Page 21 of Finding Us Again

He frowned as he looked around the room. “Katie needs her rest, people. You all need to find somewhere else to congregate.”

I began to protest, but Dr. Cole held up his hand. “Don’t. Katie, you won’t heal without adequate rest. So, all these people need to find somewhere else to hang out.”

I nodded, but Foster stepped toward the doctor. “We agree, Doc. We do, but there are security issues we have to worry about as well. With Jackson out of commission for a bit, we had to disrupt Katie’s rest. Plus, those two don’t do so well when the other is injured.”

Dr. Cole grimaced. “I found that out firsthand earlier today. Completely justified, given the circumstances, but I have a security guard with a broken nose to prove that point.”

I winced. Jackson was only trying to protect me, but the security guard was only doing his job. I made a mental note to contact Ava and Evan about paying for the guard’s medical care.

Foster motioned to the others as he told the doctor, “They will all be leaving. I’ll be staying. There will be one of us in the room and another stationed outside the door to the room, as well as all the entrances and exits to this floor.”

Dr. Cole nodded and followed the rest of the team out of the room, leaving Foster and me alone.

Seven

Jackson

I woke up groggy as fuck. My vision was swimmy, and my head spun, or maybe the world was spinning, and I just thought it was my head.

“Jackson?”

Panic ripped through my fucked up head. The voice was familiar, but I couldn’t place it. I tried to warn them away, but when I opened my mouth, I couldn’t say anything. My lips were stuck to something, and I couldn’t move my tongue. Something was in the way.

Gagging, I reached for my face as panic raced toward hysteria. I blinked furiously as the dead air between the beeping sounds next to my head shortened. They closed up until there was barely a distinguishable pause from one to the next.

“Jackson, it’s Dr. Cole. Calm down for me, and I’ll get that tube out.”

My body sighed. Dr. Cole was a good guy. He’d done everything he could to protect Katie and me since we got here.

While he readied me to have the tube pulled out, Dr. Cole updated me. “Since I know you’re worried about her, Katie is fine. Your uncle Foster and parents are with her. She was resting the last time I poked my head in. As for you, the fragments have been removed.”

I nodded, relieved she was okay and getting some rest. She’d been through fucking hell.

“Okay, Jackson, I want you to cough while I pull the tube.”

Once I was mostly tube-free—the one they’d put in my dick was not a welcome sight, and I knew pulling it out would suck just as bad this time as it did a month ago—they moved me back to Katie’s room.

When they rolled me into the room, she sat up in the bed. I watched her wince as she moved, and that small flicker of pain turned the fire back on in my gut. A fire, I was bound and determined to keep fed and banked until I could get my hands on Nina, Neil, and Caleb. Then, when the time was right, I would let loose a world of hurt on them.

Since I was focused on Katie, I didn’t realize the pain was starting to creep into the edges of my consciousness until they transferred me to the bed next to Katie’s. I tried to get them just to put me in bed next to her, but the nurse and orderlies, as well as Dr. Cole, protested, and my mom guilted me into staying put.

Apparently, that wasn’t advised.

Fuck them.

I rolled my eyes. I kept my eyes on Katie while everyone spoke over us and for us. I could see the longing and despair on her face, and it had me surly as fuck. My girl looked lost and alone in that hospital bed, and I couldn’t comfort her.

After I was settled and everyone was finally kicked the fuck out of the hospital for the night, I asked Katie, “Do you wanna come cuddle in next to me?”

She bit her lip, looking at the door hesitantly.

“Fuck them, darlin’. If you need to be in bed with me, then that’s what we’ll do,” I assured her.

A knock sounded at the door, and Hayden, Declan, and Marcie walked in.

Hayden said, “I thought y’all might need some help getting yourselves settled in more comfortably.”

After I nodded, they set to work, moving Katie’s bed so they could move her IV stand closer to my bed. Then Hayden asked, “You okay with me picking you up? You shouldn’t be on that leg just yet.”

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