Worm into You

CHAPTER II

KYLE

Why the heck does it feel like he had been hit by a tow truck?

He opened his eyes slowly. The first thing he saw was white ceilings. Good. It seems they made it to the hospital.

He tried to move but his arms felt like lead. His tongue was glued to his mouth and he could barely move his upper body. Being shot was not something new to him but he didn't expect to be ambushed when he was on his way to visit some friends. He just wanted a few moments with them. Something normal for a change.

But he knew normal would never be the same.

"Oh good. You're awake." A voice muttered from the door.

His eyes snapped to the woman who came in. She was dressed in light blue cartoon printed scrubs, her dirty blond hair tied in a ponytail. She dragged a trolley with a pitcher of water and a clipboard with a pen and a few papers attached to it. She made her way beside the bed and adjusted the drips, her hands efficient. Kyle noted that she did not even look in his direction, she was content with doing her job, which was something rare for him. He was so used to women taking snippets of him and flashing him with their bodies that he longed to see his only female friend. With her he didn't have to act like an asshole. But it had been years since he had last seen her, the memories of how he had to let her go still vivid in his staid and corrupt mind. How he wished that things were different then.

"How are you feeling?" The woman asked while holding on to her clipboard.

Kyle gulped. "I feel like shit." He growled. He moved to sit up but the woman held up her hand. When she was sure Kyle would not move, she bent and pressed the button beside the bed to move it upward. Soon Kyle was half sitting.

"Better?" she asked before stepping cautiously from the bed. Kyle narrowed his eyes. He knew scared when he saw one. What the hell happened?

"Where is Gabriel?" He growled almost angrily. The woman's eyes widened before turning to face the door.

"Here, boss." The man answered before coming forward, his g*n in full view. Kyle heaved a heavy sigh. He didn't want publicity, let alone be the focus of paparazzi. He glared at the man.

"Explain to me what happened and why is your g*n in plain sight?" Kyle muttered tartly.

"I, oh, sorry boss." The man grinned sheepishly before tucking the g*n out of sight. The woman sighed in relief before inching towards the door. Gabriel stopped the woman from leaving with a hand on her shoulder. Immediately, she backed away defensively, holding her clipboard like a shield. He definitely needed to talk to his men about using "excessive force".

"Please call the doctor. We need him checked before we leave. Don't worry, we won't do anything."

"O-okay. Please wait a moment." The woman replied before scampering out of the room. Kyle turned his glare at Gabriel, who shrugged his shoulders.

"What did you do?" He asked his bodyguard and cousin. Gabriel pulled a chair near the table and settled it near Kyle's bed.

"You were bleeding badly. What did you want me to do?" He countered. "Mercy General was miles from here. This clinic was actually a Godsend if you ask me."

"But did you have to flash your guns here? There are innocent people here. I'd rather not involve them with our bullshit." Kyle muttered back, exasperated. He just wanted to be normal for a day. Was that too much to ask?

"Sorry, boss. We were kind of worrying you might die on us, you know." Gabriel replied apologetically.

"And you could have died, you know. What were you thinking, getting yourself shot and stabbed like that?" A new feminine voice came, this one lighter and less cheerful than the first one, but Kyle's eyes widened in recognition. He might have not seen or heard from her for years, but he knew her voice by heart. He shifted his gaze towards the door, his mouth gaping at the young woman standing there.

She still looked like an angel.

He remembered the first time that he laid eyes on her. She had just turned twelve and her sister, Rebecca, gave her a lavish birthday party, inviting most of her college friends, since she said that her sister did not have any friends of her own and since his friend, Bryce had a cousin, who was Rebecca's college friend, he practically bullied Bryce to go to that "children's" party. So, the three had to go. One for all and all for one or something.

That had been the night that truly changed his life. He was still debating if it was for the better or if it had been made worse.

At that time, he was annoyed at his father. He was only fifteen at that time, but it seemed like the world was going to demand everything from him. He just wanted a night with his friends. He knew that there would be no trouble during a birthday party, a child's party at that. His father had given him ten bodyguards at that time. He worried that his son might be targeted, being a rich kid and all. Even though Kyle was only fifteen, he was groomed to be a boss. It was expected that he would be a leader. In fact, it was mandatory that he knew how to hold himself. By the time he had reached that age, he was already a walking weapon, trained in different forms of martial arts and in handling different weapons. Only his true friends, Bryce and Malcolm, embraced him as one of them, since they were in the same boat as he was. There was never an outclause about being the oldest son of three powerful families. He trusted them with his life.

And then, there was her.

The one that got away.

She was the only bright sunshine that the three friends managed to bask in, one who was truly pure and innocent of the evils of the world. When he first met her, her dark blue eyes were looking at him with innocence. She was shorter than him, so the way that she looked up at him made him think that it was mandatory to keep her protected. To keep her innocence as untainted as it was.

Bryce and Malcolm were equally smitten. Rebecca Nievens was a well-known beauty during her college days and she still was. He had heard that she would be the soon-to-be bride of Colin Latimer, the cousin of Bryce. But even though she was young, the boys knew that Natalie Nievens would be even more beautiful than her sister.

Looking at her now, Kyle could not help but stare.

Gone was the baby fat that defined the cuteness of her round face. In their stead were well-defined cheekbones, pursed bow lips, button nose and long-lashed dark blue eyes. Her long black hair was pinned in a coiffeur, a few strands falling down her forehead. She was dressed in a doctor's coat, her dress hidden in its folds, but her figure flowed out beautifully like a woman should. Even in high heels, she looked dainty.

She approached the bed, her hawk-like eyes focused on Gabe's hands, wondering where the g*n was. Kyle grimaced. This is one heck of a reunion.

Once she was near the bed, she eyed Kyle like he was under a microscope. He squirmed, feeling like a little boy all of a sudden. He remembered all the times that she had scolded him on their antics, never knowing that they were doing it just to get her riled up. To get her to notice them. Even when they were kids, she never looked at them differently. She treated them like they were her extended family. Before, they were inseparable.

Now, it is debatable on what would be the right term to call them.

Natalie looked at the chart left by Hazel. He wished that her eyes would keep on looking at him.

After a moment, she looked back at Kyle, her expression grim. He hoped it wasn't that serious, but he also hoped that he would have to stay there for a few days.

"Your vitals are well. You seem to be healing pretty nicely. There's no need for you to be confined here. I can have you discharged immediately if you feel up to it."

"Yes!" "No!"

Natalie looked at Gabe, who looked back at Kyle with an incredulous expression. He had assumed that his cousin would want to leave the clinic as staying there was not an option.

Kyle grimaced. He had seemed too eager and now his cousin raised his eyebrow in concern. He knows that they can't stay here. It wouldn't be safe for Natalie, especially if those men came after them. But then he couldn't leave Natalie alone to deal with those men. She might get killed. He needed his brothers now. They needed to know that he had finally found her.

"Which is it then? Do you want to be discharged?" Natalie asked carefully. He didn't care that she was showing signs of fear. She knew that there was nothing to fear from him, but he guessed pointing guns would quickly change one's mindset.

"We need to stay here to make sure that you are safe. Those men who are after us might come here and they might do something to you and your patients. It is best if we stay here." Kyle explained.

Natalie sighed.

"Won't it be better if you left? I mean, if they are following you, then they will move with you and that will take them away from this clinic." Natalie pointed out with a wave of her hand. Kyle tried not to get hurt by her obvious dismissal. He understood that she was only taking care of her patients and it would really be helpful if his crew managed to pull those men far from there, but he couldn't afford to lose sight of her. He had only just found her and it would be another troublesome time for them if he let her get away. Kyle inwardly grimaced. He never needed to be territorial about people, but he considered some within his circle as more than family. Her being one of them.

"I know that, but you've got to trust me on this. It would be better if we stayed here. I'm going to call in the others."

Natalie's eyes widened. Kyle knew that she understood what that meant. If he wasn't literally incapacitated, he would have tackled her. He knew what was going through her head.

"Don't." He growled out, Gabe looking back at him in surprise. Natalie pursed her lips.

"You don't get to order me around, Kyle. Never have, never will." Her tone sounded bitter for a moment. She looked away from his searching gaze.

"I'm sorry, Nat. Truly."

"Never mind. Make sure that you go with them when they come to pick you up." Natalie replied dryly. She turned to Gabriel and pulled one of the papers from the clipboard. "Here are the discharge papers and the medicine he would need for aftercare. Make sure he gets enough bed rest for the next few days." With that she turned away from them.

"Nat!" Kyle called out, but she kept on walking out the door. She closed the door behind her.

"Dude, what gives? Who's the broad?" Gabe asked, his face full of confusion. He became alarmed when Kyle tried to stand.

"Help me up. We have to stop her from leaving." Kyle ordered, his face wincing as he tried to stand.

"Dude, chill. She's not going anywhere. She lives in the upstairs apartment." Gabe pushed his cousin back onto the bed. The man could easily open up his wounds if he was not careful.

Kyle visibly relaxed although the panicked feeling did not subside in the least.

"Give me your phone. I need to let them know."

Gabe held out his phone, his eyes concerned and a little bit curious. Apparently, the doctor lady seemed to be someone his boss knew. This was the first time that Kyle was totally out of sorts. It made him wonder if this woman was the same girl his cousin kept on harping about when they were young.

Kyle waited impatiently for his blood brothers to pick up his call. He was not going to let her get away that easily.