Page 28 of Stray

“No,” I whisper to myself. I can’t save him, and this here is my only chance. He gave this to me at the cost of his life. I won’t piss it away.

“BRUMBY!” Patrick’s voice cuts through the night, giving me the jolt I need to start moving again. I run as fast as my legs will move through the woods, ignoring the scrapes and cuts from the rocks and branches as I continue to run. I refuse to look back. I refuse to stop. He is going to have to kill me and drag me back.

Jackson

“You’ve reached Oz-” I growl in frustration as I hang the call up again. She left. She left, and now she is either ignoring me or her phone is dead. I’m beyond pissed off. She kisses me and then runs away. What the fuck?!

I continue to storm back and forth on the front porch, torn between going out and looking for her ass and staying here to chew her out when she comes back if she does. I stop moving at that thought. What if she doesn’t come back? I rub the ache in my chest as I look back at the house. Pops would be devastated, and there would be no getting another nurse after this. He would refuse. And I would be–

I whip my head up when I hear tires rolling over the gravel. Ozzy’s car comes up the drive, and I am equal parts relieved and pissed the fuck off as I storm down the steps and march up to her car as she steps out.

“Morning,” she says calmly while biting into a donut.

“Morning?” I glare down at her. “What the fuck, Ozzy?” I watch her bite into the donut again and try to forget about her mouth and how it felt against mine. Fuck, that tongue ring in my mouth felt like a sinful act I’ll never be cleansed of, and that’s fine by me. That kiss was fucking amazing.

“What?” she questions while holding out a box. “I got enough for everyone.”

“Is this really how we’re going to be?” I ask, snatching the box from her. I watch the lost look in her warm eyes, and soften slightly. “I was worried,” I admit under my breath. “You ran away,”

“Yeah, I’m good at running,” she breathes out a laugh. “Best not to get too close to me. Running is what I do best.” I frown as she walks past me and enters the house, leaving me standing with a box of donuts, a thousand new questions, and no idea what to ask first.

* * *

“Oh my god,” Theo pants, placing her hands on her knees. “I’m about to chop this wood naked. I’m warning y’all now.” Carter, Jensen, and I all grimace at the thought. None of us want to see that. Theo may technically be a grown woman, but in our minds, she is a little brother to us.

Carter clears his throat before nudging me in the side. “So, what did you do to Hellraiser?”

“I told you not to call her that,” I state lowly, though he doesn’t seem fazed.

“You also told me not to fuck Emmaleigh Anders, didn’t listen then either.” Theo snorts before spitting on the ground.

“What a man,” Jensen deadpans as he drives his axe through his log. Theo ignores Jensen and points her axe at Carter.

“You’re a dumbass for fucking her,” she states before swinging her axe through her log. She lets out a wheeze before bending over at the waist again.

“What’s the matter, Theo,” Carter taunts. “Getting to be too much to hang out with the real men?” I furrow my brows, and the guys stop laughing just as Theo bites back a cry and goes to her knees.

“Fuck,” I curse, running to her. “Jensen, get Ozzy! Theo, what is it?” I ask, holding her shoulders to keep her up while Carter grabs her a bottle of water.

“I dunno,” she winces and pushes the bottle away. “It hurts, fuck,” she cries out while bending forward. I see her gripping her stomach, and I go to lift her into my arms. “Grab the tools,” I say to Carter as I start heading back to the house. Ozzy is walking out the door with her medical bag, and she looks over at Theo.

“What happened?” she asks, touching Theo’s pale face. “What hurts?”

Theo cries out again and points to her stomach. “Lay her down,” Ozzy orders, and I lay Theo on her back in the grass, only to have her roll to her side in the fetal position. Ozzy drops to her knees and lifts Theo’s shirt. “Does this hurt?” she asks, pressing on the lower right side of Theo’s stomach.

“Mother fucking cock sucker!” Theo screams out as she rolls over.

Ozzy looks up at me, “You need to get us to the closest hospital, now.”

* * *

A ruptured appendix. It’s serious.

Theo was rushed into surgery, but Ozzy says it’s relatively common, and she would be okay. Apparently, Theo was experiencing appendicitis yesterday but thought it was just menstrual cramps, which makes me wonder exactly how bad cramps are.

“You alright?” Ozzy asks as we sit in the OR waiting room.

“Yeah. Sorry, just… tired.” I am tired, more than tired. “I hate hospitals,” I admit for no reason other than to maybe get her to converse with me. She nods her head slowly.

---