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Fuck, this night was never-ending.
CHAPTERTHIRTEEN
nishia
“It was sosweet of Jack to stay with you in the hospital,” Amy, the nurse who had shown up with Marcy, the cook, right before Jack left to go to work, said as she pulled back the covers on my bed.“He’s such a good man.Not just any guy would stand guard over a complete stranger day and night.But that’s our Jack.Compassionate and considerate.”
I was glad my back was to the nurse while Marcy continued to dry my hair with a soft towel.Her touch was gentle, yet firm.When she’d shown up in my room earlier, I’d felt stupid for thinking she and Jack had something going on.Marcy had long, pretty, dark hair, but what my poor eyesight had missed were the streaks of gray spread throughout her thick locks.With the combination of gray and dark shades, her hair looked like a style that some would pay hundreds of dollars to achieve.
Marcy had been mostly quiet since Jack left, but Amy was a different story.
She hadn’t shut up for a solid minute since the door had closed behind Jack earlier.It was Jack this and Jack that.With the glimmer in her eyes and the soft touch of pink in her cheeks whenever she said his name, it was hard to miss the fact that she was seriously crushing on him.
And I hated her for it.
It was unreasonable; I knew that.Insane, really, but that didn’t stop me from wanting to “accidentally” kick Amy.With my cast.In the face.
Every word out of her mouth regarding him hurt me a little more.From what little Jack had told me about his work at Sanctuary—and even from what his mom had said in passing—I was the first resident he’d personally taken care of while in the hospital.According to Gracie, he was more of the caretaker of the place.He made sure everyone was safe and that no one needed anything, but his main goal was to give the women who lived there a feeling of security without overwhelming them with the constant presence of a male figure in their new domain.
Many of the women were hiding from their abusive exes, men who had done terrible things to them.Some had even experienced more horrifying terror than I’d been put through over longer periods of time.It was natural that they would feel intimidated by Jack’s large size.
But how could anyone not come to trust him?The gentle-giant bear of a man was comforting to be around.Even when he was silent, when there were no words to speak, I was at ease simply having him sit beside me.
Yet Amy was telling me something different.
Apparently, I wasn’t special.
And who was I kidding?I was an idiot to think otherwise.Even if Jack staying with me at the hospital was out of his norm, he’d only been taking care of me because that was what he was supposed to do.
He wasn’t my beautiful, gentle bear.
He wasn’t my anything.
And I was nothing more to him than a new Sanctuary resident.
I needed to keep reminding myself of that even after Amy went away, once she’d given me my medication and then ensured my leg was propped up at the right angle.I was thankful when she left, but Marcy brought back my dinner not long after.
“Don’t mind Amy,” she said in a quiet voice as she helped me sit up and made sure the tray was secure before taking a step back.“She has the biggest crush on Jack, but he doesn’t see her.I honestly don’t even know if he remembers her name.I certainly have never seen them have a conversation together.But that can be true of the majority of the staff here.Jack is a hard nut to crack.He doesn’t speak to many people, and if he does, they are truly special.”
My heart lifted at what she confided, but I quickly pushed the hope down.What did it matter if I was special to Jack Hannigan or not?I was broken, damaged goods.Even if Jack did happen to care for me, what could I give him in return?
With a grim smile, Marcy left me to eat in peace and returned half an hour later to retrieve the tray.After I was alone again, all I could do was watch the window as the sun set.Time seemed to slow down, interrupted only by trips to the bathroom.Thankfully, my new apartment was small enough that I could hold on to the furniture or the wall as I hobbled to and from bed.Amy told me to call for her using the call button in the bathroom if I needed help, but I didn’t think I could deal with her again when I was feeling particularly raw.
About her crush on Jack.
My crush on Jack.
This new life I’d been dropped into.
No, I reminded myself.I hadn’t been dropped, but tossed out like a bag of trash.
Which perfectly described what I was and who I’d become in life.I was nothing, no one.My own mother had sold me to her fucking drug dealer.
Once I was back in bed with my foot propped up on a stack of pillows after my latest trip to the bathroom, all I could do was stare at the window as the sun drifted lower and darkness filled the room.When the noises of the others in the mansion quieted, I couldn’t stand the dark any longer and fumbled around until I was able to turn on both lamps.
A digital clock on one of the nightstands was my only companion as I watched the minutes pass into hours.
What time would Jack get home?
