Page 12 of Trevor

“I’ll come and get you tomorrow, too, if she’s not released.Would that be all right?”Before he could answer, Anna did.Telling him that she was grateful for him thinking about the two of them.“It’s all right.I know that worrying about Henrie would make you distracted.I know it does me a bit.”

“Thank you, young man.”He shook hands with Trevor and headed into the house.He was so exhausted he thought he could sleep standing up.As he was getting ready for bed, all he could think about was sleep.Even as he laid his head on his pillow, Anna already asleep, he knew that the days were just going to be getting harder on the three…maybe four of them.He was really grateful for the extra help in the way of the Strong family.

~*~

Henrie didn’t want to move.But they were telling her that she needed to or she could get complications from the surgery that would have her in the hospital for several more days to weeks.Walking down the hallway, holding onto her IV pole, she was making her second trip around when someone came up beside her.It was, of course, Trevor.

“Are my grandparents here?”He said that he had made sure that they had a limo to come in to see her, but no, they hadn’t slept well, so they were taking it easy now that she was up and around.“They said that I could get pneumonia if I don’t get up and move around.I’m doing that.Alone if you don’t mind.”

“I don’t mind keeping you company.She tried her best to ignore him but it was difficult when he smelled so good.“They say if you keep progressing like you are that you might get to go home tomorrow or the next day.I’d tell them it’s because you’re stubborn, but I think they already know that.”

“Jade came in to see me.She said that I had to have extra juice to keep me under.I guess it has something to do with me being a redhead.Why aren’t you at work or something?”He said that he was self-employed and could come and go as he pleased.“I bet that’s not the least bit true.I’m self-employed, too, but I don’t just come and go as I please.I’d be broke if I did that.What are you reallymissing out on?”

“I had three meetings today with investors.One of them said that they had a better deal with the bank.That’s fine.I’m betting that the bank won’t be as accommodating as we’ve been before for him.The second meeting I canceled to be here with you.The third one isn’t until dinnertime, but I have a feeling that he’s going to bail on me as well.After reading about the shooting in the center, people are thinking that I need to regroup.All I can think about is that you saved my life.You did, too.”She told him that he shouldn’t expect that to happen again.“Christ, I hope not.That was the scariest thing that has ever happened, having you hurt like you are.”

“Yeah, that’s been a lot of fun.”She turned to go back down the hall, and the nurse told her that she needed to rest.“I didn’t want to walk around in the first place and now you’re telling me that I’ve had enough.You’ll have to make up your mind, please.I’m too sore to be doing something that I don’t need to be doing.”

“You’re fine.It’s just that too much isn’t going to help you anymore than you not walking at all.I just thought you’d like to have a sit down with your boyfriend.”She said he wasn’t her anything.“If you say so.”

She was helped into her room, the too long walk catching up to her.By the time she was able to get something for the pain, she was too out of it to have any kind of conversation with Trevor.She just wanted to close her eyes and have all this over with forever.As soon as she closed her eyes, she knew that Trevor was going to be there when she woke up again.

Waking up, jerking awake, she cried out in pain.If she’d known that her grandparents were there, she could have stopped it.They were worried enough right now, and she hated adding to their being upset.Grandda tried to help her sit up, but he was only making it worse.Trying her best not to snap at him, she was glad for Trevor stepping in and making it better.Not that she’d tell him that.The little shit even winked at her as if he knew what she was thinking.

“I thought you had a meeting or something.”He said that he had to cancel because of one of his pups.“You didn’t hurt it, did you?I bet they’re loving you not being there all the time.They can tear things up for you.”

“No, I had to take him to the vet.I was sitting at the kitchen table when they came in, all playful.When they turned around, seeing their reflection in the oven door, they tried to protect me by head-butting their reflection.He had to have nine stitches in his big empty head for being a good dog.”She asked him if he was going to be all right.“Yes.The vet said that he was going to have a hell of a headache for a few days, but he’ll be fine.I allowed him to lie down on the couch, and he and his sister are enjoying that little bit of freedom.”

“He’ll be bumping his head all the time just to be able to lie on the couch with you.”He asked her what she’d do to lie on the couch with him.“Stab you in the back for being so stupid to think that I’d want to be there.Again, don’t you have something else to do?”

“Henrietta Lilith Banister.Be nice to him.He’s making it so that we can get back and forth to see you, and for that alone, you should be nice to him about.What am I going to do with you?”Trevor asked if her name was Henrietta.“Yes.She was named after her father who was Henry too.But it’s confusing at times, I must say to have two Henry’s and a Henrie in the house.”

“I love the shortened form of your name.It suits you.”She asked him what that was supposed to mean.“Nothing.You’re more of a Henrie than a Henrietta.A beautiful version of your grandfather.I love it.”

He was irritating her, and she was sure that he was doing it on purpose.Why he’d want her to be pissed off at him—she wondered then if it was because he wanted her to push him away.Just like a man, irritating someone so that they’d be the injured party rather than the woman.She found herself wanting to be nice to him so that it would backfire on his plans.Whatever they were.

He left just after noon.He needed to check on his dogs.He told her that he’d be back with dinner for them all.Grandda and Grandma said they were going to go home soon, too, as they were exhausted and needed to get a nap.

She was glad that they weren’t driving home.It was good of the Strong family to provide them with the limo.She’d never been in one, but Grandda made it sound like it was a luxury that he’d enjoy again if given the opportunity again.

It wasn’t as if he couldn’t afford one if he wanted.Every Christmas, he would make plans to ride in one to go see the Nutcracker in Columbus, but something always came up, and they’d just drive there like normal.It was fun, really, figuring out what was going to happen the following year to mess up his plans.The last time, it had been because he’d forgotten to make reservations for one.The year before that, he’d not wanted to give the driver his cold, so they drove.And the following week, they were all sick with his cold.She loved her grandparents so much, but they were silly too.

Jade came in to see her, and she said she was doing great.If she didn’t have any troubles tonight, then she saw no reason for her to stay.Then she mentioned Trevor and how he was upset about his dog.

“Yes, poor thing.He told me about him.Will he be all right?”She said pretty much what she’d said and that the dogs would be doing it more often to be pampered a bit.Then she mentioned the house.

“He’s moving in this weekend.We’re all going to be there helping with his few things.Then he’s going to order take away so that we can be the first to eat in his home.You can go if you behave yourself.”She asked her why she’d be invited.“I don’t know if anyone has told you this or not, but we are all thinking that he’s falling in love with you.”She stared at her for a full minute.

“I don’t know what to say about that.I mean, we’re barely friends and haven’t really spent all that much time together.”She said that it had happened like that for her and Jenson.And that she really didn’t care for him all that much when they first met.“It’s not that I don’t care for him.I like him all right.He likes to piss me off for some odd reason.Why do you think that he’s in love with me?”

“He told his brother.”She didn’t know what to say about that, so she didn’t voice her concerns about her being different than he was.Also, she thought that he could do much better than her since she was someone who didn’t care for people all that much.“You’re thinking too hard.Just let it go and see where it takes the two of you.”

“I’ve been…I was literally left at the altar a few years ago.Basically, we didn’t love one another but it was a convenience for the two of us.I’d get my dad off my back, and he’d get the same from his parents.He needed to marry before he was twenty-two, and we were set to marry the day before.”She asked if she had loved him.“No.I mean, neither of us loved each other.As I said, it was for convenience more than anything.”

“So he hurt you because he left you standing there.You more than likely dodge a bullet with that one.”She said she found out later that he’d been in love with his best man, and they ran off together.“I’ve heard of that happening before.Yeah, you dodge a huge bullet with that man.So, what does that have to do with Trevor?I don’t think he’s secretly in love with anyone but you.”

“You keep saying that.I don’t—I don’t really understand love.Or the implications of being in love.It seems like a messy deal.Two people get together, get married after a time then they have kids.Being about as miserable as they were before they married.”She looked at her.“What makes you think that you’re in love with your husband?I mean, do you think about him all the time?Could be that you’re just waiting for him to fuck up so that you can run off.”

“Could be, but I don’t think so.What makes me feel like I’m in love?That’s a good question.Yes, I do think about him all the time.It doesn’t matter what I’m doing either; a thought will pop into my head about him, and I’ll get all tingly.If you tell anyone I said that, then I’ll hunt you down.He makes me want to be a better person.You don’t know this, but I’m a mean bitch when I want to be.”Henrie said that couldn’t be true.She was so nice.“Very funny.Yeah, I think you’re a great deal like me.Hurt and using meanness to hide your pain.I believe that you’re hurting because of something that was done to you—other than your ex.Could it be your parents?No, not your mom.How about your dad, is it someone that is in your life when you don’t want him around?”

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