Page 8 of Demon

I pull the book out of the bookshelf and settle onto her bed and begin reading. Halfway through she’s already asleep. I pull her comforter up a little higher and go to the window and shut the blinds. I smile back at her angel-like face before turning the light off and pulling the door closed.

I head to the front door and check that it’s locked once more before going to bed.

* * *

After I wake up,I rub a hand down my face. I’m so tired. I dreamed of my ex and woke up in a cold sweat. My body shakes as goosebumps travel up both arms. I dreamed he found us and took Sammy from childcare and left without telling me. What happens if he does find us?

I get changed, apply an extra layer of concealer under my eyes, and take Sammy to childcare, then go to work. Even though I’m tired, my stomach still buzzes with excitement at the thought of seeing Jett.

I sign in and chat to my boss before I peek into Madeline’s room to see Jett inside, by her bed where he usually is, leaning back with his hands behind his head in a relaxed position.

“Good morning.” I beam as I walk into the room. I’m hit with his cologne, and oh my lord, it’s heavenly.

He sits up straighter in his chair. I get a slight chin lift...progress.

I move to Madeline’s side by the vital signs monitor. “Hi, Madeline. It’s Ivy. I’m doing your observations this morning.” I don’t think she can hear me, but I’ve always liked to say it to people who are unresponsive or in a coma. I do her observations, and when I turn to Jett, his intense eyes are still on me.

“How’s she doing?” he asks, his voice even and serious.

“Still improving,” I say. “When the doctor does his rounds, he may decide she’s ready to come off the ventilator and recover on the ward.”

“The nurse told me that already,” Jett replies.

I pause. “O-kay.” My forehead creases confused why he asked.

His face is unreadable. “I wanted to hear it from you.”

My head tilts. “You didn’t believe the other nurse?”

He slowly shakes his head, his eyes never leaving mine.

I blink a few times. “But you believe me?”

He leans forward, placing his elbows on his solid thighs, his biceps bulging with the movement. Then he clasps his hands together. It’s the first time I notice the tattoos on his knuckles, the left-hand reading “dark” and the right-hand reading “soul.”

“Yes,” he replies, though his voice ripples with uncertainty, like he doesn’t know why he trusts me more than her.

Upon closer inspection, I see he has dark circles under his eyes again and his mohawk is messier than yesterday. I frown. “Did you sleep in here again?”

“Yeah.” He stands, his leather vest rustling as he does.

I forgot how tall and built he is. He stretches his neck from side to side showing off the chaotic design of splashes of mostly black with dashes of red ink. It makes me want to see the rest of his tattoo. “I’ll see if there’s anything still available from breakfast.”

He takes two strides to me. He’s staring down at me with piercing hazel eyes. Unique and striking. Light brown around the iris, moss green on the outside. A normal person would have taken a step back by now. Not me. Instead, I say, “You have beautiful eyes.”

His lip twitches at the corner, like I amused him. I’ll take that as a win. He studies me carefully. “It doesn’t look like you slept much either.”

“Is that your way to tell me I look like crap?”

He subtly shakes his head.

Someone clears their voice. Milly and Madeline’s doctor are by the door. Jett takes a step back.

“Dr. Javis is here to talk to Jett about Madeline’s condition.” Milly glances at me. “Ivy, can I speak to you for a moment?”

“Sure.” I follow Milly out. She walks into a vacant room, so I gather this may be private.

She gives me a polite smile. “I wanted to properly introduce myself. My name’s Milly White and I’m an ER doctor.”

---