Thea's POV

I can distinctly hear an annoying beeping sound that is driving me absolutely crazy. If I had enough energy to open my heavy eyelids I'd have loved to glare at someone to turn the stupid thing off...

Wait.

Why the fuck are my eyelids so heavy? And why the fuck can't I feel my arms and legs? My entire body feels heavy and numb. It's fucking pathetic. Unable to think of any reasons why my body feels the way it does I begin to panic and for some stupid reason as I panic that annoying beeping sound gets faster, the sound echos in my ears and vibrates through my body, I almost feel like I'm having a panic attack.

I feel a pair of muscular arms on either side of me, I think they're trying to hold me down, but gently? But I'm not entirely sure why either.

"Thumbelina, sweetheart I need you to calm the fuck down." I hear Carter say softly in a very tired voice.

After hearing his voice my entire buzzing body calms. That stupid sound goes from rapidly beeping back to its slow steady but fucking annoying beeping. Knowing that wherever the fuck I am that Carter's with me sends this wave of calmness over me. Because I know that no matter what happens Carter will keep me safe. I know CarCar will.

With that the thought of Carter on my mind my consciousness falls away.

Carter's POV

I release one big fucking breathe after I realise that Thea's heart rate has come down significantly. It's back to the stupid monotone steady fucking beeping. But steady and monotone is better than the rapid and fast heart beat that machine was picking up seconds ago.  That's the first time in three fucking weeks that there's been a significant change in Thea's heart beat. Other than that time when she fucking flatlined. Fuck. That was the absolute fucking worst thing that happened.

Three. Whole. Fucking. Weeks. Without. My. Thumbelina.

After sending Evans head back to whatever remained of his pathetic gang, I took a step back from the gang. Let Aidan and the guys deal with the aftermath, excluding Sebastian-who hasn't left Hope's side. The fucker even missed the war to stay with her, not that I blame him. I'd never seen him like I did that day he brought her in, frozen, unable to move. Thankfully she's mostly healed by now so he's been helping out and she's learning the ropes. The twins and Lia stayed, something about not leaving until Thea wakes up. Amelia has taken Hope under her wing, since they have something to relate to...abused. That thought alone makes me cringe. But it also makes me see them in a completely different light, they may not be trained soldiers like the rest of us in the gang but they're definitely warriors in their own right. They endured more than the majority of us have had to, they're definitely fucking warriors.

I've spent the last three weeks, either at Thea's side, at the gang house for a quick meal and shower or with Jax and Theo. The kid's going through a rough time. The fact that their parents have been arguing all the time hasn't helped. According to Jax, their dad didn't even tell their mom who was visiting her parents at the time, that Theo had gone missing. Fucker. In fact their poor excuse for a father slapped their mom when she cornered him about it after learning about everything from Jax. And when I say Jax told her everything I mean everything. Although she knew her two eldest were involved with gangs and surprisingly had no issue with it. I think if my mom had been in her shoes she would have lost her shit.

I think I heard Jax say that their mom is working on divorcing their dad and taking custody of Theo. The only issue is she doesn't really have anything to use against him in court. Other than the proof of him slapping her of course, but telling a courtroom and a judge about the kidnapping situation and gang business is a big no no. But Jax has been consoling his mother telling her they'll win. Things have gotten so bad at their house that the three of them also moved into the gang house after the whole slap situation, Jax refused to leave them in the house with his father. Not that their mom wanted to be anywhere near him after that incident. I think that before the slap Thea's name was brought into the conversation and things went to shit, their mom, Cyan gave their dad shit for Thea almost leaving and Theo's kidnap situation and he struck, like a fucking coward who couldn't control his raging temper. Apparently learning that all three of your children have come to resent you makes you an abusive fucker who thinks hitting their wife is okay. I honestly don't know how the fuck Jax didn't beat the shit out of him for hitting their mom.

When I asked him how he could be calm about the situation he told me that whatever proof they needed to get custody of Theo and something to use as a valid reason for divorce, Thea would have it. They just had to wait until she woke up. I didn't even ask how they knew she had such information or proof, I'll wait for my Thumbelina to tell me. But I'm also curious, what on earth could Thea have against her dad that would carry that much weight in a courtroom? And why the fuck does she have it?

I've been at the hospital holding Thea's hand for the last hour and a half. Visiting hours are long over but I refuse to leave her alone at the hospital at night. If I had things my way she'd be in the gang house infirmary, but no, she's here. I had to pay off a couple of people to let me spend the nights, but its worth it, because she's worth it.

• • •

4 hours later

I feel someone tugging my hand, which obviously wakes me up. One of the very few unfortunate perks of being a gang leader, I'm an extremely light sleeper, it comes in handy when someone tries to pull shit over your head. I wake up feeling groggy and slightly out of it, it takes me a solid minute at least before I remember that I'm in the hospital with Thumbelina.

Wait.

Wait. A. Fucking. Minute.

My head rapidly lifts from its place on the hospital bed and I feel my heart beating in my fucking throat. Because my Thea is awake and staring at me. I lift my one hand, the one not entwined with Thumbelina's to my eyes and I quickly rub them in hopes of ridding myself from sleep and in part to make sure that this isn't a fucking dream, that she's actually awake. After rubbing my eyes for a while as Thea watches me she tugs my hand, our hands move from their place beside her on the hospital bed to her lap. Which causes my mouth to fall open, surprise, shock and finally relief washes over me, and Thea watches those emotions flutter one by one across my face. As she watches the emotions make their way over my face she plays with my fingers on her lap, afterwards, after the emotions have washed over me and my face falls in relief and small grin makes its way onto her face. Fuck me. She's smiling at me. Not a sarcastic smile like normally, a genuine grin that slowly turns to a full blown smile before that expression is wiped from her face.

Her forehead creases and panic washes over her, her faced is pulled taunt as if she's terrified for some reason. During my dopamine high after seeing her smile at me like that, my brain doesn't register why her emotions have rapidly changed. But I crash soon after my fucking high, in fact it takes less than second after she croaks out in question,

"Theo?"

Her expression guarded, her eyes hopeful as she pulls my hand in hers from her lap to her chest. My worried expression eases and I give her a small smile, watching her watch me. At the sight of my smile her tense shoulders fall and her worried expression leaves her beautiful face. She looks lighter but I can see the questions forming in her head. Her one hand makes its way to her throat and she finally winces.

"Thea, sweetheart drink some water and I'll tell you everything-"

She cuts me off by shaking her head.

"Thumbelina, you've been out for almost a fucking month." I say, my voice breaking halfway through my sentence.

Her eyes widen in shock, I lean forward and place a kiss on her forehead, before whispering, "Thea, please drink some water, I know your throat is killing you, please for me." my voice croaks.

As I move away from her back into my seat beside her hospital bed, I see her resolve shattering. Eventually she nods at me, which causes a small smile to break out onto my face. I bring our hands towards my mouth and place a delicate kiss on them, silently thanking her for listening to me. I gently place her hand on her lap as I get up and fetch a glass of water for her from the jug on the overbed table. Quickly making my way back towards her, I sit, bring my chair even closer to her hospital bed than before, then I place the glass at her lips, silently commanding her to drink. One hand holding the glass to her mouth, while the other clutches the side rail of the bed. Instead of listening to me she grabs my hand on the side rail and intertwines our fingers together, which I won't fucking lie brings a smile onto my face, then she begins to sip on the water. Our hands once again have found a place on her lap. Once she has finished the glass of water she looks at me expectantly.

"What happened? Is Theo okay?" she rushes out in a single breathe.

"Shhh, sweetheart, calm down. Theo is okay, he's been waiting for you to wake up, little bugger wouldn't leave your side," I tell her smiling softly at her.

Clearly not satisfied with that little information, she tugs my hand for more information.

So I continue, "Jax, your mom and Theo have been living at the gang house with me, so I've kept an eye on all of them, when the kid wasn't at your side he was attached to your mom or Jax's hip. The only other person he let near him was me, if none of us were in a room he'd immediately leave in search for one of us. The kidnapping has clearly caused some trauma, but your mom wanted to deal with it after the cluster fuck with your dad-who she's divorcing. She also wanted your intake on the Theo matter fist." I tell her, watching each and every emotion she expresses.

The remaining emotion is shock.

"Mom's going to divorce him?" she asks with wide eyes.

"Yes." I then explain what happened after Theo was brought home. By the time I am done my Thumbelina is fucking seething.

"Sweetheart, Jax said you had enough information to use against him in court, information that would warrant a divorce and allow your mom to take custody. " I say slowly, "what could you possibly have that would carry so much weight?" I ask.

"Proof of his affair."

That small sentence causes me to choke on my spit.

"What?"

She simply nods, but before we can continue our conversation the doctor walks in.

• • •

After the doctors check up, telling her why she's in the hospital and went has happened over the course of the last three weeks. I filled in a couple of gaps in the information since we obviously didn't tell the doctor everything about the situation that got her fucking shot. Then not long after that her mom, Jax and Theo arrived and snagged all of her attention. Which I hate to fucking admit did make me feel like sulking. I was happy when they finally left, glad that they came and that Thea got to see Theo was fine with her own eyes. I finally got to take my seat at her side, which had been previously occupied by her mom. Without hesitating, I grab her hand, I know that by now I shouldn't be so surprised but she squeezes my hand in response, making my look up from our hands to her face. She tugs my hand with force I didn't know she was capable of in her state. She keeps doing so until I've moved closer to her and our noses are basically touching. I can't fucking help myself but get lost in her eyes.

I see her eyes shift for mine to my lips, before the flutter back up at me. She bites her lip slightly as we make eye contact again. Which causes me to sigh, I gently take my other hand, the one not joined to her and place the palm of my hand on the side of her face, before I use my fingers to tenderly pull her lip from her teeth.

"Thumbelina, no bitting your lips. You'll either hurt or tear them and I'm not having you in any kind of pain so soon after you just fucking woke up."

Instead of answering me she rubs our noses together, taking me by absolute fucking surprise. My surprise clearly amuses her because it automatically brought a small smile to her face. Seeing her smile at me, giving me genuine smiles makes me unbelievably happy. But knowing I'm the reason behind her smile makes my fucking heart beat at a thousand miles an hour, a reaction only my Thea has ever managed to bring about. I watch her as she begins to lean forward, bringing our faces even closer together. Then she takes me by fucking surprise for the I don't know my many times today and delicately places her lips on mine. I think I surprised her for once, when I responded immediately, my eyes shutting as she gasped. Giving me the perfect opportunity to plunged my tongue into her mouth, but I don't. I wanted to see where she would take this. Moments later I felt her tongue on my lips, and I'd have been a fucking idiot not to have let her in. My hand once again found it's way to her face, tilting her chin slightly, before resting the palm of my hand on her face, whereas her one hand found it's way to the nape of my neck and she tangled her fingers in my hair, pulling at them slightly which caused me to groan. The sound must have edged her on because she started thrusting her tongue against mine, which inevitably caused me to lose control and groan again. Finally deciding it was time I took over now. Instead of simply thrusting my tongue against hers I wanted to consume her, brand her as what she's always been mine, make it impossible for her to find anyone else so I did. I was clearly doing something right because she let out a breathless moan. I slowed my pace, and started moving away knowing we'd both need to breathe at one point, making her protest slightly, but before I pulled away completely I took a nip at her bottom lip, pulling it up with my as I leaned away from her face slightly. As I let go of her lip and watched her place her forehead against mine I muttered one word,

"Mine."

•••
Okay so,

I admit it took slightly longer than expected for me to update... it wasn't on purpose I promise. I started writing this chapter right after my last post, but then life got hella busy. So I do apologise.

But, guysssss this is the last chapter! Next is the epilogue!