Page 60 of Speed

I tried again. My lips formed the words, but my voice failed me. My chest felt tight, and exhaustion pulled at me. My frustration flared.

“Why isn’t he speaking?” Logan’s voice sharpened, the protective older brother in him breaking through.

There was another voice now—calm, professional. The doctor. “It’s normal. He’s still coming out of anesthesia. His body needs time.”

I wanted to tell them I was okay and that I could hear them, but the lure of unconsciousness was too strong. Noah’s thumb brushed over my knuckles, and Logan hovered close. I felt safe and grounded. The darkness crept in again, and I let it take me under.

The next time I woke,the world was less foggy, and I had more awareness. My limbs were still heavy, but I could move them, and when I tried to speak, my voice was there—hoarse, but there.

The doctor stood beside my bed, his gaze assessing as he asked me to follow a light with my eyes, to squeeze his fingers. I managed both, sluggish but responsive. My throat was dry, but I forced out words, faint but clear. “I’m alive.”

Noah was there, leaning in, his face coming into focus. “What did you say?”

I tried again. This time, my voice came a little stronger. “Alive.”

Noah exhaled a breath of relief as his fingers tightened around mine. Standing beside him, Logan ran a hand down his face before looking at the doctor. “Is he okay?”

The doctor nodded, his expression reassuring. “He’s coming around well. No signs of complications. We’ll keep monitoring, but this is exactly what we want to see.”

I wanted to sit up.

“How about we sit you up?” the doctor asked, his voice even—had I said that out loud? Before I could respond, Noah and Logan were already moving, adjusting the pillows, hands steady as they helped me move.

“It’s day two,” Noah said as he smoothed the sheet over my legs. His voice was warm. “You’re okay, Brody. Everything is okay.”

I let out a slow breath, my body exhausted, but my heart steady. Noah’s hand was still in mine, solid and sure. I believed him.

“Have you told him?”Logan’s voice broke through the quiet hum of the hospital room.

“Not yet,” Noah responded, and I wanted to know what they hadn't told me.

“Wha…” I managed.

Noah leaned in. “Hey, you.”

“Told. Me. What.”

“When you get out of here, we're staying with Logan,” Noah clarified, his tone gentle but firm. “Not going back to our place.”

I wanted to protest, to say I was fine, but the truth was, I wasn’t sure how long I’d even been in the hospital. “How long… here?”

Noah squeezed my hand. “They said another day, maybe two. Just to be sure.”

I sighed, nodding. Maybe I wasn’t quite ready to argue. Maybe,just maybe, letting them take care of me wasn’t the worst thing.

“What then?” I asked.

“What?”

“After I can leave Logan’s, where will I go?”

“Where willwego,” Noah corrected. “We'll work it out.”

“Together.”

“Of course.”

We kissed then, and I heard Logan make his excuses until it was only me and Noah in the room. He shifted beside me, his fingers still wrapped around mine. He hesitated, then squeezed my hand. “I've made that decision for us—it's where you'll be safe, and when I return to Harrisburg, you'll have people there with you.”

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