Page 82 of Here In Your Arms

The nurse gives a small smile and explains the injuries to us as she does her routine checks. She introduces herself as Carol and says Rory’s being kept due to a nasty concussion. She has bumps and bruises as well, and they confirmed no internal bleeding, so the big concern was her head. If the doctor agrees, as long as she keeps passing her checks for the next twelve hours, she should be okay to head home in the afternoon. We thank her and she lets us know she’ll be back in after a couple hours. Hopefully with the doctor.

We all settle in to rest for a few hours, Kyle and I passing out with our heads on the bed on either side of Rory. A scuffle outside wakes me, and I gently disentangle my hand from Rory’s and nudge Kyle. He rouses a bit slowly, but when I nod my head to the door, he perks up at the noise outside. Slipping out as quietly as we can, I close the door quickly when I realize Nathan is by the nurse station raising a fuss. Fuck.

Kyle doesn’t hesitate and whips out his phone to dial 911. He explains the situation, and the dispatcher says they’ll send over a police officer to come assist. Kyle starts toward Nathan after hanging up and I grab his arm, holding him back.

“If we go over there, it’s just going to add to the problem. Let’s hang here and make sure he can’t get in until the officer gets here.”

“I hate this. I just want to pound him into the ground.”

“Me too, love, but we’re better than that. She needs calm, not more violence.”

Kyle takes a breath and nods in agreement. I grab his hand and lean back against the wall by the door to Rory’s room, taking Kyle with me. After a moment of arguing with the nurse, she threatens to call security and Nathan looks around him, spotting us down the hall. He sneers and starts our way. Kyle and I step away from the wall, moving so our bodies block his way to her door.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” he sneers.

“Taking care of our girl. You have no reason to be here,” I reply calmly.

Nathan looks between the two of us. “She’s mine. I don’t know what you think you’re doing, but you need to leave.”

Kyle actually starts chuckling and I’m concerned he’s lost it. “God you really are stupid, aren’t you?”

Nathan moves to stand toe to toe with Kyle, who doesn’t budge. I can see the restraint Kyle is using to hold back, but he understands the need to hold Nathan off, not egg him on. The last thing we need is to get blamed in any kind of fight. Neither of us are particularly physical or violent, but we’re damn protective, and we’d fight if we had to.

“The fuck did you say?”

“You’re stupid. You think for one second that we’re going to leave? That she actually belongs to you? She belongs to herself. Better get that through your thick skull.”

Nathan’s face starts to redden, and I can tell his temper is rising. Part of me is confident that he won’t start anything in the hospital hallway, but I also hesitate to fully believe that. He might lose control if provoked too much. So of course, my mouth runs without checking in with my brain first.

“He probably shaved his intelligence out with his hair.”

His face whips over to me, but before he can take a step, the elevator dings and security steps out, followed by a police officer. A smirk graces my face, and I feel oddly triumphant, like we’ve won a battle that hasn’t even started.

“Time’s up, asshole,” I tell him.

Nathan turns to see the uniformed men headed our way and I almost get whiplash from how quickly his demeanor changes. His face is no longer red, and he exudes confidence and calm.

“What’s the problem here?” The officer asks, skipping the nurse’s desk and walking straight to us.

“Well, these gentlemen are causing some problems. They won’t let me in to see my girlfriend who was jumped in the parking lot after her shift,” Nathan says.

“Nope!” a nurse all but shouts at us.

The officer and security guard position themselves to see all of us as she approaches. She nods at Kyle and I before continuing.

“These men came at the patient’s request. This man came in a few minutes ago, threatening the staff when we would not let him into the patient’s room. When she asked for these two gentlemen, she was very clear she wanted only them, no other visitors. So, I told him we need her permission, and that’s when he started getting extremely hostile and I called. These two have been keeping him from the room without any force.”

“That true?” the police officer asks, not waiting for security to chime in.

“Yes sir, my name is Wesley Graves, and this is Kyle Williams. We’re dating the patient and came at her request. This man is not welcome here. He’s her ex-boyfriend and I promise you she will not want to see him.”

The officer sighs and the security guard waits to see if he has any wisdom for us. Behind them, the elevator dings again, and a medium height woman comes out, her blonde hair in a no-nonsense ponytail, the rest of her dressed business casual. She heads our way, and the officer rolls his eyes.

“For fuck’s sake, another person trying to see the patient?” he gripes.

The woman raises her eyebrows. “Yes, another person coming to see her. I’m Becca Johnson, the patient’s boss and the one who called an ambulance for her.”

When I glance over, Nathan’s eyes are surveying the situation, and I can see him trying to figure out how to escape. He’s not dumb. He’s realized that this situation isn’t to his advantage. Becca looks at the group and narrows her eyes at Nathan.

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