Page 103 of Pretend
Kane and I turn toward Guerra. She stands there like a statue in her uniform as if she were watching a crash happen before her. She runs her rigid hand over her tightly gelled brown hair in a locked bun. She blinks rapidly, skipping on her feet like she doesn’t know where to escape. Finally, she turns left and leaves as I try to process the events. I try to follow after her, with my reddened cheeks to match hers, but I catch theGet Betterlong note she was going to give Daegan, which is thrown to the floor.
I grip it in my hands, doing my best not to read it, but in big letters are overly friendly comments and her number on the bottom. I didn’t know shewas crushingthis hardon Daegan. I’m hoping our friendship is enough for her not to look at me any differently.
“Guerra!” I call out after her just as a doctor comes in with a very confused face. I back away from the door, watching her turn down the busy hospital hallway full of other nurses and service members, and she disappears.
One crisis at a time.
I walk back into the room and stand by Kane, cleaning my lips off with my palm and doing anything and everything to erase the evidence of our shared kiss and play it cool.
The tall man in a white coat walks in with a chart. His black pepper hair shines back, and he has dark under eyes.Doctor Diazis clear as day on his name tag.
“Chief petty officer, Hannibal. I’m Doctor Diaz. I’m pleased to see that you’re awake. That’s a very good thing.” His positive attitude paints his tone as well.
A nurse with bright eyes and tattoos on her sleeve walks in, and her lips curve into a giddy smile when she spots Daegan. She stands next to Daegan, looking at him and then his monitor. She assesses his wound and looks pleased when she covers up the bandage again.
“Ah, Lori, what a pleasant surprise. I’m so happy we get to meet again in the same conditions. Small world, don’t you think?” He teases her and winks at me.
I shake my head at him. How can he be so calm right now, while I want to hide under a bed now that someone who isn’t Kane caught us?
“We shouldn’t be meeting under these circumstances, Hannibal. Your team needs you at work. Not in a hospital bed.” She teases back.
“I can’t help myself. You guys have good drugs in here.” Daegan points to the IV bag above him nonchalantly.
“Now, Daegan, we need to go over some important medical stuff. They can’t be in here. It’s confidential.” Doctor Diaz starts as his brown eyes look at me and Kane over his chart.
“We’ll wait outside,” Kane tells them as he hooks his hand on my bicep and escorts me out. I want to cement my feet to the ground, I don’t want to go anywhere without Daegan, but we already fucked up once. I can’t mess up again in front of medical staff.
Am I falling for him? My heart quickens at the thought, and hope bleeds into the once-empty space that Jack left in me. I’ve really fallen for Daegan when I was the one who made it a rule,not to. And I don’t think I’ve just grown feelings for him. It’s more than just sex; it’s a connection…and it’s an all-consuming one.
“Thank you,” Doctor Diaz chirps as he walks closer to Daegan. Kane opens the door to the room, waiting for me to cross over, but one sentence shatters my impending actions and thoughts. I stop walking, and confusion riddles my brain when Doctor Diaz opens his mouth again.
“I’ve already alerted your wife since she’s your emergency contact when it comes to these things. You are?—”
I clear my throat and turn around, stunned, my heart pounding outside my chest. I’m sure the entire hospital can hear it.
I arch a brow at him, and Daegan stiffens with narrowed brows and darkened eyes, clenching his jaw as he holds my stare.
“His wife?” Kane asks and advocates for me when I’m too shattered to move or even breathe right now. They have to have gotten it all wrong. He doesn’twear a ring; he doesn’t have a wife, and there were no pictures in his home when I stayed there.
But there was a locked door.
And I was too oblivious and such an idiot…it didn’t cross my mind to ask such a basic question.
His ice-cold eyes light up, and he moves to stand, but Lori reacts quickly.
“Hannibal, sir, don’t move. You are not in the clear to move, never mind being discharged. Stay in the bed.” She orders him sternly and unafraid.
Daegan looks away from me, going into that same side of him that I’m not familiar with. Cold and distant, with no words to explain himself?
“You’re…”married? I want to say it. It’s on the tip of my trembling, dry tongue, stabbing me in the chest. A tear rolls down my cheek; the betrayal already settles in as I try to keep calm, but there’s only one thing I can do right now to save my job. And it’s going back to work. I start the treacherous sentence but don’t finish as I watch Daegan’s chest move up and down with edge as he takes deep breaths. His anchor tattoo jumps with deep, desperate breaths as he tries to get me to stay with pleading eyes.
He warned me.
Those haunting words he told me when he picked me up when I was stranded.
The ones closest to you are the ones who hold the most power to hurt you. The ones closest do the most damage. Please remember that the next time you decide to let someone in.
“Get her out of here, Slaughter.” He pleads, but it’s more like he’s ordering him like he refuses to accept anything else.
