Page 33 of Unbearable

“You must have caught whatever bug Gracie had. You’ve been asleep all day, but something tells me you need more rest.” His words were gentle, but there was an edge to them, a tension that made my heart race. As he spoke, my eyes started to flutter shut, and he chuckled softly.

I swear I heard him say, “Sweet dreams, sunshine.” as I dozed off into nothingness.

A soft nudge woke me. Trent sat on the bed next to me, on top of the duvet.

“It’s time for more meds. How are you feeling?” he asked.

“Been better.” My voice was hoarse and muffled.

“Do you want tea? Peppermint is good for nausea and upset stomachs. Maybe a bath? What do you need?” The panic and concern in his voice were hard to miss.

“I’m fine, really. I can take care of myself, you know.”

“I know you can, Dotty. That doesn’t mean you have to.” I didn’t have the capacity to fight with him, so I took the medicine from his hand. While I still felt weak, I was able to grab the water myself and take a sip. The pills sat in my throat, and I tried to take another sip to get them down, but it was too late. The lump in my throat caused me to run to the bathroom and empty my stomach again. Trent walked in behind me.

“Go away. Let me throw up in peace.” I waved my arm behind me in an attempt to get him to leave.

He chuckled, bending down next to me and gathering my hair in his hands while I continued heaving. “No.”

He stayed with me, offering silent support until the violent shakes subsided. The hours that followed blurred together, the intensity of the second wave draining me completely. I drifted in and out of a restless sleep, my body too exhausted to fully wake but too unsettled to rest peacefully.

ELEVEN

Trent

SLUT! - TAYLOR SWIFT

The last thingI expected after a ten-hour day on the ranch was to find Dotty passed out on the bathroom floor, covered in a towel.

After finally getting her settled, I sat beside her, listening to her familiar, soft snores. Her beauty always left me stunned, and having her near stirred a constant battle of emotions within me. The need to be close to her, to touch her, to be the one she smiled at was almost too much to bear.

But then I’d remember how we left things all those years ago.

While Dotty had managed to create an amazing, successful career and life in Seattle, I had little to show for myself. I spent eight years in the military before deciding it wasn’t my calling. I needed the peace the country provided me.

And while I was happy with my life working on the ranch and knew that is where I wanted and needed to be, it felt like it would never be enough for Dotty. Someonewho had spent years working to prove herself in a badass career.

And ironically enough, I had been stationed in Tacoma, right outside Seattle for most of my enlistment. Always close to her, yet never knowing where she was or what she was doing.

I think my frontal lobe finally matured or some shit, but a couple of years ago, I finally decided to stop running and return home.

Sometimes I missed the military—the camaraderie, and the constant change in missions that kept me busy.

It helped me stay out of trouble, but I knew it wasn’t a forever career for me. The stress of constant relocations and growing responsibilities was more than I wanted to handle for another twelve years until retirement.

When David James offered me a chance to help run the ranch, I took it. My military contract was ending, and his offer was the final push I needed. I had grown up and was ready to finally move on from that chapter of my life.

But sometimes I sat and wondered what would have happened if I hadn’t joined the army.

If I would still be in Woodstone or if the situation between Dotty and me would have been any different. The unanswered questions haunted me, but I knew enlisting was the right decision, even if I didn’t go about it the right away.

My dad had passed away my senior year of high school, and I was lost after that. Dorian was off in college on his path to become a vet. Dotty was finally leaving for college after figuring out a plan for her career. And I was just existing. I had no ambitions and no plans. So, when an army recruiter approached me, I took it as a sign of my next steps.

Ten years ago, I rode off on the bus across the country, leaving my entire life behind. My body went with me, but my heart and soul stayed here in Woodstone with her. It doesn’t matter the years that had passed, she would always be imprinted on my soul.

Dotty stirred in her sleep, letting out a soft groan that tugged at my heart. Her eyes fluttered open, and she looked around, disoriented. I handed her a glass of water.

“Here, take a sip. You’ve been out for a while. You must be thirsty.”

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