Luke's POV

This can't be real.

I sat listening to the quiet beeping of the monitors as I held Gabe's hand in mine. He looked so pale.

Three days.

Three days since I'd seen those blue eyes looking at me. Three days since Marissa disappeared. No one seemed to have answers and we were all falling apart.

On the first night in the hospital, someone tried to kill Gabe. Silas and North had been standing watch and a nurse, well an Academy flunkie posing as a nurse had injected something into his IV. When he started seizing, Sean had managed to stabilize him, but we put out the official word that he'd died from surgery complications. Then Leonardo had flown him back to Italy in secrecy. I went with him, while the others stayed in Texas trying to find Marissa.

"Any change?" Dominic said as he stepped into the room.

I shook my head, not even looking up, "No."

He put his hand on my shoulder. "Erica and the girls will be here this afternoon. I'm heading back to Texas. He's going to wake up, Gabe's too stubborn to die."

I gave a half-hearted laugh, "Yeah, he won't die unless he's already planned a flamboyant funeral display." I looked up at Dominic's eyes. They were filled with worry and you could tell he'd barely slept. "Do you have a new lead?"

"I'm not entirely sure," he said. "I've caught wind of a major player in the Plano area. According to my sources, he's a politician and works closely with that Judge. I'm hoping he might know something about where they're hiding Marissa."

For the first time in three days, I felt a glimmer of hope. We both turned when we heard a knock at the door. Erica poked her head inside, her eyes brimmed with tears. "Oh, Luke," she cried as she rushed in and wrapped her arms around me. I melted in her arms, letting my tears flow openly.

"Mama," I cried, "I don't know how to help him." My body shook as I continued to cry in her arms as she tried to soothe me. I didn't even realize the others had entered the room until I looked up and saw both Jess and Trish standing hands intertwined with Luca and Kristoff. The girls stepped forward and joined my hug with Erica, all of us sobbing.

Eventually, we pulled ourselves together and sat as I had done earlier, just listening to him breathe and the steady sounds of the monitors. Dominic and Luca were speaking in Italian while Kristoff stayed glued to the girls' side. A loud beeping drew my attention and I heard the greatest sound ever.

"Oi, stop talking about me fuckers. Speak in English," Gabe huffed then coughed and groaned. "Did anyone get the fucking number of the bus that fucking hit me?"

I grabbed his face and crushed his lips to mine then pulled back, "Don't you ever fucking do that to me again, Gabriel Joseph Coleman!"

He gave me a cheeky grin, "Yes sir, now kiss me again, pretty boy." I laughed and did exactly that.

****

The doctor had just left, giving Gabe the all-clear to start moving around. Luckily the bullet hadn't caused any damage. The lack of consciousness was a combination of blood loss and whatever they had tried to poison him with. The drug seemed to be out of his system and beyond some mild physical therapy, Gabe was free to leave the hospital wing.

"So have you fucking heard anything from the others?" he asked, buttoning his shirt.

I shook my head, "Not since I let them know you were awake. To the rest of the world, you're officially dead so I'm keeping a low profile."

"What about Dominic? Did his damn lead pan out?" I could hear the frustration in his voice. I understood completely - I felt the same way.

"Nothing yet. I'm not sure exactly what he had planned. He just mentioned the lead, but when he left he didn't know if it would help us find Marissa or not." I reached out and took his hand. He'd gone back to wearing multiple rings like he did as a teen. It had been a coping mechanism back then and was once again. "We're going to find her," I said, running my fingers over his hands. "In the meantime, you need to focus on getting stronger."

He sighed, "I keep feeling like it's my fuckin fault she was taken. I mean if I hadn't been shot, then Sean would have fucking stayed with her."

I leaned my forehead against his, "Stop. You know damn well it wasn't your fault. The Academy already had it all planned out. They intended to grab her in the chaos of Dalton's assassination. You were just in the wrong place at the wrong moment." I felt the tears blurring my eyes. "I've never been so afraid in my life, Gabe," I whispered.

He pulled me closer as we wrapped our arms around each other. "Thank you for staying with me," he said. "I really wish I could see or at least fucking talk to the others. I'm so scared, Luke. I'm scared they're going to get hurt and that we've lost spitfire and our fucking daughter forever."

"I know. Every time I close my eyes I see her faint, then you fall down, covered in blood and I get scared all over again," I admitted. I started to say something else when I felt a searing pain in my front pocket. It was a redline - what the hell? I opened my phone to see a number I didn't recognize.

Unknown: Hit put out on Dr. Sean Green - get him to safety immediately.

Owen: Who is this?

Unknown: Keep him safe!

Luke: Wait, did we all get this?

Sean: Why would someone put a hit on me?

Unknown: tying up loose ends...get to safety

Owen: again, who is this

Unknown: line not secure... destroying phone... JD

I stared at the phone, my mouth gaping. It was her...it was her! My sugar is alive! "Gabe, look!" I spun around showing him the messages.

"Holy shit," he muttered as a new message popped up.

Victor: I couldn't trace it - Corey?

Corey: No luck here either, but I think it really was her. We should take her warning seriously.

Raven: I'm contacting father now. Sean be ready to leave in ten minutes - no argument.

Sean: Where am I going?

Raven: Better not to say over the phone, just in case.

Sean: Fair point. I'm ready - just my go bag.

Victor: Luke how are you?

Luke: Better now - had company they have been grouchy, but better now

Victor: Love to hear that

I saw the tears gathering in Gabe's eyes. He understood Victor's message loud and clear. "Send him my love," he said in a scratchy voice.

Luke: You should have been here, the company was really excited - loved visiting

Victor: Hope to see you and them soon - we need to unwind

Luke: Sounds amazing - keep us posted, Sean

Raven: We will - Sean is en route to new location now.

I wrapped my arms around Gabe and kissed his neck as he steadied his breathing. "Does she even know I'm alive?" he whispered. Oh fuck, I hadn't even thought of that.

"Shit, I don't know. I mean, when they tried to kill you, we let them think they had been successful. We figured it was the safest way, but none of us considered that Marissa wouldn't have a way to know the truth." I saw the concern on his face and then realized his was the only phone that hadn't redlined. She really did think he was dead. "Come on, let's go find Erica and the girls. They'll be thrilled to hear about all this," I said, pulling him toward the door.

He let out a low sigh and followed me down the hall.  

Author's Notes: a tad under the weather and lots of life changes...second update coming in a few.

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