Page 87 of Aching for His Discretion

Placing the chart down, I bit my lip as I took a seat by his bed.

“Aren’t you going to fucking say anything?” Declan asked me as I remained silent.

Playing with my hands, I looked down at them. “What did you say about us that made him angry?” I whispered, and I felt his gaze harden on me.

“That you’re a little fucking girl that doesn’t know how to make decisions and how everyone around you is convinced otherwise. You don’t fucking belong with him, and you don’t even belong in this damn hospital. We told you to take your ass home to Illinois, and look where it’s brought us now, huh?” he seethed.

Tears came straight to my eyes as they always did with them.

I hadn’t realized how much I’d been crying recently until I noticed that for the last few months, all I did was cry—cry about Levi, cry about my brothers, school, Grayson, Alec, Beverly, Theo… All I did was cry.

You’re a little fucking girl that doesn’t know how to make decisions.

I made bad decisions with my friend and my partner… Was my decision about my career choice bad, too? Did I not deserve to be here?All that hard work… was it for nothing?Should I have just listened to them from the beginning?Were they right all along—

“And what gives you… the fucking right to dictate what she does with her life?” I heard someone chuckle from behind, and I noticed Dr. Woods enter as he pulled open the curtain, revealing Dr. Gordon and Dr. Wyatt beside him too.

This must’ve been a dream because my eyes were most likely deceiving me.

With a smile on his face, Dr. Woods crossed his arms. “You’re really… going to disrespect a woman who could potentially be the one to save you, or anyone for that matter, from death? You couldn’t even dodge a fucking bullet,” he laughed.

Declan sat up in the bed as he narrowed his eyes at Dr. Woods. “The fuck did you just say to me?”

“You want me to repeat it? Okay. You’re sitting in a hospital bed, drugged up with a bullet in your leg because you couldn’t keep your fucking mouth shut. Belittling your sister isn’t going to help the fact that you’re bleeding out.”

My jaw wanted to practically drop to the floor as he defended me.

They could all potentially lose their jobs for not telling Dr. Woods to stop. Dr. Woods himself could’ve lost it the first sentence he’d spoken. But something told me they wouldn’t.

Dr. Gordon waved me over, and I bit my lip as I stood up. Declan glared over at me.

Dr. Woods spoke. “Say something to her, and I’ll discharge you just as you are.”

“Isn’t that illegal?” Declan asked, and Dr. Woods chuckled.

“Not at all. I’m sure three witnesses and a victim against two disruptive and mentally abusive men would be completely justified for refusing to treat you…”

Dakota shook his head as he spoke to Declan. “Now is not the time, Declan. Let her go,” he muttered as he looked over at me.

I gave Dr. Woods and Dr. Gordon a thank-you with my eyes as I stepped out of the room. Dr. Gordon closed the curtain, and only then did I realize Dr. Wyatt had disappeared.

Dr. Woods began speaking again, and deciding I’d heard enough, I walked over to the stairwell and took a seat at the bottom as there was pure silence. I did my best to calm my nerves and leaned my head against the wall as I closed my eyes.

I felt slightly better knowing I had people who would defend me, but I couldn’t help but feel defenseless. Trying to be a people-pleaser, a perfectionist… never knowing how to stand up to my older brothers… always afraid of what they would say or do. It was wrong to think their words were justified or reasonable, but I couldn’t help it.

It had to be about fifteen minutes while I sat at the bottom of the stairwell, pondering and overthinking everything, when the door in front of me opened.

“Teegan...” Dr. Wyatt said, and I sighed, trying to mentally prepare for the angry temper I was used to him having around me.

Chapter thirty-seven

Teegan

“Teegan...” Dr. Wyatt said as the door closed behind him, and I sighed.

“Hi, Dr. Wyatt,” I muttered.

“Your brothers should be leaving soon… Quite the first impression,” he remarked, and I gave a sad smile.

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