Page 54 of Derek
“Indiana,” Janie states firmly as she grabs my cheeks. “Derek Rowe isnotdying. He will wake up and be the same dickhole he has always been. You will shower, eat, and get your shit together because you have to.” I let out a squeaky sob.
“I don’t think I can get my shit together anymore.”
“Yes, you fucking can! Because he needs you to.” I hang my head, but she jerks it back up, and I stare into her sapphire eyes. “He needs you, Indy. You get a handle on your shit and break down after he wakes up. Those massive, tattooed, thick-headed men act tough, but you and I both know who the real pillars of strength are. Now, I’m going to wash your hair. Then we will get you changed and get him better.” My lip wobbles, but I close my eyes and take a breath before giving her a tight nod.
Janie helps me wash my hair and the rest of me before getting me dressed and helping me squeeze the water out of my hair. I brush my teeth with the hospital’s disposable toothbrush and walk back into the room to see Derek still asleep.
“Alright.” Janie clasps her hands together. “We will be back with your stuff and some food.” Janie smiles, and I hug her and Fox before looking back at Derek. Letting out a breath, I glance over at the chair I’ve called home for the last two days, and I can’t sit there again. It’s not close enough to him. I look at the bed and decide to crawl in with him. Resting my head against his shoulder, I listen to the beep of his heart monitor and the air flowing through his nasal cannula.
“Remember when we were in New Orleans, and we got the same fortune?” I smile softly while running my fingers through his beard to smooth it down, loving his stray grey pieces. He also has them through his hair, mostly at his temples. “Purple is one of my colors. It’s saved for my best of the best days, or it would be. I’ve never actually worn my purple bracelet. But when I saw that we both got the same fortune, it felt like fate or something.”
Pressing my lips to his shoulder, I close my eyes. I don’t want to cry anymore. My head hurts, and my eyes feel like sandpaper. But I can’t stop them. I can’t stop them because despite knowing he has something against being with me, and I know better than to start anything with him, I do have feelings for him and don’t know what to do about it.
“I think you might be my purple bracelet,” I whisper, not opening my eyes as I allow the heart monitor to lull me to sleep.
Chapter23
Derek
What in the fuck is that annoying ass beeping?
I can feel air blowing up my nostrils, and I try to wave it away, only to hiss at a shooting pain from my arm and side. What happened? I remember Jensen getting the tractor stuck, and I tried to get it out, and then the slope…Fuck, I rolled the tractor.
I open my eyes, blinking a couple of times as the blurry room comes into focus—a hospital room. Looking up, I see the source of the annoying beeping, a heart monitor. My heart monitor.
“Hey,” a soft male voice grabs my attention.
“Fox?” I croak as the man gets up from the couch, where I see Janie sleeping. “What the fuck is happening?” I try to sit up, but not only does my side scream in protest, it’s now I notice raven curls splayed across my chest and a tiny hand gripping my hospital gown with such force her knuckles are white.
“Seriously,” I state as I look at him. “What is happening? Am I dead? High? Nothing makes sense.” Fox chuckles lightly as he sits down in the chair next to me.
“You remember rolling a tractor?” He asks, and I nod slowly.
“Vaguely.”
“Well, you nearly died. I guess, technically, your heart did stop beating. Indy had to do CPR on you. You hit the artery in your leg and started bleeding out. Your arm was sliced open, and a piece of glass embedded in your side hit your intestines. Indy, ummm… she saved your life, dude.” I look from him down to the sleeping girl. Why is she on top of me like this?
“She did?” I ask, and Fox nods.
“According to your brothers, she started barking orders like she was running a trauma room. She got a tourniquet around your thigh, stopped the bleeding on your arm, kept you awake as long as she could, performed CPR, and then climbed her ass in the ambulance and rode with them here. She sat in this chair, not moving to even clean your blood off her for two days, and has been making sure the staff is on time with your checks. She just showered yesterday when Torch and I got here, and when we left to get her food and her medicine, we came back to find her, well,” He gestures to her lying on me, and I glare at the heart monitor for ratting out my increasing heart rate.
“Three days?” I say in shock. “W-what about my mom and dad?”
“Ren sweet-talked the agency into sending out another nurse to your parents. Judith is sixty-five and a happily married lesbian. Your brother stands no chance.”
I snort and shake my head. “I guess you’re here to take her?” He shakes his head.
“Nah, man, we’re here for you.” I groan and shift uncomfortably. “Yeah, I know, feelings and shit. Look, you know you’re going back to Hel’s, right? Don’t say something stupid.” He warns as I open my mouth.
“Janie–”
“Loves you with every fiber of her psychotic being. And she is heartbroken over this. She wants you back at the shop.” I stare over at the snoring redhead.
“She snores really loudly,” I mutter as Fox sighs dramatically as he looks toward Janie.
“I know. It’s like sleeping next to a foghorn every night. But, she’s my foghorn.” He turns back to me. “She loves you, everyone at the shop cares about you, and despite you pretending to hate all of us, you and I both know that ain’t true.”
“I don’t want to be close to people,” I state quietly through my gritted teeth.
