Page 95 of Her Marine
“You’ve been in that chair for the past four days, and you don’t leave it unless it’s to shower or go to the bathroom, and I know you’re not sleeping much.”
Journee looked up from her tablet. “If Kaydence were lying in this bed, would you leave?”
“Touché,” he responded. “When Slate and Ace return, I’ll see if the hospital has a fold-out cot you can sleep on. It’ll at least be a bit more comfortable than that chair.”
Journee nodded, refraining from telling him she’d be okay if he left. Since they’d arrived, he’d kept an eye on her along with Slate and Ace. They didn’t leave her alone until the early morning hours when whoever was with her left to get some sleep. She’d have a few hours with Killian alone until someone else showed up later in the morning. She also didn’t mind sleeping in the chair. It reclined and wasn’t too uncomfortable.
Slate and Ace returned ten minutes later, the former handing her a smoothie and holding out a bag to her. Journee could smell the chicken and bacon coming from it.
“I’m not hungry.”
She hadn’t had much of an appetite since she arrived. She would eat something occasionally, but she didn’t feel like it for the most part.
“You need to eat,” Ace stated.
“I’m not hungry,” she repeated.
“When Killian wakes up, I’m not going to be the one to explain to him that you didn’t take care of yourself, nor am I going to listen to his mouth about it,” Slate informed her. “Drink the smoothie, eat the wrap,” he commanded.
Journee opened her mouth to protest again, but Axel cut her off. “That wasn’t a request, Journee, because I’m not getting lectured by Kaydence or Courtney either because you want to be stubborn.”
She took the bag from Slate. “No one told me having big brothers would be annoying, but thank you,” she joked.
“It gets worse,” Ace responded with a smirk.
Journee pulled the wrap from the bag as Axel made his exit. She ate, scrolling through her tablet while the two men talked, occupying the other two chairs. At some point, Slate’s phone rang, and he gave whoever was on the other end an update on Killian’s condition, which was to say it was the same.
Slate had arrived the same day she and Axel had a few hours after them, and Ace flew out that following morning. The rest of his friends had continuously called, and Matteo planned to fly out that weekend. Her sisters, her friends, her grandmother, Courtney, and Ian all called, texted, or in the latter’s case, emailed her to check in. Killian’s parents and Ziggy came by during the day to sit with her and talk. Journee was grateful for the support of their families and friends.
When she finished eating, she responded to some inquiries, letting them know she was unavailable for a while. There was a message on her website and pinned to her social media pages, but she knew sometimes people overlooked those things.
Journee went back to reading the book she’d started that morning. Since they’d arrived four days ago, she’d been reading, coloring, and worrying. The doctors said he was stable and recovering well, and she was happy about that, but there was no telling when he would wake up or if he would.
Over an hour had passed when Axel returned, and when he did, it was with a large box on his shoulder and a few sacks in his hand. Journee studied the box and saw that it was a fold-out cot. She took that to mean the hospital didn’t have any, or at least any they could spare.
“This should be more comfortable to sleep on since you don’t want to leave. There’s sheets, a pillow, and another blanket in the bags, along with a few snacks,” he told her.
“Thank you,” Journee responded.
He unboxed the cot for her and placed it in the corner. It didn’t take too much room folded, and Journee figured it would fit fine against the wall since it didn’t seem as wide as a twin bed. She’d dress the bed whenever she got tired later.
She glanced over at Killian, and if it weren’t for the machines, she would have thought he was sleeping peacefully even with the bruises, cuts, and his arm in a sling—a lump formed in her throat when she looked at him and thought about where they were.
Journee hated seeing him that way. Even more so, she was pissed because nobody could tell her what he was doing when he’d gotten hurt. Whoever his parents had spoken to said he was working, but she wanted to know exactly what he was doing.
It wasn’t that she didn’t know his profession was dangerous, but as far as she knew, he trained other marines, did paperwork, and things of that sort. However, Journee got the feeling that wasn’t the whole story, and part of her felt like the three men in the room with her had some idea but weren’t telling her.
Again, she couldn’t be too upset with them because whatever it was, it was something Killian should have told her. It wasn’t his friends’ or his cousin’s responsibility to do so.
It was after eleven o’clock when the three left for the night, telling her they’d be back in the morning. It was the earliest she’d been left alone since they arrived.
When they were gone, Journee read another chapter of her book before placing her tablet on the charger. She unfolded the bed, and it locked into place. As she pressed down on the cushion it housed, she had to admit it would be more comfortable than the chair.
After putting the sheets, blanket, pillow, and case on the bed, she grabbed the clothes she planned on sleeping in and went into the small bathroom the room housed. It was just big enough to fit a toilet, sink, and shower, leaving a tiny bit of space for one person to maneuver around.
Once she finished her shower, Journee dried off and slipped into her clothes. She went back into the main room and sat down in the chair. Taking Killian’s hand in hers, Journee turned on the television and flipped through the channels, finding something to watch. She never ended up watching it when she turned it on. Instead, she would fill the time until she was tired, talking to him, holding a one-sided conversation.
Journee knew that the chances of him hearing her were slim, but she’d read that conversations and touch could help him recover. So, she would have as many one-sided conversations as needed until he woke up and could have them with her again.
