Thankfully, the snake that bit me was not poisonous as tests revealed. All the doctors had to do was treat the wound for infections and while it hurts to put weight on the leg, I've been told that the muscles will heal in two to three weeks and I will be as good as new.

The doctors have only finished bandaging my leg when the hospital room's door bursts open and mom storms in. "Hazel!"

"Hey mom." I say, weakly. Too tired to say anything else.

"Oh Bunny." She whispers as she wraps her arms around me and kisses my head.

I lean into her and welcome the familiar touch. It almost makes me want to cry but I'm exhausted to the extent that even crying seems to take too much energy.

"Now will someone please tell me what happened?" Mom asks, looking towards dad who hasn't left me alone since they found me.

He sighs and sits down on the arm of the sofa in the room as he begins to catch us up, "So the investigators shadowed Norbert to a cabin in the Everglades and we got there as soon as they had eyes on the location. But they were armed. Hazel caused a distraction by jumping into the marsh."

"You what?!" Mom squeals, looking down at me.

I just shrug as dad continues, "She got bit by a snake while she swam to shore."

"Bit by what?" Mom eyes widen.

"A snake." I mumble and she looks at me in horror so I quickly add, "It wasn't poisonous."

"Hazel why would you risk something like that?!" Mom reprimands me.

I sigh and look down at my feet, "There were going to shoot dad."

"What?" Mom whispers and I look up at him through the tears in my eyes, "They were going to shoot you, dad."

"How do you know that?" Dad frowns as mom's arms tighten around me.

I wipe away the tears in my eyes and the reply, "They were discussing it when they pulled me out to the front of the cabin."

"But they just had a pistol. They couldn't fire such long range with something of that nature." Dad says, crossing his arms.

I shake my head, "Didn't you see? There was another man on the roof of the cabin with a bigger gun."

Dad sighs, "He must've escaped in the chaos."

"Did the Police catch anyone?" I ask.

Dad nods, "Hamish and Norbert are in Police custody."

I should feel relieved that two of my captors are no longer a threat but the idea of the real shooter still on the lose, sends a chill down my spine.

"I'm going to talk to the officers outside and share this new information with them." Dad says as he gets up from the sofa.

He walks over to me and kisses my head before walking out of the room.

"Do you want to sleep?" Mom asks, sitting on the edge of the hospital bed since my hurt leg is stretched out in front of me.

I shake my head, "I'm tired but I don't think I'll be able to sleep."

"Is there anything that you want to talk to me about?" She asks, taking me hand in hers.

I think about it for a second and then whisper something I've been dreading, "My nightmares are going to return, aren't they?"

"Hazel." Mom says, wrapping her arms around me as I sob into her shoulder.

It took me years to learn to control my fear of getting kidnapped and now it's happened all over again. This time I'm not sure if I'll get over my paranoia.

"You are safe now." Mom takes my face in her hands and looks me in the eye as she says this.

I nod and close my eyes as she kisses my forehead.

A knock sounds on the door and Sebastian pops his head in. I can't help but smile at the sight of my little brother.

"Hey Hazel." He says, stepping into the room.

"Hey Seb." I smile at him.

"How's the snake bite?" He asks.

"On the mend." I laugh softly.

"Hazel, who is a snake's favorite author?" Ben asks.

"Wha-?"

"William Snakespear."

I burst out laughing at this, "Ben that was terrible!"

After the night I've had it feels so good to finally laugh that I can't control it and during that I accidentally twitch my leg which sends a jolt of pain through my leg.

"Ouch!" I groan, "Seb, your jokes physically hurt! That's how bad they are!"

Seb flashes me one last smile before he opens the door and heads out of the room. Mom is shaking her head at the two of us as she turns to look at me, "Will you be okay? I'm going to check on Daniel. We'll be right outside."

"I'm fine." I nod as she gets up from the bed and leaves the room.

I sink down on the bed and rest my head against the pillows as I look out of the room's window at the dark sky. I'm so lost in my own thoughts that I don't hear the door open, it's only when it clicks shut do I realize that there's someone else in the room.

"Hey." Ben says, walking over to the bed.

"Hi." I smile.

"Hazel, I'm so sorry." Ben starts but I cut in, "Ben, no."

"Yes, Hazel. He's my father." Ben sighs, folding his arms.

"Ben, I was just collateral damage. He was really after dad, not me." I tell him.

"What?" Ben looks at me, shocked.

I nod, "They were trying to hurt dad. I jumped into the water to distract them. That's all. It wasn't even their fault that I was bitten."

"Hazel." Ben braces his arms on the bed and bows his head, "You scared the crap out of me when you jumped into the marsh."

"You were there?" I frown since all I remember is dad from the shore.

"Of course I was there." Ben's voice softens as he sits down on the bed next to me, "I was so scared for you. I kept thinking of how stupid I had been to even think that my father could be a different, better man. And I'm so sorry that I you dragged into my mess."

"Ben please stop blaming yourself." I put a hand on his arm and meet his eyes, "I love you, Ben and no matter what your father does, nothing will ever change that."

I watch as Ben's self-control slips away. He bends down and kisses me, gently pressing me into the pillows. I take his hand in my hands as he places a hand on my waist and continues kissing me.

"I love you so much, Hazel. More than you can even imagine." Ben whispers, pressing his forehead to mine.

We talk for a few more minutes before Ben starts to get up to leave but I grab onto his jacket to stop him. "Stay with me?"

He looks at me for a second, contemplating, before he gives in and sits back down on the bed. This time right next to me. He wraps an arm around me and I rest my head on his shoulder. We talk until I feel my eyes get heavy and then I fall asleep in Ben's arms.