Page 133 of Tormented in Silence: The Completed Duet

I have never really talked to Stone. He is intimidating, but he is one of Jackson’s closest friends. He gets up and walks around the bed to stand between Raven and I. Taking my wrist, he checks my pulse and then grabs a blood pressure cuff and stethoscope off of the table in between us. I hold up my arm, and he takes my blood pressure and then listens to my heart. He nods once when he is done. “Looks better than it did.”

A light chuckle sounds next to us, and we both glance over at Raven, who is watching us from her bed. “Stone, you’re supposed to talk to her the whole time, not wait until you’re done, then say ‘looks better than it did.’ You make a really bad doctor.”

Stone sighs and sets everything back down on the table. “Or you make a horrible patient,” he mumbles quietly. I am not even sure if Raven heard him.

She grins at him, watching him walk around the bed back to the chair. “Sorry, what was that?”

He shakes his head at her and sits back down.

“How are you feeling, Rave?” I ask.

She shrugs. “I’m alive.”

She says it so nonchalantly, I know she isn’t okay. I don’t know how to make it better. She is hurt and had to go through that trauma because of me. I stammer, “I’m–”

“Don’t.” She shakes her head. “Don’t apologize for something I would do again in a heartbeat. I am so glad I was there with you, and I don’t wish you had been there alone. My only regret is getting hurt so badly that I can’t be there helping take out my anger on Ben.” She spits his name.

Stone rests his hand on hers, and she looks down at it before meeting his eyes and taking a deep breath.

“Is that where Jackson is?” I whisper.

“Yes. I will text him and tell him you’re awake,” Stone says.

“How long was I out?”

“The first time, twenty-four hours. The second time was almost two days. Axe will be up here soon.”

A few minutes later, Jackson comes in. Trailing behind him is an older man with a large duffle thrown over his shoulder. He is the same height as Jackson but is clean shaved and has gray hair.

He smiles at me, and the corners of his eyes crinkle. “You’re awake!”

Jackson comes straight over to the left side of the bed and kisses my forehead. “How are you feeling, angel?”

I open my mouth to respond, but Stone interrupts. “Her pulse is steady. Her blood pressure looks much better than it did before, but she is still pale. I don’t think she is ready to go without the IV yet. She needs more fluids.”

“Okay,” Raven draws out. “Mother hen, take a breather. He was asking her about her feelings. Not all that crap.” She raises a brow at him. He scowls and crosses his arms.

The older man snickers before walking in between Raven and I’s beds.

“Thank you, Stone,” I say. His eyes shoot up to meet mine, and he gives a curt nod before looking away.

I glance up at Jackson to find him with a small smile on his face.

“I’m okay. I’m tired. Are you okay? We need to talk.” I look around the room again. “But, um, alone?” I question, unsure of how things are going to go from here. Everyone seems fine with me, but after that nightmare the other day, those thoughts still sit at the front of my mind. I also need to see a doctor.

What if I lost this baby, too? Thinking about that scares the shit out of me and threatens to send me spiraling into an anxiety attack.

Hands grab my cheeks as a soft kiss is pressed against my chapped lips. “Hey, stay with me, angel. Everything is going to be okay. Breathe with me.”

I focus on Jackson’s breathing and syncing mine with his. Once my heart rate drops back down, he nods.

“Good girl,” he murmurs. “This is Doc. He is going to check you over, and then we will go from there. Alright?”

My brows furrow. “Doc?”

“Yes, that would be me. I am an actual doctor, believe it or not. I don’t really practice anymore, but I have been around the club for a long time, and these fools call me in when they hurt themselves. Now as for you, since mother hen,” he snickers, “already checked you over some, if you feel like you can walk, then you can use the restroom. Jackson just needs to go with you. Then we can go into a different room and have a discussion. How does that sound?”

I slowly nod and pull the blanket off of me. I’m still in the same leggings as that day, but I’m now wearing one of Jackson’s t-shirts. Jackson helps me out of bed. The lightheadedness hits instantly, and I have to grip him to stay upright.

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