Page 92 of The Scars of Us

“I’m sorry.” I squeezed his hand.

His eyes met mine as he nodded, sorrow etched into every feature. I wanted to comfort him, to take away his pain, but I knew that look; he wasn’t ready to talk about it yet. I would be there for him when he was, just as he had always been for me.

The door opened, and a man who looked to be in his forties walked in wearing the traditional doctor’s coat, holding an iPad.

“Ah, good, you’re awake. I’m Dr. Wright,” he introduced as he walked to the side of my bed, opposite of Kamden.

I gave him a polite smile, then impatiently asked, “When can I see Ryker Campbell? He’s the patient next door to me.”

The doctor laughed softly. “First things first. Let’s get you checked out before we move on to anything else.”

After he checked my vitals and all the other routine crap they have to do, he lifted the gauze covering my wound to examine it. “No sign of infection, and your stitches look good. But, I still want you to stay a week or so just to be safe.”

“Can I get up and walk around?”

He responded with a knowing smile. “Yes, just don’t exert yourself too much. You just got shot, plus you have multiple fractures and bruising all over your body—you need to take it easy. Give your body time to recuperate.”

“I will.”After I see Ryker.

Dr. Wright nodded as he typed something on his tablet. “I’ll be back to check on you tomorrow.”

Kamden and I both thanked the doctor before he left. “Help me up,” I requested as soon as the door shut. I wasn’t wasting any more time. Being away from Ryker was eating me up inside. I needed to make sure he was okay. I didn’t care how much it would hurt.

Kamden gave me his disapproving big brother look. “Ky, you heard the doctor—you need to take it easy.”

Narrowing my eyes, I threatened, “Help me up, or I’m going to get up without you, and I’ll probably further injure myself.”

Kamden sighed in defeat. “Fine. You’re such a brat.”

In true brat-like fashion, I stuck my tongue out at him. He pulled me up by my arms since one of my hands was in a splint and helped me scoot to the side of the bed. I winced in pain from the movement, and the side where my fractured ribs were seared me in agony, making me squeeze my eyes shut and grit my teeth.

Kamden stopped and let me go. “Ky, this isn’t—”

“I’m fine, now help me stand,” I demanded, my voice leaving no room for argument.

He mumbled something indiscernible under his breath, but I was able to hear a few choice words as he complied with my request. My whole body hurt as I strained to stand, but I fought through the pain, needing to see Ryker.

I hobbled like a ninety year old grandma with arthritis as we made our way from my room to Ryker’s. Kamden used one hand to brace my arm the entire way, keeping me from losing my balance and falling while he pulled my IV stand with us.

It felt like it took hours to get to Ryker’s room. I was about to bust out of my skin when Kamden opened the door and slowly led me in. I had to stop myself from pulling away and running to Ryker’s bed.

“Hurry, Kam,” I urged when Ryker came into view.

He was sleeping when I finally reached him. Kamden steadied me before pulling up a chair behind me for me to sit in, but I stayed standing as I threaded my uninjured hand with his. Tears trailed down my face as I assessed him—he had a black eye, his lip was busted, and multiple bruises and cuts marred his beautiful face.

I squeezed his hand before bringing it up to my lips and gently kissing it. I didn’t know when he would wake up, but I wasn’t leaving until he did.

Letting go of his hand, I awkwardly struggled to push the rail on the side of his bed down, planning to climb in next to him. I needed to be as close to him as possible, to feel his chest rise with breath, hear his heartbeat, and feel the warmth of life in his skin. I didn’t have enough strength to lift myself in, and tears started to rim my eyes.

“Kamden, help me,” I cried softly.

“Kaiya, I—”

Interrupting him, I begged, “Please, Kam. I need to be near him right now.”

Kamden never did well resisting when it came to me. He gingerly helped me get into the small bed with Ryker. All of my efforts had exhausted me so much that as soon as I rested my head against Ryker’s chest, right over his heart, sleep took me away.

When I awoke, the faint smell of strawberries and vanilla filled my nose as I inhaled deeply, causing a smile to spread on my face.Kaiya.

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