Page 54 of Lodged

“Alright, I’ll stop by the hospital on my way out of town and make sure they give her the best treatment no matter the cost.” Rain gives me a wobbly smile, while River stares at me, studying me.

“Thank you, Gio. Truly,” he finally says, and I nod at him.

“And I’m also going to ask if it’s possible for me to see her. I’d rather hear it from the professionals,” I say. SeeingRiver’s face harden, I quickly add, “No offense, but I really need to be with her.”

Rain nods, and River stands up. “Then I’m going with you. I need to make sure Ruin is safe.”

I know he won’t back down, but I won’t either. I’m going to go see my girl, no matter who’s there.

I nod at him and Rain, then stand up, shake hands, and head out with River to see the love of my life. Finally.

“Yes, hello. I’m here on behalf of the MacAllister family,” I say once I get inside the hospital and point at River, who’s next to me. The nurse looks away from the computer and looks at me, so I continue talking. “I’m also here to take over Ruin MacAllister’s account.”

She frowns, and I roll my eyes. I hate that sometimes I don’t express myself correctly. “What I mean is, from now on, I’m going to cover absolutely all of her expenses. I want Ruin MacAllister to have the best possible care.” River stiffens next to me, but I don’t look at him. I’m taking care of Ruin now.

Understanding dawns on the nurse. “But do you understand we are talking of potentially a million dollars or more?”

I nod. “Yes, as I said, no matter the cost.” I pull my black Amex from my wallet, and the nurse gives me a few forms to fill out.

Once I’m done and everything is set, I ask, “Is there any chance I can see her?”

She stands up from her chair and comes to meet me on the other side of her desk. She looks at River, then at me. “This isn’t protocol, but since you’re paying for her stay here, I can give you two minutes to see her.”

River nods, and a big smile spreads across my face. “Thank you.”

River and I follow the nurse in silence. Once we make it to Ruin’s room, the nurse repeats, “Two minutes. I’ll be waiting right here.” I nod and step inside, not even looking at River, who stays outside with the nurse.

The moment I see her, pain stabs me in the chest. She’s connected to so many machines, with a tube in her mouth. Her beautiful face is covered in bruises.

“Oh, sweetheart. What the fuck happened?” I cry out as I place my hand on hers. She doesn’t move, but I know she’s alive because of all the sounds coming out of the machines.

“I thought I lost you, Ruin. Please come back to me. To us,” I say, silently crying.

Suddenly, the monitors start beeping frantically, and I feel Ruin’s hand move under mine. My eyes widen in shock as her face transforms with terror. She’s looking at me like she doesn’t recognize me—like I am a complete stranger, someone to fear.

The door bursts open, and the nurse and River come barreling inside.

“I knew this wasn’t a good idea!” River shouts as the nurse starts working on settling Ruin. Ruin moves her hand away from mine, and while she’s trying to say something, but only muffled grunts and screams come out of her mouth since the tube is obstructing her vocal cords. I put my hands on my head and startpacing the room, I can’t believe I caused this. Why is she having this reaction to me?

“You two, out of this room. Now!” a doctor comes in and yells at River and me. We leave the room in silence, not even glancing at each other.

“You need to leave, Gio. I appreciate you taking over the medical bills. I really do. But we can’t afford to have Ruin go through this again until she’s healed.”

“I’m not going anywhere until I speak with the doctor.” River grunts his disagreement but doesn’t push for me to leave.

When the doctor finally comes out of Ruin’s room, River and I stand in front of him, waiting for his report.

“What happened, doc? Is she okay?” River is the first to speak.

“She’s fine. We gave her a sedative, and we induced the coma again. I’m not sure what triggered it, but it’s best if it doesn’t happen again. She needs to rest and heal.” I feel River’s eyes burning into me, but I ignore him, fully focused on the doctor’s words.

“Is she going to remember this?” I ask, worried I hurt her without meaning to. Why was she terrified when she woke up? Was it because of me? Why did she didn’t recognize me? Fuck, this is harder than I thought.

“It’s hard to say at this point, but I can’t stress this enough—she needs to rest.”

“I understand. I’ll be on my way.” I leave the hospital in silence and leave my heart with her.

Chapter 24

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