I heard Maddox outside the door telling Zev to let me out. Creed had heard me yelling and it had woken him up out of normal sleep and now he was actively trying to get out of the bed to find me.

When the door opened Maddox was gone again. Zev immediately noticed I was bleeding again. But I wouldn't let him look at it, instead, I walked right by him. I needed to keep Creed in that bed. I fucked up again.

Jackson was holding the door open. Down the hall, I could hear Creed and Maddox arguing about me.

"Thank fuck you're here. Maddox had to have Cade and your uncle hold Creed down so they could mellow his ass out with some meds, but he won't settle down."

I walked the fastest my legs would take me. I saw Maddox's look of relief until he saw I was actively bleeding. Maddox shook his head, I understood he was telling me to back off because Creed would flip out if he saw the blood. But my brain decided to tuck that info away neatly in the who gives a fuck file. I pretty much shoved Maddox out of my way to see Creed. I heard Maddox sigh.

"I want Alexi! Now."

Pulling open the curtain he stopped fighting them the moment he saw me. His eyes locked onto the blood staining his grey shirt.

"Alexi, You are bleeding."

I nodded, Unsure if I could trust my voice not to sound horrible after all the screaming I had done.

"Speak to me."

"Alright."

My voice sounded fucking awful. I hated the way it sounded. If you could imagine, After screaming for an hour it was rough. Creed looked concerned.

"How are you feeling?"

"Better than your voice sounds."

I smiled slightly.

"I did some yelling."

"I know. I heard you."

I hung my head. I needed to find the words to tell him how sorry I was that he got shot because of me.

"How long have I been in this bed and when the fuck can I get out of it. My ass is so sore."

Maddox spoke then. Finally entering the room.

"The Dr. says once he has a look to make sure your healing good, you can be out of that bed as soon as tomorrow night."

Creed was looking at Maddox intensely.

"Hey, boss, Who hit you?"

Both Maddox and Jackson looked at me. Creed wasn't stupid. He quickly put two and two together.

"Alexi, What the hell? The boss?"

I let out a deep breath. I needed a way to word this that didn't sound like I was watching over him the entire time because he wouldn't be pleased about it, He would be less pleased to find out I had been neglecting my health.

"Alexi didn't like the rules I put around your care. More so the fact I locked him out of the medic wing so he would go home and look after himself after spending every night here. "

Maddox had outed me.

"It wasn't like that!"

"You are right, It was worse than that."

"Maddox don't-----"

Creed spoke.

"Maddox, you allowed him the stay here every damn night?"

"No. We, as in me and Zev chased him away, he came back. Finally last night we decided to change the lock settings and lock him out."

"That's why I hit him," I said sharply.

"Alexi."

Choosing to not look at Creed when he spoke to me made me feel a little bad, but I didn't want him to see how guilty I was.

"Guys, Can Alexi and I have some privacy to talk."

Everyone left the room. I also for some reason wanted to follow after them all. Creed was going to rip into me I just fucking knew it. He was anal over my health. After all, he was the reason I even had sleeping pills to help me sleep, and why I even took them. Not to mention before he was cooking and looking after me.

"Alexi, I'm fucking annoyed with you."

I looked right at him. The urge to snap right back, on the tip of my tongue. But I forced myself to remain calm.

"It took us forever to get you on a proper sleeping schedule and I can see your fucking dark circles from here so I know Maddox isn't lying about you neglecting your health again."

"I wasn't neglecting everything, Emerson was looking after me. He was feeding me lunch and--------"

"Emerson is a parent and has his child to be looking after, you are a grown-ass man Alexi. Start fucking acting like it."

I was mildly shocked he was yelling at me. Not raising his voice, full-on yelling. I stood there unsure of how to respond to his yelling.

"Don't just fucking stand there. Go get that wound looked at and go do your fucking job, Alexi."

Creed had never spoken to me like that and I didn't like that he was.

"Don't speak to me like that," I said softly.

"Go the fuck away Alexi. You have a fucking job. Go do it."

I had enough.

"Fuck you and your stupid feelings Creed, Fuck it all. Fuck me, man! I fucking sat here full of fucking guilt because you got shot because of me but fuck that. Fuck this!"

I left his bedside and the entire fucking medic wing. He pissed me off. I made my way to my office and slammed the fucking door. Which of course because of my new great luck made the entire bookcase fall over.

"Just fucking shoot me!"

Looking up I watched as my office door opened and Maddox filled the doorway. I wanted to tell him to go the hell away but in his hands was a first aid kit.

"Someone already did shoot you. I bring a peace offering."

"I'll accept it."

Taking off Creed's shirt, just from looking at the wound I could see the few stitches that had been torn out.

"I can see if Zev or Caleb can stitch that again."

"Nah, just do it. After all, it's karma. I punched you so."

Maddox took off his leather belt and handed it to me. The number of times I've had to bite on someone's leather belt in my entire adult life made me pretty grateful I could afford dental work if I broke any of my teeth.

Maddox took off his jacket and rolled up his sleeves before he found everything he needed. I bit into the thousand-dollar belt and waited for the horrible pain. Which didn't seem all that bad until he hit the tender spot.

"Just hold on Alexi, I don't have much more to go."

I just grunted at him. He seemed to understand that I was ok,

"Drinks are on me after this."