AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Stable.
I didn’t know what that meant as far as her condition. I didn’t know she had a condition at all, so it was good that she was okay.
Stable.
I pocketed my hands, waiting.
The doctor started using all kinds of words, but things were simplified when she used words like immune system and others.
“Aspen has an autoimmune disease,” she explained, but her expression didn’t appear grave. “She’s had it since she was a teen. It’s something she takes medication for, but she tells me she got behind on it. It affects her joints and makes it hard for her to move sometimes. It’s also very painful if she gets behind on her medication, as her body essentially attacks itself. She had what’s called a flare, but we have her on a lot of pain medication. She’s already turning around and asking for you.”
She’d said a lot, but what kept the alarm from rising was the last bit.
She’s asking for you.
I nodded, and after I gave a quick update to my friends, I followed the doctor back into the ER. They hadn’t kept Aspen far away, and she was in a hospital bed wearing a hospital gown. She was hooked up to an IV, and the minute she saw me, her shoulders visibly relaxed and her expression brightened.
And why did that shit hit me in the chest?
It was like a full-on hit during a football game, the wind knocked out of me, but only in the best way. I left Dr. Kearns’s side and went to Snowflake’s. “Hey, you.”
“Hey.” Her hand lifted from the bed, like she wanted mine, and I didn’t resist.
I even laced them.
I didn’t know what this thing going on between us was, but the way my big-ass hand ate hers up sent me through clouds of open air. I was turning into a little bitch because of this girl.
Aspen started to rise up, but when she cringed a little, I helped her.
“Don’t get ahead of yourself, snow,” I said, touching her delicately and adjusting her pillow behind her.
She cringed again. “God, I’m so fucking embarrassed. I’m normally so good about my medications.” Her lips turned down. “I’m sure I freaked you out, and I’m sorry.”
She had freaked me out, but she appeared to be doing much better now. I mean, she could move, so there was that. “It’s okay, and you don’t have to be embarrassed.”
“It’s not, and I am.” She huffed. “It’s something I’ve dealt with a long time, so I should know better.” She chewed her lip. “Anyway, once I realized what was happening, I got in the bath. Usually, the warm water helps.”
That made sense. My grandmother had a form of arthritis, and that was what the doctor said Aspen had. Gram always used heat for hers.
“I fucked up.” Aspen studied our hands, and even though I helped her adjust, I hadn’t let go. “Thank God my mom’s not here. She would have gone straight momanager and swiftly lost it on me for being absentminded, careless.” She shook her head. “She’s really protective.”
It sounded like it, considering what she’d told me before. They were all each other had, so I got it.
Aspen faced-palmed herself. “I’m so sorry?—”
“Hey, don’t be.” I wouldn’t let her cover her face, holding her other hand. I guided her locs away from her cheek. “And you’re handling it. Your mom doesn’t need to worry.”
“Yeah, I’m really handling it, seeing as how I ended up in the hospital.”
“Your thoughts were probably on other things,” I said, my hand loose in hers now, but I didn’t allow myself to let go. I glanced up. “And I’m sure I didn’t help.”
I’d caused her all kinds of stress and shit since she’d been here at Pembroke.
This probably was your fault.
The thought this might actually all be because of me caused my hand to leave hers, but she reached and tugged at my jacket. A smile replaced her previous frown, and the way that shit lit up her dark eyes sent me to those clouds again. It made me feel warm and light, and I was a big motherfucker.
“You know, I actually think it was your fault,” she said, and when I started to move away, her fingers gripped my sleeve weakly. She clearly wanted me to stay, but might not have the strength to pull me back.
