Page 59 of Unbreakable

“Good afternoon, how is our patient doing?” she asks me as she walks over to the bed and begins doing her checks of his pulse, temperature, the fluid levels, adjusting the drip of the bags attached to his pump. She does a quick look under the sheet, her eyes bulge before she quickly corrects it, and then checks his urine bag.

“Oh you know, he’s talking my ears off not letting me get a word in edgewise.” I tell her while she is checking everything.

“Well, everything looks good, you just keep talking to him, don’t lose hope. He’s in there, just needs to heal a little before coming back to us. Well, I have to go to my next patient, but I’ll be back in an hour or so. If you need anything just press the button and it’ll go straight to the nurses station.” she tells me one last time, with compassion in her voice. She leaves the room quietly shutting the door behind her.

I turn my gaze back to Jace, drinking him in. His skin looks too pale for me and his face with his normal jovialness missing has my heart breaking. I grip his hand a little tighter, sucking in a deep breath and begin again.

“Where were we? Ahh yes, me being a hypocrite. I am you know. I’ve told you how I feel about both you and Bash. He explained about how y’all had a conversation about sharing, and I have to admit the thought has me hot as hell. But you see, my heart is breaking for two others, my neighbor and ex professor. I fucked up with them though... I kept them a secret from each other, and it ended in an explosion when they found out. Knox, well he made me feel special, he was gentle and caring and liked me for me. Draco, well he ignited that desire in me to be dominated. Two very different parts of me, and they fulfilled them.” I lean my head down, kissing his hand, allowing the sobs to come from me. I stay like that for a few minutes before pulling myself together once again, wiping the tears from my face. I know I must look a fright right now, mascara probably smeared all over my face.

“I’m going to let you in on a secret, since I know you won’t tell anyone. My father sold me to pay off a debt. I have to return home before my twenty-first birthday and marry the man who bought me. My life isn’t mine anymore. I was ready to give it all up and save my worthless parents, then the four of you popped into my life when I wasn’t even expecting it and I don’t want to leave. I want to be here with you guys, but guilt eats away at me.” I lay my head down on the bed, my eyes focused on our clasped hands as I allow my eyes to fall close and drift off to sleep, dreaming of a world where I could just be with the men I love.

It seems like I’ve just drifted off, when I feel a finger stroking along the side of my face, and a soft, scratchy voice, "dancin’ girl.” It was so soft I almost missed it until I heard it again,"dancin’ girl.” I spring up from the bed, tears flowing down my face like a waterfall as I scream out, “Jace!”

He lets out a laugh, before erupting into a fit of coughs. I reach down and immediately push the button for the nurse’s station.

“How can we help you?” comes across the intercom.

“He’s awake, he’s awake!” I scream out in response.

“A nurse will be right there and I’m paging the Doctor now.”

It’s only a matter of a couple of minutes before a trio of nurse’s come rushing into the room, followed by the Doctor, who requests I step outside the room while they check him over.

I pick up my phone, looking nervously over at Jace not wanting to leave, but knowing I need to. Stepping outside to the hallway, sending out a group text to Vee and Bash.

Me: He just woke up, the Doctor is with him now. They made me leave the room.

I back up against the wall, sliding down it until my ass hits the hard floor, placing my head in my hand. I let loose all the emotion I have been bottling up inside of me and pray Jace is alright and there’s no lasting damage.

I’m not sure how much time has passed, the Doctor and nurses come out of the room, pushing the bed Jace is on, stating they are taking him to have a CT scan done.

I move into the room, dropping back into the chair, and wait for his return. That’s where Bash finds me when he comes barrelling into the room. Looking around before dropping his eyes on me.

My tear filled eyes look up at him, “They took him for a scan, he called my name.”

“Come here baby,” he tells me, and I don’t even realize I’ve crossed the room until he wraps his arms around me, picking me up, and moves across the room, sitting down in the chair I just vacated.

“He’s going to be okay. He’s awake, the first step in recovery. It’s only goin’ to get better from here on out.” he tells me, moving his hand up to my head, brushing the hair out of my eyes, as he gazes longingly into them.

“You promise?”

“Cross my heart baby. I don’t care if I’ve got to kill every fuckin’ doctor in here, they’re gonna make sure he is.” He leans forward, placing his lips on mine and kisses me gently, increasing the force when I respond back with my own kiss.

Reaching my hand up to him, I run my fingers through his hair. We are pulled from our moment by the door to the room opening. The nurses roll the bed back in with a sleeping Jace.

“I—I, thought he had woken up?” I blurt out quickly when I see he’s asleep, scared he’d fallen back into a coma during the time he was gone.

“He did, he’s just asleep.” the nurse tells me, as she moves the bed back in place and locks the wheels, hooking the monitors back up to him.

“If you need anything, you know to push the nurse alarm. I’ll be back to check in on him in a few.” Once she is done reconnecting everything, she turns and heads out the room, closing the door quietly behind her.

We sit there, wrapped in each other's arms and stare at the man sleeping in the bed.

The room is so quiet you could hear a pin drop when I hear Bash speak up.

“I’m lettin’ you know now. I am goin’ to find a way to deal with the age difference even if I have to kick my own self in the ass. Just promise me you won’t give up on me, and you’ll save some room for me.”

“I promise.” I whisper, wanting him to come to grips with it so I can have him, if just for a short time, yet hoping he never comes to grip with it so his heart won’t feel the pain mine will when I leave.

---