I Don't Know If This Is Even Real

"I know. I know." He spoke as he used his hand to stroke my hair as he held me tightly. "I'm here though."

I looked up at him. My cheeks were wet as a few tears had escaped. I was holding back though as I was already sick of crying. My eyes and my head hurt from last night and I didn't want it to get any worse.

He placed a kiss on my forehead and proceeded to look around the hospital room. "What happened to me?" he asked.

"You were shot in the study." I answered. "There were four bullet wounds in total. Two on your right shoulder and two on your lower back. You lost a lot of blood and went into shock."

Damon was quiet as he took in the information I shared with him. "The last thing I remember is going through emails. I got up to go to the kitchen to start figuring out what to make for you and then I fell to the ground."

"I feel awful. You were laying there for hours because I worked late." I responded in a low tone. My guilt had been eating at me this whole time. He got as bad as he did because I worked later when I didn't have to.

"Hey." He looked at me with a stern expression. "Don't blame yourself for something you can't control. You didn't know."

"Okay." I nodded. It was easier said than done.

"I assume the cops have been in and out of our house then?" He seemed annoyed at the thought of strangers in and out of his home.

"Yes. Your father pulled some strings to get the best detectives working on this." I responded.

"Speaking of my father I assume he's been here as well." Damon stated.

"Yes. I called him as soon as I got here. I hope that was the right thing to do. I asked him and he said that you left his home on good terms." I bit my lips nervously. Martin may have felt like things had improved but I didn't know how Damon was feeling about it.

"Yes. We did." He responded.

"Good. Because there was no way I could've handled all this all by myself. He's helped keep me company through this." I looked into Damon's eyes. "I really thought I might lose you and I wasn't ready for that. What would I have done without you?"

"You would have been fine." Damon answered. "When I did the adoption stuff for Sterling I set up a will. You would've kept the mansion and all my money would have gone to you. Some in an account for the kids but you would've been fine."

"Money can't replace a loved one though. I didn't care about getting things if you died." I spoke with a serious tone. The money meant nothing to me. "I didn't know what I would do if I lost you. I need you with me. A year wouldn't have been long enough."

"It's going to take a lot more than a few bullets to take me down. I'm not going anywhere anytime soon." He reassured me.

"Good." I continued laying my head on his chest. His heart beat was back to it's normal rate. The last time I listened to it it sounded weak.

"Also, I would like to point out after all the shit I've done it is bold of you to think I would be going to heaven Love." he smirked to lighten the mood.

"You heard me?" I raised a brow.

He used his thumb to stroke my cheek. "I heard that part. The rest of it was like I was stuck in this bad dream."

"Bad dream how?" I was curious to see what it was like for him.

"I had a dream that we were sitting outside, and then I went inside the house and it's like your presence had never entered my home. It was like it was stuck in a loop and I couldn't get out of it." I could see his eyes flash with worry. "I don't know if this is even real to be honest."

I moved my head from his chest and brought my lips onto his. He still held me tightly against him as we moved in sync with one another. It had only been days but it had felt like forever since we kissed each other. We could feel each other's need for one another. I pulled away but left my lips inches from his.

"It's real." I reassured him.

A seductive smirk crossed his lips. "I'm still not sure. Maybe you can show me another way to prove I'm not in a dream."

"Damon Tipton." I spoke with a stern tone. "We are in a hospital!"

"So?" he moved his hand onto my thigh and gripped it firmly.

I rolled my eyes. "Glad you're feeling better. I'm going to go get the doctor now."

He let out a small chuckle as he released his grasp on my thigh. "Okay."

I opened the door of the hospital room and stepped out. I walked up to the nurses station and informed them that Damon had woken up. She paged for the doctor and said that he would be in shortly. I returned to the room and Damon was already looking bored.

"So do they know who did it?" he asked as he noticed I came back in.

"Not yet. They footage they got from the camera though they have figured that it's man. They also based it off the footprints that were left." I explained. "I personally thought at first it was Meredith or Justin as they were the ones who you've pissed off recently."

"That you know of." He responded.

I looked at him with a puzzled expression. "What do you mean that I know of?"

"I'm in the business world. People get desperate to do deals and I refuse, then they get pissed." He answered. "I have made a few enemies here and there because in their eyes I'm impossible to please and it becomes my fault when their business fails."

"So it could be a number of people then?" I felt an uneasiness in my stomach. When I thought it was down to two suspects I felt a lot better about the situation.

"Could be." He nodded. "I'm going to have to up the security of the house for a little while. At least until we have this all figured out."

"I was sure that it was Justin, but when I confronted him about it he swore it wasn't him." I sighed.

"You confronted him?" Damon didn't look pleased I had spoken with Justin. "Were you alone or were you at least with my father?"

"I was alone." I answered honestly. "I saw him in the hall here at the hospital so it was still a public place."

Damon nodded. "He's right, it couldn't have been him."

"How do you know?" It seemed he knew something I didn't.

"Call my father." he instructed. "It's clear we have some family business to go over."