Relief washes over me when I realize that he’s okay. I know I like to keep myself closed off from a lot of people, but Jace is my brother in every sense of the word, save the biological part. Now that I know he’s good, I try to process what I just heard. A coma? I vaguely remember my head slamming against the ground, and the light pounding in my head makes sense now. Come to think of it, I’m aching all over, but before I can give it any more thought, the sound of an opening door echoes in the silence and I hear a huff before the loud “What the fuck?” that follows.

Footsteps stomp over to the bed, and Megan’s hand is pulled away from mine. She lets out a small gasp. “What the hell are you doing here, Megan?” I hear my brother’s angry voice seethe. I wish my goddamn eyelids would cooperate and open so I can witness what’s going on. The fogginess is finally letting up, but I still feel like ten tons of bricks are holding my eyes closed.

“What are you talking about, Cohen? Of course I’d be here. He’s family.”

Jace clears his throat, but it’s Cohen who speaks. “No, Megan, you may be married to my brother, but Knox’s only true family has been in this room for the last three weeks, and that doesn’t include you.”

Megan’s voice is filled with tears when she responds. “Branson’s out of town and I needed to come see that Knox was okay. I still care about him, Cohen.”

“Right. Bran didn’t care enough to come see his own brother who was in a coma, and you had to sneak away to do it. Knox may have been bent out of shape when you left him, but the way I see it, he got lucky. You and Branson are perfect for each other.”

An involuntary groan escapes my lips at Cohen’s reminder that the only girl I ever loved left me for my brother. I hear a small gasp and a rush of movement as another person comes to my side. A soft hand strokes the side of my face and a small whisper comes next.

“Knox? Can you hear me?” It’s a familiar voice, but I can’t quite place it. I nod my head, and finally, the bricks are gone and I feel my eyelids slowly open. I blink twice as the bright white hospital lights momentarily block my vision. When I can finally see, I notice a pretty blonde with blue eyes smiling down at me, a couple of tears streaming down her cheeks. Shaking my head, I try to place her face. She leans down and gives me a kiss on the forehead. “Welcome back, Knox. You’re at Walter Reed Medical Center. You’re in the States,” she informs me.

She moves away as Cohen comes to my side. At twenty-two, he still has that goofy grin that he had as a kid, and to this day it still makes me want to ruffle the messy blond hair that’s always made it look like he just rolled out of bed. He reaches over and presses the nurse’s call button before he puts a hand on my shoulder.

“Dammit, Knox, you scared the hell out of me. I thought I was about to lose the only brother worth a damn, but thank Christ you’re too stubborn to let those bastards win.”

I want to speak, but I can’t fucking talk because my lips feel fused together with how dry they are. A nurse walks in and Cohen moves away so she can check my vitals. As she removes the oxygen mask, she orders someone to get me some water while she rubs a damp cloth over my mouth. My lips part as she places a straw up to them, and I suck greedily, thanking the heavens above when the cool liquid slides down my throat. She pulls the cup away and smiles at me.

“Nice to finally see those eyes open, Sergeant,” she says, and I take in her features, finally noticing how gorgeous this woman is. I’ve had my fair share of women, and I know how good nurses can be in bed, so my dick jumps a little under the hospital sheet. It’s been a while since I’ve been with a woman, so I’m not surprised at the reaction. Still, it’s embarrassing that something so insignificant caused me to slightly harden even just a little bit.

She takes a remote from the side of the bed and operates it so that I’m finally inclined to the sitting position. My back fucking kills as the bed rises, and pain shoots through my ribs. Those fuckers really did a number on me, I realize, taking in the cast on my left arm.

I finally get a chance to look around the room, and the mixture of people in here surprises me. I realize that the pretty blonde is Lexi, Jace’s…whatever the hell she is. She’s sitting on his lap, so I’m guessing they’re good now. Last I heard she still was holding out on the L word, and Jace was a wreck about it. That’ll be an interesting story, I’m sure. Cohen’s standing just off to the side of the bed, letting the nurse do her job. My eyes lock in on Megan, and she’s frozen, staring at me for the first time since I caught her with my brother. I know I’m an asshole, but I wish I could say that time looks like it hasn’t been kind to her. I’d be lying. She looks like the same girl I knew back then, but instead of the jeans and flip-flops she used to live in, she’s dressed up in a fancy suit and decked out with jewelry and a massive rock on her finger. She’s wearing her wealth, and disgust washes over me. That’s what she left me for. The money. The status. The, I’m guessing, huge house and expensive car Branson’s given her.

“Get out,” I growl, my voice sounding strange after not having spoken in what I’m guessing has been weeks. Her eyes widen when she hears my voice. She starts to move towards the bed, but Cohen holds his hand up to stop her.

“Knox, I made a mistake,” she whispers, her eyes pleading with me to listen to her, but I feel nothing but pain and anger where she’s concerned.

“Too bad you didn’t realize that before you made the drive from Belle Meade,” I respond, wishing she’d leave before I fucking lose it.

Her head drops, and I can barely hear her when she says, “That’s not what I meant.”

I exhale deeply and my chest begins to feel like a weight is sitting on it, forcing the air from my lungs. Eleven years ago I would’ve been dumb enough to let those words penetrate my heart, but the vault it’s locked in now is indestructible, and there’s no way I’m letting her get to me ever again. Not just her. Any woman. I’m never putting myself through that again.

Before I can say anything, Lexi walks over to Megan and places her hands on her shoulders just as the doctor walks in.

“Come on, Megan. I’ll walk you out. I’m sure the doctor needs to speak with Knox.”

When they get to the door, Megan turns and takes one last look at me, a single tear falling down her face. Our eyes meet for a split second, but I’m quick to turn away as the memories rush in from the last time I saw her cry, the day she told me she was leaving me for Branson. Shaking my head, I turn my attention towards the doctor, anxious to know what the hell has been going on.

AFTER A lengthy discussion with the doc, I’ve learned that my injuries were more severe than I realized. I’d figured that with Cohen’s comment earlier, but I’m honestly shocked at how close I came to death. I know my job’s a dangerous one, but I’ve always been a cocky motherfucker who thought he was invincible.

I find out that I’ve been in a medically induced coma for three weeks after I was initially treated on scene and then at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany. The brain swelling was a major concern, so the doctors found it necessary to go this route to ensure no permanent damage was done. Apparently, I had been thrown about thirty feet or so from the blast and hit my head pretty damn bad on the concrete, resulting in the skull fracture that had led to the brain injury. I’d also broken two vertebrae in my lower spine due to the impact of hitting the ground.

The surgery they did is what the doctor calls a lumbar fusion. I make a mental note to look that up later on. My left arm has fractures in several places, hence the bulky cast on my arm. To top it all off, I lost my spleen in the process, and I’m sure I’m covered with yellowing bruises all over my body. All I can say is thank the Lord for a morphine drip.