of guy. With that one word I was able to see the guy Liam could have been before the drugs had invaded his life.

“I’m tired,” Liam muttered. “I’d rather talk to you guys later.”

“But…” Marissa frowned. “Li?”

“You look as tired as I feel, Rissa. Go home and go to bed.” Liam gave her a small smile and raised one of his hands a few inches. Marissa put hers in his and gave it a careful squeeze. “I’ll still be here in the morning.”

After a little more urging from Liam, the guys turned for the door. I stepped into the corner and waited for everyone else to leave. He might be tired, but I needed to say my piece or I wasn’t going to get any real sleep tonight. Or, the rest of today. It was nearly dawn, I noticed as I looked down at the watch on my wrist.

“Dee, wait,” Liam called and Dallas turned around at the door and walked back to him.

“You should get some sleep, Liam.” Dallas tucked the blankets around him better. “The doctors will be in in a few hours to put you through a shitload of tests to make sure you are really okay.”

Liam caught her hand and I had to clench my jaw to keep from growling at a sick man for touching my girl. “Make sure she’s okay. I need to know she’s okay.”

“Then why the fuck did you kick her out?” Dallas demanded and I frowned. Who had been kicked out? Then I remembered that I hadn’t seen Gabriella stuffed in with the rest of us. “She had been here just as long as anyone else, Liam. She-”

“Stop.” Liam closed his eyes and didn’t open them again, but that didn’t keep the emotions from crossing over his face. Making his forehead wrinkle and his nostrils to flare. “I don’t want to talk about it, Dee. Just… Just make sure she’s okay. For me?”

“Why me? I don’t even have her number.”

“Because you’re the only person I trust.” Liam opened his eyes and gave her a pleading look. “I know you have your reasons for hating her, but please do this for me.”

Muttering a curse under her breath, Dallas finally gave in. “Okay.” She took a step back, toward the door. “I’ll be back in a few hours. I need to get home and shower. Grab some quality sleep before I start looking as horrible as you.”

A small laugh escaped Liam. “Getting close now, beautiful. Getting close.” I must have moved without thinking about it, because Liam’s gaze snapped to mine. Seeing me standing there watching them, Liam’s brow furrowed. “Ax?”

“I have to go.” Dallas paused at the door, her gaze drifting between me and Liam and then back to me. “Bye, Ax.”

I clenched my jaw, hating that it sounded like she was telling me bye for forever. That wasn’t going to happen. Ever. “Be safe going home,” I told her.

Those clear blue eyes were rolling at me and I couldn’t help but grin as she left the room. I waited until the door slid closed before moving closer to Liam’s bed. The bassist was giving me a strange look. “I didn’t expect you to stay.” He looked away. “I didn’t expect any of you to even be here.”