Page 38 of Stay With Me
“Do all of you live here?” I ask.
“Not everybody. Some guys have ol’ ladies, kids, shit like that. They have their own places in town. But us single fellas, yeah.” He says, stopping in front of a heavy steel door at the end of the hall. “You sure about this? I don't know what kind of condition your boy is in inside there.”
“I’m sure. Open the door,” I say, crossing my arms across my chest protectively.
“Let me talk with Doc. I don’t wanna bust in there and interrupt his work,” Axel says and I nod. He disappears behind the door for a moment before coming back out and gesturing for me to come inside.
I brace myself for what I’ll find when I step into the room. Everett lies on the table, his shirt cut down the center and laying open to the sides. A man in full surgical attire holds an instrument inside his abdomen as blood flows freely across his waist and hips, and drips onto the floor. I suppress the panic that’s gripping my heart and focus on the rhythmic beeps of the monitorsconnected to him. Those steady beep-beep-beeps are the only thing proving to me he’s still alive.
“He said you can stay, but don’t get in the way, cher.” Axels says, and I nod. He takes a seat on the stool next to the door as I watch the doctor work meticulously on Everett. Another man works by the doctor’s side, handing him gauze and tools when he asks. I’m impressed by the facilities they have in this building. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say we were in a hospital.
The doctor works diligently for what feels like an eternity. In reality, it’s only about half an hour, but I feel the minutes of my life ticking by in time with the beeps of Everett’s heart monitor.
“Got it,” Doc says, holding the bullet up before dropping it into a tray at the bedside. Blood pours from the wound as the doctor hurries to stanch the bleeding. The monitor flatlines and my heart wrenches in my chest. “Aw, shit.”
“I’ll hang another unit,” his assistant says.
I scramble to stand next to Everett’s head, watching as he breathes from a tube placed to keep him stable through surgery. Carefully, I weave my fingers through his hair and bring my lips down to his ear as Doc continues his work.
“You listen to me, Everett Blake. You told me you would never make me a promise you couldn’t keep. You told me you were going to give me the life I always dreamed ofhaving. The only way you can do that is by coming back to me, baby. Every dream I have is with you, Ev. You told me no one has ever chosen you before. Well, I do. I choose you. And I’m going to choose you over and over, every night and every morning. I choose you to always be by my side for every moment I have left in the world. In a life full of unlimited, constant choices, I choose you.” I whisper in his ear, where only he can hear me. I don’t know if I really believe he can hear me, but I’d do anything to bring him back to me.
“Bleed controlled, starting CPR now. Decker, give him a shot of Epi and charge the fucking defibrillator,” the doctor orders.
I back up until my shoulders meet the wall as the world around me spins in slow motion. The flurry of activity in front of me barely registers as tears stream down my cheeks. My eyes close as I drop down until I’m sitting on the floor.
Clear,silence.
Clear, silence.
Clear…
twenty-nine
I CHOOSE YOU…
I hearher voice echoing around me, calling me to her. But I can’t see her, can’t find her anywhere in my mind. A repetitive burning in my chest causes an agony unlike anything I’ve ever felt before. All I want is to make the pain end, but I know Kelsea needs me. I won’t leave her like this.
“Come back to me.” Kelsea’s angelic voice breaks through the fog as I feel myself crash back into my body.
“We got em’! Pulse is steady, he’s back,” an unfamiliar voice says.
The sound of Kelsea’s sobbing rings in my ears, and I want more than anything to reach for her, to comfort her. I cough, trying to dislodge something from my throat. As fire races through my veins, Ichoke, gasping for breath. I want to get up. I want to get off this fucking table and hold Kelsea, but my body is numb.
“Easy, easy, son. Don’t try to move. We’re gonna pull this tube out, but you gotta relax,” the man says, and I try to follow his instructions. I will my eyes to open but they feel like lead weights. Oxygen rushes into my lungs as the obstruction disappears and I gasp, fighting to gain control of my body again.
“K-Kels…” my throat feels like fucking sandpaper as I force my vocal cords to work. And then I feel it. The relief of her skin against mine like velvet in my hands. Her sweet almond scent surrounds me and I cling to it, letting it saturate into my pores.
“I’m right here, baby. I’m right here.” She squeezes my hand tightly and I try to return the gesture, my limbs feeling foreign.
“Welcome back, son. You’re gonna be okay, just relax,” the doctor says.
“You’re one tough son of a bitch,” Axel says from his post next to the door.
“I’m Doc. We’ve loaded you full of painkillers, so you’re gonna feel pretty tired and numb. I was able to remove the bullet and repair the damage internally, but you’re gonna need a helluva lot of rest,” I grunt in response, trying to clear the fog from my brain.
“It’s okay, honey. You’re gonna be okay,” Kelsea says, placing soft kisses on my head as she strokes my hair.Before I can respond to either of them, exhaustion steals my energy and I drift into the darkness.
When I open my eyes again, I see Kelsea asleep in a chair in the corner of the room I’m in. My surroundings are completely unfamiliar, but they don’t feel like a standard hospital room. I take a moment to watch the steady rise and fall of her chest as she sleeps. Her mouth is barely hanging open as she snores softly. The corner of my lips tip up in a smirk. Even in her sleep, she’s so fucking beautiful.
