The hospital room reeked of cleaning solution. As a kid, getting annual shots used to scare the shit outta me. Being prodded and getting blood work done for possible diseases I could contract was far scarier. There was no way they could tell if I caught something immediately. Which only made me more paranoid. What if I got something from that dirty needle? I wouldn't even fucking know it until much later.

"How ya doing, Adam?" Chris asked softly.

My partner sat in one of the leather chairs near the hospital bed. I kept the flimsy blanket pulled up to cover the rest of my body that the ridiculous hospital gown didn't. I felt like a fool wearing the damn thing since it didn't even cover my entire ass.

"I could have HIV." I thought I'd vomit after I said that out loud.

"You're getting treatment right away, so that lessens the chances," Chris said. "I'm sure you'll be okay. I asked the doctor here, and she claimed to never know an officer who got stuck with a dirty needle catch anything. The drugs work really well."

"What if I'm the rare one it doesn't work on? I have a girlfriend who wants to start a family with me. I can't do that if I have HIV. If Everly wants healthy, happy kids of her own, she'll have to find another man." I blinked away the tears. I wouldn't cry like a baby in front of him or anyone else in that god-forsaken hospital.

"Don't think like that right now. I should've followed you, Adam. Maybe if I had, this could've been prevented." Chris sighed. "You're an ass sometimes, but you're a good cop, you know that?"

"If you'd stayed with me, Dylan would've gotten away," I pointed out. "You did your job. I always knew it was possible something like this could happen, but I never expected it to happen to me. I've heard stories from other jurisdictions and even knew a cop back in my hometown who got stuck with one. I just didn't think I'd be stupid enough for this to happen to me." I groaned. "Fuck, I should've cut his coat pockets and checked them. I should've just shot him dead when he ran out of bullets."

"You didn't know. There was no way you could've. You can't blame yourself. You did everything right," Chris insisted.

I hoped and prayed I contracted nothing from that worthless fucking addict. Everly meant the world to me, and if I was responsible for us never having a family, I'd never forgive myself. We'd just gotten over an argument about her job being dangerous, yet here I was out getting stuck in the arm with dirty needles.

Nothing anyone said reassured me. All I could think about was how I'd tell Everly what happened and how upset she'd be with me. It was my fault for not being careful enough. If only I could go back and do shit differently. Maybe this never would've happened. I should've just called into work and stayed at home with her, dammit.

I was required to take the PEP drugs for a month then follow up with testing shortly after to make sure it worked. The doctor got me started on the meds right away and informed me how it was very unlikely I got infected, but I couldn't stop worrying.

"They charged the guy who stuck you," Chris said as he drove us back to the police station. "His name's Jake Henderson. He was dealing for the Black Vipers. He had some of that new sex drug on him too. Cupid's Jizz."

"I guess I should count my lucky stars since he didn't inject me with that shit."

I've seen a fuck-ton of things since I joined the force at twenty-one. They ranged from comical to gut-wrenching, but nothing prepared me for that damn dirty needle. What got to me the most was how easily he pulled it out and stuck me. I didn't realize he had one until it was in my neck. He could've drugged me with anything. In that moment, he could've killed me.

Sighing, I watched the hospital fade away behind us from the rearview mirror. Chris reached the highway that intersected with U.S. 60, where traffic moved at a snail's pace. The backroads were quicker but slicker because of the terrible weather. I would've chanced them instead.

"Hit the lights and sirens," I told him. "Otherwise, we're gonna be stuck here until the cows come home."

"But there isn't an emergency." Chris gripped the steering wheel tightly.

"So? Come on, just do it so we can go," I insisted.

"Fine." Chris obliged.

We didn't get very far, so I directed him to pull over and hit the backroad he wanted to avoid. Driving on snow and ice made him uneasy, but I helped him navigate. Anything was better than staying stuck on U.S. 60 for an hour with a bunch of Sunday drivers.

"This is exactly why I didn't want to drive back here," Chris said. "The roads are horrible."

"What if someone back here needed our help? Would a little snow stop you?" I asked him.

"Of course not. That's different," he replied. "You just wanted to take this road to get back to the station faster."

I shrugged. "Nothing wrong with that either."

The snow fell harder. Before long, the main roads would be covered too. I never understood how people found wintertime beautiful. It caused the most wrecks and got everyone sick. Even as a little kid, I hated it. My brothers used to make me go outside and play with them when school got canceled, and I always fell ill. Adrian and Archie used to envy me whenever I got stay home when the weather cleared up and school started back. Laying on the couch watching cartoons with a blanket and warm soup was usually more fun than boring lessons.

Things were so much simpler as a kid. I fucking missed it. Why the hell did I ever want to grow up again? Being an adult sucked.

Soon enough, the station came into view. A dusting of snow covered everything. Chris found a parking spot relatively close to the old building, but I didn't hurry inside. Nausea churned in the pit of my stomach. I had to tell Everly what happened. After getting the meds, I called her to meet at the station. I wasn't gonna worry her to death by making her come to the hospital. I didn't want to tell her at all, but I knew I couldn't keep such a thing from her.

Just as I climbed out of the car, the wind wrenched the door wide open. It was colder than a well digger's ass. It was so much colder than Crittendale. I wanted to be a police officer in my hometown, but Adrian filled the application out before me. Siblings can't be a part of the same taskforce, unfortunately.

I shivered, making my way up the concrete stairs as fast as possible. My hat almost blew off my damn head. Chris followed close behind me as we made our ways inside the lobby. It never occurred to me that Everly could've overheard what happened to me from the other officers until Annie greeted me at the desk.

"How are you feeling, Lindel? I heard about the incident with the dirty needle." Annie whispered the last two words like they were sinful to speak.

I still hadn't forgotten about Priscilla Bailey's confession about her being the White Dragon. I didn't trust her.

"I'm fine."

When I walked by her, she stepped back. She forced a fake smile. Annie's reaction was the same one I feared Everly would have. Nobody wanted to be around someone HIV positive. They probably thought I was the biggest dumbass on the squad for allowing a damn addict to stick me. It took so long to gain their trust and respect because I was an outsider in their town.

"Everything will be okay." Chris patted me on the back. "Just tell Everly what happened. I'm sure she's worried about ya."

Everly sat at my desk, scrolling through something on her phone. I only saw the back of her pretty blonde head from where I stood. Chris was right. It would be okay.

"You look like you're having fun," I told her.

"Adam, you're back." Everly spun around, hopped out of the chair, and threw her arms around me. She smelled like sweet cherry blossom.

I pulled her closer as she kissed my cheek. I wished we could've stayed like that longer. My heart felt heavy when she stepped back, looking me over with concern.

"What happened? Nobody's gave me a clear answer. I heard something about an addict attacking you, but that's all."

"Well, it's a little more complicated than that." I looked around the roomful of prying stares. "Let's talk somewhere private."

I wanted to make myself disappear like Houdini as I led her into an empty interview room. I sat down on the table and collected my thoughts. Everly frowned, waiting for an explanation.

"What's wrong?" she asked. "Were you injured?"

"I got stuck with a dirty needle," I admitted, staring down at my shaky hands in my lap. "The guy's HIV positive."

Her gaze never left mine. All I could focus on was the horror in her beautiful eyes. Shame washed over me as I readjusted my hat, trying my best not to break down into tears over what could happen to me. While I knew there was a small chance in hell I'd contract it, I couldn't stop agonizing over it. Fuck. I needed to get a grip on myself.

Everly gasped. "Oh my God."

"I'm on the PEP drug for a month to hopefully prevent it," I added quickly.

"It is rare to get it from sharing needles," Everly said. "Though not impossible. You started the drugs right after it happened though, so you should be fine. Jeez, I can't believe this. That jackass. I wanna go kick his ass for this."

"You think so? Chris and the doctor said the same thing, but there's still that small chance."

She hugged me tightly and kissed my forehead. "You'll be fine."

"What if I'm not?" My voice came out barely as a whisper.

"Don't think like that now. Stressing won't help. No matter what happens, I'm here for you. Even if you do, by some off chance, catch it. But honestly, I doubt you will. There's a very small chance, and he didn't inject anything into you, so your chances are even better."

"You mean the world to me, you know that?" I told her.

I was blessed to find such a loving and caring woman like her.

💘

The blizzard-like wind nearly knocked me off my feet. Everly gripped my hand tightly as we hurried across the snowy front yard to the porch. My cheeks and ears burned as the warmth thawed my freezing body. After we kicked our shoes off, she led me over to the couch and grabbed a soft blanket for us to cuddle up with. Nothing felt better than holding her tightly in my arms.

"I never thought I'd fall in love with you." Everly stroked her fingers through my hair. "It scares me sometimes. I don't know what I'd do if something bad happened to you. Like today, when nobody would tell me what happened to you... I was about to run out of that police station and go find you myself. I just couldn't erase the image of you lying on the ground bleeding to death from my mind."

"We really gotta stop scaring the hell out of each other." I joked.

"That's why... I've decided to leave the Voiceless Rebels," Everly said.

"What? For real?" I asked, shocked by her sudden change of heart.

"A gang is no place for a child to grow up, and when they fight, it scares me. I could've easily died in any of their stupid gang wars, and what for? It doesn't bring peace. It makes our town worse and strengthens the drug distribution. Emmett put me in control of dealing for a reason. He knew I actually cared about our clients. You can't stop an addict from finding their drugs, but you can at least try making it safer for them. I always made sure our clients got clean needles and had access to medical facilities nearby. But I've just be enabling them, like I do with Emmett."

"It's good that you get out of that shit. I'm proud of you for being strong enough to leave. It's dangerous to get involved with drugs. Any of those clients could turn on you. Emmett's a dumbass for ever letting you anywhere near his trade."

"Not all addicts are like the bastard who hurt you," she explained. "And I chose to join the gang. My brother never forced me. The rebels are all like family to me, so it hurts to abandon them. Especially Emmett. I always promised to stay by his side, and I won't abandon him completely. I'll still visit them too."

I nodded. "I understand. I'd never try to keep you away from any of your family or friends. I'm just relieved that you're leaving their dangerous gang.

She leaned in and pressed her soft lips against mine. My mind went foggy as I savored her sweet cherry blossom scent and sweet kisses. She gripped my hair with more force, but not painfully, and circled her arms around my shoulders. Oh, I wanted her so bad in that moment. She didn't realize what kind of power she had over me. I'd do anything for her.

"We can get through anything together, remember?" That time she kissed the tip of my nose. "Me and Emmett haven't always had an easy life. I'm not using that as an excuse for his behavior, but it's why he acts the way he does. It's why he doesn't trust cops, why he doesn't trust you. You know what happened to our mom. Her former partner turned on her. Shot her in the back." Everly trembled in my arms. "Emmett told me once that he was worried how you'll do that to me. I assured him that would never happen, but he's too paranoid to listen."

"Damn, I guess I can't blame him. I wish I could've done something, even though I didn't know you yet." I held both her hands in mine. "Cops like your mom's old partner are why we get such a bad rep. They deserve to rot in prison with the rest of the criminals."

"I know you'll still butt heads with Emmett, but he only acts like as ass toward you so such much because he cares about me," Everly said. "The gang's all he's got, you know? Emmett abandoned everything in Chicago to come hide here from enemies he made in an old gang of his."

"I don't know much about what went on in his old gang. Sounds like it was bad. Leaving a gang never goes well. But I'm glad y'all were able to get away and relocated here. Even if this town is shit," I told her.

"Me too."

Before I knew it, I felt her ease away from me. She wrapped the blanket around me in her place.

"I'm going to cook supper for you tonight," she said, grinning. "Looks like it's my turn to take care of you."

It wouldn't be long before hell hit me like a freight train, and I dozed off while she cooked. I dreamed of the days I used to spend on the farm in the winter. I always got cold first and wanted to go back inside, unlike my brothers. Momma would wait in the kitchen with hot chocolate for us. She always gave me extra marshmallows in mine.

If only I could go back to those days...