I open the door to the room and see Brooke's body lifeless and unmoving on the bed. I take a deep breath before making my way to the lone chair beside the bed.

I sit down and reach out to touch her soft smooth hand. It is pale in the soft light coming in from the lamp on the nightstand. I smooth back her chocolate brown hair from her face. I feel her cool breath against my wrist as I trail my fingers down her cheek to her chin.

Tears threaten to fall down my cheeks and I allow a moment of weakness to overcome me at the thought of the love of my life dying in my arms. My tears fall down my cheeks and onto the bed as I lean over Brooke and rest my face against her hand.

I close my eyes and breathe in the scent of chemicals and the faint lavender and roses smell that is Brooklyn.

Soon exhaustion overwhelms me and I fall asleep close to the woman who has stolen my heart from underneath me.

***

A soft touch awakes me and I open my eyes looking into a pair of blue eyes that remind me of the depths of the ocean.

"Brooke?" I croak taking in her pale features that I am desperate to feel against my palms.

"Yes," she says her voice rough and scratchy. I quickly get up and pour a cup of water into a glass cup. I grab a paper straw and hold the glass close to her mouth to allow her to drink.

"How are you feeling?" I ask after she drinks half a cup of the water. I set the glass on the rolling table and move so I look directly into the eyes I missed.

"I'm a little sore, but that is probably because I was beaten and shot," she says resting her hand against the stitched wound that could have taken her away from me.

I frown at the words she just spoke like getting shot and beaten happens every day when it is anything but a regular day. She sees my frown and rubs her thumb against my forehead.

"He is dead now we do not have to think about it anymore. At least I do not want to think about what happened, so please can we change the subject?" she asks but it comes out more like an order.

I rub my thumb against her palm. "We can stop talking about it now but we will talk about what happened when you're ready. It is not good to keep your emotions inside when you have gone through something traumatic," I tell her. She nods her head agreeing to what I said.

Brooke looks down to her lap before asking, "How is Riley?"

I sigh knowing that what I am going to say will upset Brooke. "Samuel told her that Riley was dead and that was three hours ago. She has stayed in a guest bedroom and locked herself away from the world. Emery tried talking her into opening the door for her, but she just screamed unintelligible words. Samuel then knocked on her door and she allowed him in, so now we are waiting to see if she will be better in the morning with help from Sam," I tell her while rubbing soothing circles against her wrist and palm.

"She will never get over it, Mason. Anna was like a sister to Riley, so she will never get over it. She will have an ache in her heart till the day she dies from the pain of losing someone close to her," Brooke fumes.

"Calm down Brooke, I know the pain of losing someone will never leave," I tell her brushing back a wayward strand of her hair away from her face.

She exhales a long breath of air before relaxing into the pillows behind her back. She opens her mouth to say something, but the door opens and Doctor Tremal enters with a clipboard and pen in hand.

He smiles warmly at Brooke when he sees her awake. "I see you're finally awake."

"Yes, I am," she says with a small tight smile.

"How are you feeling any aches or pains?" he asks her clicking his pen and getting ready to write.

"My lip hurts slightly but it is bearable the only major pain in my stomach where I was shot," she answers his question.

He nods his head before jotting down some notes. "I want to take some blood just in case anything goes wrong is that okay?" he asks her.

"Why could you not take her blood earlier?" I question with a raised eyebrow.

"I always want my patient to be awake when I take their blood since it is their body and they have the right to object under certain circumstances," he informs me before checking Brooke's IV.

"Your vitals are looking good," he tells her before getting the equipment he needs to take her blood.

He gets the needle ready but stops looking at her veins. His eyes draw inward before widening and looking at Brooke. "Did you get injected with an unknown substance?" he asks her and her face grows pale.

"Why are you asking her this?" I demand standing up and glaring at the doctor.

"No, but I was shot," she says in a meer whisper.

"Your veins are grey that means you have been poisoned," he tells her and Brooke nods her head agreeing with his statement.

"She is poisoned," I snap.

Instead of the doctor who should have checked her blood when she was in surgery Brooke answers the question I asked.

"Eva makes her own concoction of poison for bullets. It is her specialty and it is why she was such a price for Declan to have. I have only been in her lab once when I was with Declan and I can not name all the chemicals she uses for her bullets," Brooklyn's hand trembles in my hand.

"Can we find a cure?" I ask the doctor who is studying her veins in her hand like it is the most fascinating thing ever.

"The only cure for the poisonous bullet she used is for me to die. She never makes a cure since she always hits her target where the bullet will kill them instantly or weakens them enough for the poison to run through their system and kill them," she says in an emotionless voice.

The doctor looks up at Brooklyn. "All poison has cured and this looks familiar to something I have seen a little over 10 years ago. I village in Cuba ate the wrong kind of plant and it killed a little over half the population before I found a cure. I have the ingredients in my lab I can have the cure in a little over an hour from now," he says standing up and collecting his things.

"Get Zach to help you," I tell him. He opens the door to leave but I stop him with a look. "If it takes you more than an hour I will shoot you in the head after I cut off your dick."

He gulps before rushing out of the room to go create the cure. I look back at Brooklyn and brush my lips against her lips. Her eyes water as I sit back down in my seat.

"Can you lay with me?" she asks her throat bobbing as she swallows.

"Of course," I say and she winces as she slides to make room. I slide in wrapping my arms around her body. She rests her head against my chest I close my eyes basking in the warmth of her.

I rub my fingers through Mason's hair as he sleeps. His eyes are closed and his breathing is smooth and steady. I breathe in his smell of cedarwood and spice.

Ten hours ago I was in my worst nightmare thinking I would never see the man I love ever again but here he is in my arms sleeping. Even though the poison is running through my veins is killing me slowly, and the pain in my stomach hurts like a bitch I can not help but be thankful I get to be here with Mason.

I hear a light knock on the door. "Come in," I call in a rough voice.

Emery steps in and gives me a watery smile. "You're awake," she says coming around the hospital bed and gently squeezing my hand. "I wanted to check on Mason and see how he was doing, but maybe I should ask you that question instead."

I sigh giving her hand a pathetic weak squeeze back. "I feel like I was run over by a tank," I tell her, and she gives a light chuckle at my wording.

"I do not doubt that Brooklyn," her voice breaks and she wipes at her cheeks. "I told myself I would come in here and be happy that your alive and safe, but sadly I am a mess."

I give her a sad smile and lace our fingers together. "It is okay to cry Emery," I reassure her.

She wipes her eyes before backing away from the bed. "I know I just wanted to be strong for you since you have been through so much," she tells me.

"You do not need to be strong for me. Do not worry about me, Emery in time I will heal and process what has happened, but if you need to cry I will be there to be the shoulder you lean on when you need someone," I tell her and tears fall rapidly down her flushed cheeks.

I gently wipe them away and cup her cheek. "Listen to me all I need is time to heal then I will be back to my normal self, I promise. You do not have to worry about me I have Mason who will be there during my recovery, so please for my peace of mind do not worry about me," I plead my own eyes getting a little misty.

"Brooklyn," she grabs my hand holding tight, "I love you that means I will worry no matter what happens."

"I love you too," I tell her leaning forward and wrapping my arms around her. She drops her head to my neck and she sobs into it.

I rub her back with one hand while wiping my own tears with my other hand. After a few minutes, I pull back and smile at Emery letting her know that I am okay and she does not need to worry about me.

"How is Riley?" I ask leaning back against the pillows and Mason.

She sighs and grabs a tissue from the box on the table beside the bed. "She is still locked in her room, but I made her some chicken noodle soup and gave it to Samuel who is still with her."

"Maybe I should talk to her," I offer even though I feel weaker than I did 5 minutes ago. I can tell that the poison is doing its job of weakening my immune system.

Emery shakes her head rapidly. "No, she will not want you to be anywhere near her. She has strong feelings right now that may have her saying things she does not mean," she tells me as gently as she can.

My heartbreaks that Riley thinks it was my fault that Anna died when I would not wish her death because I know what it is like to listen to Declan talking about giving me anything I wanted as long I told him information. He manipulates you into giving him the information and lies about the things he agreed to.

I lean my head back and close my eyes the pain in my side is overwhelming me and I feel the need to close my eyes and I succumb to sleep. "Brooke are you okay?" Emery asks touching my arm.

"I feel tired," I whisper.

"Oh of course you were shot and injured I should leave you to rest," she says and I feel the bed moving from her weight on the bed.

I keep my eyes closed as she leaves the room closing the door with a light click. I feel myself getting swept into the pain and exhaustion I am feeling, but a rough deep voice pulls me out of the tunnel I was heading into.

I weakly open my eyes and Mason is leaning over me cupping my face. "The Dr. is here with the medicine," he breathed his eyes showing his worry.

I try to speak but numbness is seeking into me and I know that this is the effect of the poison trying to kill me. I try to blink back the groggy feeling overwhelming me but nothing happens.

"I think we need to give her the medicine the poison is affecting her more than it was forty-five minutes ago," Zach insists, and the thirty-year-old man beside me who I recognize as Dr. Tremall.

He gets a syringe out of a plastic box and squats some of the clear liquid out of the top. Zach swipes a disinfecting wipe across my upper arm. The doctor then hands the scary-looking syringe to Zach. I grab hold of Mason's hand and hold it as hard as I can as Zach inserts the needle into my pale skin.

Then the world goes black.

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