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“Yes, is he okay?” Bex’s knuckles were caked in cracked blood as she squeezed her hands into fists.
“He’s out of surgery. He’s doing fine right now, but he does still have a tube in. That’s just until we can wake him up more, but he needs to rest right now so we’re keeping him asleep. It might look scary when we go back, but I promise you it’s not permanent and they’ll remove it.” She caught Bex first when she dropped to the ground, crying thanks.
“Kid, kid.” I grabbed under her arms and brought her into a hug. “He’s okay, come on. We’ll go down there, and I’ll call Mari.”
I crossed that miracle off my list and waited for the other shitstorms to start hitting. Her father would be its own battle.
Bexley
The nurse walked in front of me. The halls were quiet, and some of the rooms were occupied as visitors moved about. Detective Bishop fell back behind me as he chatted with Mari on the phone, but I couldn’t focus on anything as I followed her.
Everything was a blur as tears preemptively filled my eyes. I saw she was stopped in front of a room.Room 1247.The door was open, and I could see the end of a bed just behind her.
“Remember, the tube is temporary. The wound is on his right side, so be more careful there.” She brushed my arm. “Are you ready?” she asked, and I nodded, but I didn’t meet her eyes. She stepped aside and motioned for me to walk in.
My feet felt heavy as I stepped through the door. I could only zero in on the foot of the hospital bed. There was definitely someone in there, but I was terrified to look up. Scared that it was all a dream and the moment I saw him one last time, he would be taken from me. I walked around the end, keeping my focus on the creamy-white knitted blanket. I ran my hand over it as I moved. My eyes stopped on the hand resting on the bed. Soft, but scarred. Large beyond reason, but gentler than anything I could ever want.
I traced the black lines that marked his arm. My eyes followed the line of his shoulder, the curve of his neck, and finally they landed on his beautiful face.
“Jaiden,” I whispered as I gently touched his cheek. Tears fell as he became more and more real. He wasn’t nearly as pale now. His dark hair was shaggy and damp. Dark, thick lashes fanned out along his closed eyes. He looked peaceful and boyish.
“He lost a lot of blood. The internal damage was more than expected.” The nurse spoke softly from the door. “These next few hours are critical.”
“Can I stay with him?”
“Yes, staff will be in and out for things. Just be mindful and out of their way, and don’t hurt him.” She looked back at Detective Bishop who nodded and stepped away with her. The door clicked shut and I sat at the foot of the bed. I curled into his waist. I let it out.
I cried until my chest hurt.
I cried until my voice gave out.
I cried until the blanket was soaked.
It was quiet and dark by the time I fell asleep.Hey, baby.I heard Jaiden’s voice, but it was distant and soft. I looked around, but it was all black. I couldn’t feel him beneath me anymore.Baby…A hand touched my cheek and my eyes opened. I jerked up and into Mari’s arms.
“Mari.” I sighed and fell into a hug.
“Bex, I am so sorry. Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m just tired right now.” I wiped my face again, feeling how gross I was.
“Here, Bishop asked if I could get you some clothes and stuff to shower with.” She slipped off a backpack and walked me over to the bathroom. She held the bag out in her hand, and I hesitated. “I’ll watch him, B. I won’t let anything go wrong.”
“I love you,” I said as I stepped into the bathroom.
“I know. I love you, too.”
I closed the door and looked at the mirror. How no one freaked out when they saw me was beyond me. There was blood smeared on my face, and most of it had been washed away from crying. My clothes were stained and ruined. I undressed and started the shower.
The water ran red for a minute while I stood under the hot stream. I let the heat soak into my muscles. As the grime washed away, I let the entire night go with it. Jai was here, and he would fight to stay.
I rinsed my hair and turned the shower off. The towel was scratchy against my skin. Mari brought comfortable clothes, sweatpants,f and one of Jai’s favorite shirts. I held the shirt against my face and breathed in. The strong scent of him restored the broken pieces of my heart.
When I later stepped out of the bathroom, my eyes went to Jai.
“They removed the tube while you were showering and lowered his meds. She said he should be awake in a few hours.” She held the covers back and I crawled into the same spot as earlier. “I won’t leave you, either.”
Mari slid a chair to the side of the bed and rested on her arm at my feet before taking my hand in hers.
