My Shades of Gray

Shade 54 ~ Tension

The events of the previous night kept running through my mind like an incessant loop. I couldn't shake off the thought that there was more to Watson's decision. It made no sense to me that Watson would be so foolish as to lose such a valuable asset over a single missed fight. There had to be some underlying reason that we were missing.

As I sat on the bed, lost in thought, I glanced at Hunter, who was sleeping soundly beside me. He had taken quite a beating in last night's fight.

After bringing Hunter to Dunwoody, he refused to go to the hospital no matter how much we forced him, saying he had been in worse shape before and that he could recover on his own. Despite our protests, we had to bring him back home and call in a doctor that Caroline knew.

The doctor arrived in the middle of the night and stitched up Hunter's wounds. He advised him to go to the hospital, but Hunter was adamant about staying at home. The doctor gave him some painkillers and injected him with some medicine to help him sleep.

Even with the severity of his injuries, Hunter was lucky enough to have avoided any broken bones. The doctor treated his minor fractures with splinting and buddy tape. He also informed that it would take at least a month or two for Hunter to recover, depending on how his body responded to the medication.

I guess I made the decision at the right time or else who knows what would've happened to him.

After the doctor left, everyone else went back to sleep. I stayed in Hunter's room, unable to tear my eyes away from him.

I brushed his hair locks away from his forehead, which was wrapped in a bandage, and gently caressed his bruised cheek with the back of my fingers. I used to wonder what would happen if Hunter ever lost a fight and last night was the nearest it could get. The sight of him in so much pain tore me apart. I never wanted to see him in such a state again.

There has to be a way to break him free from Watson's hold.

As I lay next to him, my hand suddenly froze when he shifted in his sleep. I watched as his face contorted in agony and he let out a grunt. Without hesitation, I ran my fingers through his hair and started massaging his scalp. Almost immediately, I saw the pain on his face subside and his features relax. My heart filled with warmth as I brushed my lips over his forehead and placed a gentle kiss.

I wanted to talk to him about everything that had happened in the past week, but I waited for him to wake on his own. He rarely sleeps, and it was because of the medication, but he needed his sleep.

When I heard some murmurs coming from the kitchen, I decided to get up from the bed without waking him up. I tip-toed out of Hunter's room and overheard Rachel talking with the others.

"What's going to happen now?" I sat on a stool between Rachel and Colton on the island to find out what was going on.

"After what we did, Watson is going to hunt us down," Rio mumbled as he sat with his girlfriend in the living room.

Scarlett wrapped herself around Rio and replied. "It's a good thing he doesn't know our location."

"Watson doesn't know where Hunter lives?" I asked curiously.

"He thinks we still live in Marietta," Colton replied.

"He doesn't keep tabs on Hunter?" I tilted my head in confusion.

"Hunter has been doing everything he says, so he doesn't feel the need," Caroline answered as she flipped the pancake. "We made sure to keep this location hidden in case..."

"This happens." Rachel completed her sentence, and we fell into silence.

"If Watson wants Hunter dead, then it won't take long for him to find us." Rio pointed out.