Page 72 of Turning Tides
A nurse bustled in to tell us that visiting hours were over, but that we could come back in the morning and that Clayton would likely be discharged.
“We’re going to get a hotel nearby, and we’ll be back in the morning,” Shane informed Clayton. He slipped his arm around me and held me upright. “Get some sleep.”
Shane steered me out of the room and down to the lobby.
“What are we going to do?” I asked him. Fuck, I felt so lost. I didn’t want to see Clayton, but I also didn’t like the idea of him being in trouble. But the thought of Shane throwing money at him didn’t sit right with me. I felt like there were no good answers, no good solutions.
“We’re going to get a hotel room. I’m going to draw you a bath and you’re going to soak until you’re a prune while I call Kieran and get his advice.”
I liked Kieran. Shane’s brother was a lot like him, both in looks and personality. They were both tall and broad, thick in all the right places. Kieran’s hair was darker than Shane’s chestnut, so dark it was almost black. Like Shane, he was a thoughtful person, but more reserved than Shane was.
“I already want tomorrow to be over.” I confessed, leaning on him as he walked me to the passenger side of his truck and opened the door for me. “I’m already exhausted just thinking about it.”
Shane closed the door and went around to the other side. I buckled my seatbelt and leaned my head against the window, closing my eyes and thinking about painting, brushstrokes, color theory, anything to keep Clayton’s battered image out of my mind.
It didn’t work.
By the time we got to a hotel and into a room, I was a ball of anxiety. I stood there, fretting inside as Shane went about his business as cool as a cucumber. He poured me the bath he promised and even helped me strip down and get in.
Sitting in the water, looking up at Shane, who already towered over me, I felt small. He sat on the edge of the tub and grabbed the wash cloth. He got it wet then gently cupped my chin and wiped my face.
“If you want, I can deal with Clayton for you. Though I can’t promise to do things your way, Archer.”
“I don’t want you to give him money. He’s got a problem, Shane.”
He nodded. “I don’t think Kieran would be too happy with that either. I’m going to call him and see what he thinks. When you’re out of the bath, your sketchbook and your pencils are in the side pocket of our bag.”
Shane brushed the hair off my forehead with the wash cloth, then washed the tip of my nose. “Boop.”
I wrinkled my nose and scowled. Well, pretended to scowl. It was impossible to stay miserable when Shane was doing his best to be adorable. Even adorable, he was still serious. I could practically see the wheels turning in his mind as he tried to figure out what to do. He was like that with everyone he cared about, not just me. That actually made me feel better about leaning so heavily on him. And alsoworse. Because if everyone leaned on him, he’d eventually crumble. I didn’t want that to happen.
“Maybe I should handle this myself,” I blurted. “You do so much for everyone. I don’t want you to think you have to solve my shit for me. And—”
Shane put his hand over my mouth. I blinked at him a couple times in disbelief.
“Do you trust me?”
Shane didn’t move his hand, so I nodded.
“Then trust that I only take on things I think I can handle. I don’t have an emotional attachment to Clayton. I’d walk away and leave him there to rot if I thought that’s what you wanted. But it’s not, is it?”
It took me a minute to get myself together enough to shake my head. For better or for worse, Clayton had once been one of the most important people in my life. And though it was his own fault he struggled, I still didn’t want to abandon him, no matter what he’d done to me. But I was too close to the situation to see a solution that didn’t make me want to dive headfirst into a trash compactor.
Reaching up, I gently tugged Shane’s hand away from my mouth. “You really are like those little fix-it robot aliens. Just zooming around solving problems and shit like it’s your destiny or whatever.”
“Does that mean you trust me?”
Giving him the nod of approval took the rest of my strength and I let myself ease back and lean against the sloped wall of the tub. I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths. When I opened my eyes, Shane was looking at me with that soft gaze of his. Sometimes I swear he was part heart-eyed emoji.
“I trust you.” I waved him away like royalty dismissing a loyal subject. “Let me soak. Or drown. Something. One or the other.”
Shane booped the end of my nose again. “No drowning. I’m going to call Kieran.”
“Shit. I didn’t text Cyrus.”
“I did. Don’t worry about it. They send their love. Did you need anything before I call Kieran? He’s probably going to talk my ear off.”
“Can I have a kiss?”
