Agent Rogue: Renegade

Chapter 21

Faint beeping. One. Two. Three. Four. On and on it went as I fought to see something; anything to tell me I was still alive. I took a heavy breath that scratched my throat and opened my eyes to find only darkness.

The lights had not been turned on in the hospital room but I could still see Scotty beside me. He was sitting by the bed, arms folded on the mattress and pink face buried in the sheets. From what I could see, he had a bruising mark on his forehead and cuts on his hands as if from broken glass. The pain he felt was all me. All Marcus.

I cleared my throat and croaked, "Scotty."

He lifted his head, eyes tired and rimmed with red. "Amber." He quickly pushed himself up and sighed, contemplative frown breaking into a smile. "You nearly gave me a heart attack."

The corners of my lips twitched but did not reach a full smile. To see him alive and unharmed was... a relief, but I could nothing could bring me joy just yet. I propped myself up on my elbows and looked down at the canula in my vein. I reached for it but Scotty took my hand.

"Ah, ah. You're exhausted, Ambi. The doctor said you need to keep that in for a little while longer to get your strength back." 

With a sigh, I left it alone, still staring at it as though it would bite.

Scotty grabbed his seat from underneath and pulled the chair in closer to the bed. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the mattress and watched over me intently, chewing on the inside of his cheek. "How are you feeling?"

I touched my bruising cheek. Compared to others, I was lucky. "I'll live. But what about--?"

"He's alive."

I sighed, my exhale shaky and tear-ridden. 

"But..."

My eyes focussed in on him. But?

"He's not awake yet."

I cursed. "Do they know when he'll be awake?"

"Derek lost a lot of blood. The surgeons tried to stitch him up in time, then he needed a transfusion. They warned me that he might not wake up for a while."

He was a mess when I found him; multiple wounds to his leg with bruises and scrapes covering his body. I had hoped my own mind was emphasising the extent of his wounds but if he was still unconscious... this was serious. 

I rubbed my eyes, brushing tears away. "Can I see him?"

He looked down at the canula. "When the doctor lets you take that out. Collins is fine and sitting with him now. He said he'll be over if there's any news."

"Remind me to thank him," I replied.

Scotty nodded. His eyes scanned the room from the clock, to the door and then back to me. "What happened out there?"

I swallowed and shook my head as events revolved around my brain again and again. "I'm an idiot, Scotty. I thought that we were the ones to go after Marcus, not the other way around." He waited for me to elaborate. "He separated us all. Sienna's arrest was planned to cut me from the agency, Marcus hired Kane to put Derek on edge and Rose killed his family to push him over it. Now, we have Marcus, Kane, Doctor Arnold, Sienna, Veronica, Rose and some random gun for hire to deal with."