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“Am I hurting you?”
“It’s not… fair…”
“What’s not fair?”
“That drugged-up dreams hurt so much.”
“What’s hurting you, Jake? Where does it hurt?”
“Here,” he whispered, touching his chest and closing his eyes as he swallowed painfully. “It hurts so much here.”
“I think I’m going to leave you and Romeo alone now,” Houghton smiled, and walked out of the front door before she could say a thing. Slowly, her eyes moved back to Jake, only to see such ragged pain and loneliness in his unfocused eyes.
“She’s not part of the Romeo curse, and I hoped it would work, but Logan was so wrong. It’s busssted so badly. She hates me and I can’t blame her,” he slurred, closing his eyes again. “My arms feel like puuuuudding. I love that word… poooodding, pud-din, pouuuuding-ding-ding.”
Lena chuckled.
Jake was higher than a kite on painkillers.
She pulled off his boot and saw him wiggle his toes in his socks expectantly – and smiled, pulling off his sock, hearing him sigh happily. Moving to the other boot, she loosened the laces and tugged, setting it down on the floor beside the loveseat, rising to her feet.
“My sock?” he asked sleepily.
“I already took off your sock, silly.”
“My pants?”
“Are staying on,” she chuckled and adjusted his pillow as he sighed again. Reaching out, she brushed his hair back, treasuring this relaxed look on his face, and saw him smile again.
“I wish Lena would do that,” he breathed.
“Who do you think is here?” she smiled.
“An angle… I mean anangel,” he frowned and then giggled. “My Lena tells me I’m obtuse, and I pretend-did-ed not to know what that was, but jokes on her. I was super smart at g’metry in school. Obtooose angels are the best ones ‘cause it looks like a triangle’s gonna hug me…”
Lena stared at him, enchanted, and couldn’t stop smiling as his face sagged, and she knew he was asleep again. Leaning forward, she brushed a soft kiss against his forehead.
“Sweet dreams, Jake,” she whispered and was rewarded with a garish snore.
Lena climbed up the ladder, and fetched her quilt, along with another one, before pulling them down. She was afraid he would wake up in pain during the night and wanted to be close to help him if he needed it. Changing into her sweatpants and T-shirt, she emerged from the bathroom, heard him snoring softly still and made a pallet on the floor, lying down.
9
ORTEGA
Jake sighed happily, feeling better than he had in years. He was warm, remotely comfortable despite his side aching, wrapping his arm around his pillow once more… only to hear a steady drumbeat.
*thump*
*thump*
*thump*
Even, methodical, rhythmic like one of those weird ASMR recordings of white noise or people whispering that was used to relax you. He never really got the vibe of one of those videos, but this quiet thumping was doing a number on him, making him feel calm. Combine that feeling with the muscle relaxer/pain pill doozie that knocked him on his butt a second time in the middle of the night plus…
Jake froze as the memories washed over him.
Spotty, disorganized, flashes in his brain – but the feelings were clear. He had woken up at some point during the night, gone to the restroom, and brushed his teeth, before taking another dose of the muscle relaxer butt-kickin’-combo that they had prescribed him so he could rest without hurting and didn’t feel a thing.
