Greya's POV...

I'm spiraling out of control. None of us have any idea where Lox is, he's just vanished. A note left behind hours ago is the sole indication that he may or may not be okay. I have this sick gut-wrenching feeling I know where he's heading and it's taking every ounce of my being not to have a mental breakdown or panic attack over it.

I've been texting him and calling him, so has everyone else. We only need a simple response from him, anything.

He's alone and anything could happen. This is the part where my therapist tries to remind me that I can't control things that were not mine to control in the first place, so I shouldn't worry so much. Well, screw that! Losing him before was the worst three years of my life. What if he can't walk, what if he's hurt, or had a seizure with no one to help him.

"What if he was kidnapped?" Liam blurts out.

"What?"

"How do you know he wrote this note? He's been insisting his father is still after him, what if someone his father hired wrote this note?" Liam explains.

"I thought of that, but he signed "B" at the bottom, and no one knows I call him that. His father wouldn't know that."

Cohen walks into the room, looking distraught and running his fingers through his curly hair. "I just got off the phone with my parents and they haven't heard from him either. They're going to call the facility Anna is living at to see if he's shown up there."

I asked Fynn and Tim to take Chase out for a while this afternoon while the rest of us figure this out. I'm a basket case right now and Chase doesn't need to be aware of how terrible I'm feeling or the reason why.

"Okay, so if he went to see his father, he would've had to take a plane up to Seattle. Maybe the plane hasn't landed and that's why we can't reach him," Liam shrugs.

Oh God, I don't even want to imagine how he's doing on a plane by himself, knowing he's about to visit his murderous father. He's already had a terrible weekend, he could barely speak, barely move around, barely leave my side. Lox, what in the world are you doing?

"What if he's already seen his father and his father ordered someone to hurt him, or take him, or..."

"Grey, you can't think like that," Cohen interrupts my nervous rambling.

"Yes, I can think like that! He was shot in the head once and was taken from us for three years! We don't know where he is now, what if this time we don't get him back?"

Cohen sweeps in and wraps me into a bear hug. "We'll find him."

My phone rings on the coffee table and everyone goes silent while I rush to answer it. An unknown number from Seattle displays and instantly my heart sinks into my stomach.

"Hello."

"Hi, I'm looking for Greya Matthews," the woman says.

"This is her," my hand shakes while I place the call on speaker for everyone to listen.

"I'm nurse Richards from UW Medical Center. I have a Loxley Madden who was brought to our emergency room about thirty minutes ago and you are listed as his emergency contact person."

Cohen grabs the phone from my hand before I drop it and places it back onto the coffee table. I can't speak. Every horrible scenario races through my mind.

Cohen nudges my shoulder and points to the phone, so I remember to use my words.

"Is he okay? what happened?"

"He was brought to us after collapsing from a seizure while visiting someone at the maximum security prison. He appears to have other previous injuries and he's not able to speak very well so we're having a difficult time getting his medical history from him. He's also had a second seizure about ten minutes ago, does he have epilepsy?"

Tears are falling from my eyes as I try to explain things to the nurse. "He was shot in the head three years ago and suffered a traumatic brain injury along with a stroke. He has left side paralysis, and he stutters. Seizures are common when he is under too much stress. He probably needs to be given something for anxiety and he needs sleep...he always sleeps for a while after a seizure."

"Thank you, that's very helpful for us. Does he have anyone nearby that can come in and be with him?"

"N..no. He's there alone, but I'm getting on a plane as soon as possible to be there." I'm a sobbing mess as I converse with the nurse.

"Alright. We will see you sometime soon then."

"Wait! Please tell him I'm on my way, he won't be alone."

"We will take good care of him Miss Matthews."

When I hang up, Cohen's already got the laptop out looking for flights.

"I found a flight that leaves in an hour and only 2 seats available. It's cutting it real close though."

"You two go ahead and bring him back home. I'll stay here and help Fynn with Chase. Don't worry about anything here, go and get my brother," Liam offers.

I quickly grab my purse, wallet, cell phone and charger and get into the car. Liam drives Cohen and I to the airport with thirty minutes to spare.

Cohen and I hurry through security which isn't difficult having no luggage, and we're able to run to our gate before the plane leaves.

I haven't had a chance to process all this until Cohen and I sit into our seats and the pilot announces that we have a 2 hour 45 minute flight.

That's too long. I need to be there now. Or better yet, I should've been with him the whole time.

"Why didn't he ask one of us to go with him?"

"I don't know Grey. All I can do is try to put myself in his shoes. He didn't do this for himself. He thought he needed to face his father to protect us, to protect you. Like all those years Jack abused him, he allowed it to happen because he believed he was protecting his brother. He doesn't want to lose us again just as much as we don't want to lose him. And if he thought this was his only option to keep everyone and himself safe, then there was no stopping him."

"Plus, if he told you, would you have let him go?"

Cohen's right. Lox has spent his life trying to protect the people he loves and this was the only way he knew how.

"I wouldn't have let him go now, not after the weekend he had. He hasn't been himself. He could've waited a week maybe and talked to us about it. I never liked the idea of him visiting his dad but I would've felt better about it if he took one of us with him. He can't decide to up and disappear on us like this, not after what we've been through."

"Don't be too mad at him when you see him. He's going to need you Greya."

"I might want to strangle him for making me crazy."

"You'll be relieved," Cohen says.

"Yes, first I'll be relieved and then I'll strangle him."

Cohen laughs and then he grabs my hand while we take off.

"I'm afraid of taking off and landing," he admits.

"Really? I haven't even had a minute to think about it. I've never flown before."

It's true. I wouldn't know what exactly to be scared of when it comes to flying, besides what I've seen in the movies.

An hour goes by, then another and we've been lost in our own thoughts. The last forty-five minutes will drive me insane.

"I hope he hasn't had another seizure. What if his father hurt him?" Cohen shakes his head while I voice my thoughts.

"I don't think the security guards would let that happen."

"His father must've said or done something for Lox to have a seizure right there."

"He had a bad weekend Grey, everything must've caught up with him and then seeing his dad was over the top."

"Yeah, you're probably right." I start flipping through the flight magazine and reading the emergency evacuation instructions to keep myself occupied.

"Put that away. I already don't like the landing part, I don't need to see that too," Cohen jokes with me.

"Fine, you big baby." I put the magazine away and hold my hand out for him to grab.

"Thanks Grey," he says and closes his eyes while our pilot performs a smooth landing.

Without luggage, we're able to catch an Uber and go directly to the hospital.

It's roughy 10pm when we arrive at the emergency department. We check in and the doctor comes out to meet us.

"I'm Dr. Shaw, I've been taking care of Loxley since he's arrived. We haven't been able to keep his seizures under control, he's had a 3rd one about an hour ago. I'd like to get him in for a CT but he hasn't been very cooperative. When he's awake he won't allow anyone to touch him."

He's scared, that's why.

"Um, that happens. It's part of the brain injury," It's the most logical excuse I can give him without going into Lox's life history.

"Does he have any new injuries? Like did he hit his head when he fell from the seizure? Or hurt anything else?"

"We haven't seen any visible injury besides his paralysis, although he's made it hard to fully assess him. We've only been able to assess him immediately after his seizures when he's fallen into a deep sleep. I can bring you to him. He's sleeping now."

"Thank you Dr. Shaw," Cohen says for the both of us.

"It's late and I suspect you'll be here with him tonight so I'll have the nurse bring in 2 chairs."

Cohen opens the sliding glass door and lets me enter first. My first thought when I look at him is that he looks peaceful. My second thought is that things could've been much worse and I'm already wiping the tears running down my cheeks.

"He's okay, Grey. Go over to him," Cohen nudges me forward.

I go to one side of the bed while Cohen goes to the other side.

I don't like him lying in a hospital bed. I want to take him home with me.

I squeeze his hand and lean over to kiss his forehead and whisper into his ear. "I'm here, Handsome."

"G...Grey?"

"It's me, I'm right here with you and so is Cohen. You can sleep, you're not alone."

His breathing quickens and his heart monitor begins beeping as his heart rate increases. "G...Grey?" He pulls his hand from mine and frantically reaches for my arm and tries to sit up. The monitor gets louder and beeps faster and the doctor and another nurse enters the room.

"This is what happened just before his last seizure," the nurse says.

Without thinking, I immediately climb into the bed with him and wrap my arms and legs around him and pull him close so he can rest his head into the crook of my neck.

"Uh, Miss, you shouldn't do that," I hear the nurse.

Cohen stops her from removing me from the bed. "She is his best medicine, trust me on this one."

They all must be staring at what I'm doing because no one's speaking or removing me.

I brush my fingers through Lox's hair and kiss his head again. "Focus on me, B. I've got you, just breathe. I won't let you go," I tell him.

"G...Grey?" He asks for me again or he's trying to tell me something.

"Shh, I'm right here. We can talk later. Right now we need to get your heart rate down, okay?"

He nods his head up and down. "I...I love y...you," he whispers.

"I know. I love you too. Close your eyes and sleep, we'll be right here when you wake up.

His eyes close, and soon his breathing evens and the heart monitor is back to a normal rhythm.

"I think she has this handled for now," the doctor says.

"Yes, you can stay like that as long as you'd like," the nurse agrees and they both leave the room.

"I bet they've never seen that happen before," Cohen chuckles.

"He just needs to come back home with us."

"Yeah, I know. I'm sure they'll release him in the morning."

"Cohen?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think you can call Fynn or Liam and let them know we're here and he's okay. And ask how Chase is doing?"

"Yeah, no problem. I'll step out to make the call and find a vending machine while I'm at it."

"Thanks Co."

I must've dozed off while Cohen left because the clock on the wall shows it's two in the morning. Cohen is passed out in the chair beside the bed and Lox is still sleeping calmly in my arms.

The nurse quietly walks in and informs me she needs to take his vitals. I kiss Lox on his head again and comb through his hair so he knows I'm here while the nurse places a blood pressure cuff around his arm and brushes a digital temp reader across his forehead.

"His vitals have been stable since you've been here with him. We'll be able to discharge him in the morning if everything still looks good," she says.

"Thank you."

That's a relief. In the morning I'll be able to assess him too. Make sure he didn't hit his head or injure any other part of his body when he fell.

At 5am the nurse returns for another check and this time Lox opens his eyes and flinches when the nurse touches his arm.

"Hey, B. Look at me." He smiles when he looks at me and doesn't flinch when the nurse places the BP cuff around his arm this time.

"H...hey Love," his voice is groggy but I've missed hearing him.

"Vitals are good. The doctor will be in soon for his assessment and hopefully sign the discharge papers."

"I'm going to get off the bed so you can sit up," I tell him before moving away from him.

I get off the bed and stretch my limbs before helping him sit up.

"Hey man, you had us worried for a minute," Cohen says.

Lox bows his head. "I'm s...sorry."

I sit back down onto the mattress, facing him.

"We're glad you're alright, but don't ever do that to me again."

He reaches his right arm out and I lean in so he can hug me. "I'm s..so s...sorry. I h...had t...too. Are y...you upset with m...me?"

"I'm not sure upset is the right word," Cohen chimes in, jokingly of course.

"I'm more relieved than anything else. You can't disappear on me like that, not again."

"I know. Th...that w...will never h...happen again, I p...promise."

I pull away so I can look at him. He was gone for ten hours yet it felt like eternity, not knowing what happened.

"Did you hit your head when you fell? How about anything else?"

I begin examining him. I don't feel or see any bumps or bruises on his head or face. I'm most concerned about that. I don't care about being an over protective girlfriend. If he walked around wearing a helmet I'd be fine with that.

I have him sit up straighter so I can look at his shoulders and his back. I don't see anything but when I run my fingers along his spine he groans. "M...my b...back hurts a l...little," he admits.

"I don't see anything, maybe your muscles are sore and tight after all the seizures."

He has a new bruise on his left hip, might've been what hit the floor first. Nothing else out of the ordinary.

"So he's good?" Cohen asks.

"I think so. How's your hip feel when I move your leg?"

"Feels f...fine."

"Can you move your leg at all?" His muscles are rigid and his knee doesn't want to bend much.

"S...some. Not m...much, b...but I couldn't y...yesterday m...much either."

"Same as the weekend. Cohen, want to work on moving his ankle around and his knee, while I work on his arm before the doctor comes in?"

I figure Lox and I do these stretches and exercises every morning anyway, may as well see if they will help him before the doctor gets here.

Lox quietly watches us. He doesn't know what to say. He knows he scared us and feels terrible about that and at the same time he felt what he did was necessary. Maybe it was.

I massage his entire arm and move his elbow around and then work on his hand and fingers. When I'm finished, he's able to straighten his arm about 120 degree angle which is a lot better than the 30 degrees it was stuck at for who knows how long. His fingers are moving on command but he has no grip strength at all. These three days really took a toll on him. I can't wait to have him back home so he can recover.

"M...my father w...won't bother us any m...more," he quietly surprises us.

"How do you know?" Cohen asks for the both of us.

"He w...wanted m...me before. H...he always searched f...for m...me. H...he suspected my m...mom w...was pregnant w...with me. I w...was going to b...be h...his heir to h...his criminal organization. Until I w...was shot. He doesn't w...want a crippled b...brain injured son. I w...would be a liability n...not an asset. No one knows h...he h...has a son...He's d...dying and I'm s...safe from h...him now. Y...you're all safe t...too."

Cohen and I have no idea what to say to that. I know what I want to say. Thank the Lord, I hope that man dies a horrible death, this is the only time Lox's disabilities have benefitted him. They're what saved him from this man in the end. I'm sure Cohen is thinking the exact same things I am. There's no right way to respond to what he's told us. We can only be happy that it's over.

I sit back onto the bed and hug him again.

"Oh, B. All I've ever wanted since the day you strolled into my 7th grade class and I looked into those beautiful lost blue eyes of yours, I've wanted for you to be free of everyone who ever hurt you. You're free now. You can move forward. That's all I've ever wanted for you. I love you B."

He smiles and cups my face, bringing our lips together.

After a minute we hear Cohen, "Ugh! Get a room!"

We all laugh.

"I'm gonna go find the doctor so we can get out of here," Cohen informs us as he leave the room. He's allowing us to have a moment together.

"How are you feeling now?"

He shrugs his shoulder. "B...better." That doesn't sound convincing.

"You've just been through Hell and back in a matter of three days. You deserve a break now, time to go home and recover."

"I'm h...hoping y...you both w...will come w...with me to m...meet my grandfather first?"

"Really? Yes of course we would."

He holds my hand while we sit facing each other on his hospital bed. His eyes focused on his thumb brushing circles over mine. Something else is bothering him, or maybe he's tired from everything.

"W...will y...you still w...want me like this? If I'm a..always going t...to be a d...disabled person?"

The way my heart's fluttering at his question, he may as well have attached the defibrillator to my chest.

This amazing, beautiful guy sitting in front of me has never felt wanted. His adopted father beat him, his mother left him twice, including after his injury, and his real father, although a psycho killer, wanted him at one point but doesn't now that he's disabled. I understand where his fears are coming from and I'll spend the rest of my life making sure he never feels unwanted again.

This time I cup his face in my hands so his perfect blue eyes meet my green ones. "It's always been you, B. I've always wanted you. I want you now and I'll want you tomorrow and beyond. One day you'll believe me because I'm never going to stop showing you how amazing and deserving you are. I'm never going to stop loving you."

He has tears in his eyes and I can feel I do too. We've come so far, the both of us have in so many ways. Our life experiences have forced us to deal with and conquer things many people can't even imagine. Lox may always have a mountain to climb when it comes to his disabilities, but he's never going to do it alone.

"Y...you w..won't give up on m...me." He says it more as a statement than a question .

"Never."

"I'm g...going to m...marry y...you some day."

"I hope so," I smile. I want that too.