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8
Jessa
My body feelsas if it’s been raked over hot coals and then ran over by a train. My chest feels tight, every breath that enters my lungs burns. I lift my hands to feel if something heavy is laying on my chest, but my arm is stuck. It takes me forever, to peel my eyes open, but when I finally do, I realize my arm is attached to an IV, tape holding the needle in place.
“Welcome to the land of the living,” a gruff voice greets me. I scan the room, my eyes feeling like someone poured salt into them.
The room is bright and smells of bleach, and antiseptic. It’s mostly quiet besides the low buzzing and beeping of the machines I’m hooked up to.
Slowly my eyes make it to the owner of the voice, and I find Declan lounging uncomfortably in a chair in the corner of the room. I blink a few times to make sure this is all real, before I actually open my mouth to talk. Is it possible this is a dream?
“You brought me to an actual hospital?” My voice sounds rough like I’ve swallowed gravel, my throat feeling similar.
“You can thank Trey for that,” he responds quickly, and the small jab makes my chest hurt for a different reason than the illness coursing through my veins. “I would have let you die,” he adds, his eyes cold, and I don’t know why I’m so hurt by his rejection.
“I don’t believe that.” I try and keep my voice strong.
“Believe what you want. When the doctor comes in for his morning rounds you will tell him that you are better and want to go home now. Even if he wants to keep you longer, you will insist on going, understood?”
“What if I don’t?” I question, wanting to push his buttons the way he pushes mine.
He answers without having to think about it, almost if he has already made a plan. “Then I’ll slit his throat and drag you out of here anyway. Don’t be fucking stupid and do what you’re told. I’m sure you don’t want an innocent man’s blood on your hands.”
I swallow, even though it’s hard to. Declan is all hard edges and anger right now and I still don’t understand why. I want to believe that he wouldn’t actually kill someone just to get me out of here, but I’m not willing to risk someone’s life on it, so instead of pushing him further I just nod my head in agreement.
Rising from his chair, he walks over to me, pushing a button on the side of the bed to raise the back, moving me into a sitting position.
“You need to eat something,” he tells me, pushing the side table with a tray of food over to my bed. My stomach growls as soon as he opens the plate cover and the sweet smell of pancakes tickles my nose. Looking as if he’s solved all the world’s problems he walks across the room and takes his seat once again.
I eat in complete silence, each bite landing in my belly with a heavy thud. It feels like I haven’t eaten in weeks, and even though I know I should slow down, I can’t. I’m too hungry. As I’m shoving the last bite of pancake into my mouth, a soft knock sounds against the door. For a brief second, I feel Declan’s dark gaze on me. There’s a warning that burns through my body, one that tells me if I do anything stupid, he won’t hesitate to hurt someone. The door swings open before I can tell him I won’t do anything and a middle-aged woman in scrubs walks in.
“Good morning.” She gives me a friendly smile. “I’m Brenda, I’ll be your nurse for the day. Susie’s shift just ended, but she filled me in before she left.” I smile back at her, wondering what exactly she got filled in on, but I don’t dare say anything. I have no idea what Declan told the nurses, or doctors or even where Trey and Wes are. I can only assume they’re close by, since I know there is no way they would leave their brother to deal with me by himself.
“I’m glad to see you’re eating. How are you feeling this morning? Susie said your fever finally broke, so the antibiotics are definitely doing their job,” she continues. Out of the corner of my eye, I watch Declan shift in his chair. He looks uncomfortable, worry stricken. Brenda looks over at him and suddenly her face falls, her smile vanishing, something close to recognition flickers in her gaze and I wonder how she could possibly recognize him. Unless of course they’ve met before?
“Oh, sorry, I didn’t see you there.” The words escape her lips quickly. “You must be the boyfriend who brought her in.”
“Yes, and she is feeling great this morning, to answer your question. Aren’t you, babe?” He looks over at me, and even though he is smiling, all of his perfectly straight white teeth showing, his eyes are telling me that I better agree with him, or else.
“Yes, I’m great. I really just want to go back home, you know there isn’t anything like your own bed.” I tell her, forcing a bubble of laughter out.
“Okay…the doctor will be in shortly,” she tells us before checking my vitals and unhooking me from the IV machine. “Do you need help going to the bathroom? The last thing we want is for you to slip and fall.”
“I’ll take her,” Declan interrupts before I can get the first syllable out. “She can’t pee in front of strangers.”
A nervous laugh escapes from her throat and I can’t help but wonder if this is everyone’s reaction to him. Peeking up at him I take in his rugged features once more. Dark eyes, a strong chin, and cheekbones that would make a model jealous. He looks like he was carved from stone. And I haven’t even gotten started on his body. He is so big he makes the chair he is sitting in look breakable. He’s the biggest of the brothers, and though he terrifies me, in more than one way, I feel incredibly safe with him. It’s a conundrum that I still haven’t figured out yet.
Nurse Brenda exits the room with a smile and Declan gets up from the chair and walks over to the bed. “Come on, go use the bathroom and get dressed so we can leave as soon as the doctor comes in.”
As I stand my legs are shaky, and a wave of dizziness slams into me. I grasp onto the railing of the bed and am surprised when I feel Declan’s warm hand gripping my elbow tenderly. Who knew a man like this was capable of such a soft grasp?
“Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me yet, Princess. We haven’t made it out of here yet. If I have to, I’ll use you as a human shield to save myself and my brothers.” I bite the inside of my cheek to stop myself from responding to him. He’s so cruel, so callous, and dark. One minute he’s kind and caring, and the next he’s threatening to shove me into shark-infested waters. He helps me into the small bathroom off the side of the room.
I use the toilet by myself, but Declan helps me get dressed. Just as I get the T-shirt pulled into place, the doctor walks in. As Declan asked of me, I insist on being released right away. The doctor makes me sign some paperwork, which I sign with a fake name that Declan gave me. Then I’m given a bottle of antibiotics, and a smile, as the doctor tells me he hopes I feel better before he walks out, leaving us all alone.
“Time to go, Princess.” Declan puts my meds in his pocket and puts his arm around me as we walk out. His hold on me is possessive, and I cling to his side with each step we take, still not feeling at one hundred percent. His phone starts to ring as soon as we step out of the room, and I stare at him completely puzzled. When did he get a phone? In all the time I was with them, I never saw any of them using a cell phone. He looks down at the screen of the sleek device and mutters a string of curses.
