Chapter 62
62
TEGAN
Dennis excuses himself to go grab some food from the cafeteria before it closes. I don’t want him to leave, but at the same time, I’m exhausted. I could nap while he’s getting food.
My eyes are starting to drift shut when the door to my hospital room cracks open. Suddenly, I am completely alert again.
“Hello?” I call out. I wonder if it’s the nurse with more pain medication. Not that I can have much while I’m still pregnant.
But it’s not the nurse. It’s Jackson .
Unlike my brother, who looks like he slept in his clothes the last three days, Jackson is wearing a crisp white shirt and tie, and his black hair looks relatively neat given that it’s the end of a long day. Only his eyes look slightly bloodshot behind his thick glasses. They rake over me, from my swollen belly to my gauze-covered foot and ankle, and they widen slightly even though I can tell he’s struggling to hide his reaction. I’m sure I look shockingly awful.
“How are you doing?” he asks stiffly.
The question tugs on my nerves. I can’t believe the nurse let him come in here. “I’m absolutely wonderful.”
He has the good grace to look embarrassed. “I know. I’m sorry. I’m just glad you’re okay.”
Is he? The officer said your car had been tampered with prior to your accident. Who would have the motivation to tamper with my car? Simon, of course. But he would never do it himself. He would get somebody else to do it. A lackey who has been driving out for the last couple of months to handle the girl he knocked up.
“Listen.” He drops into the chair by my bed. “We need to talk.”
He is uncomfortably close to my bed. Did the nurse really let him in here? I was clear that I didn’t want any visitors besides my brother. But I’ve gotten to know Jackson pretty well recently. He’s a jerk for not believing what I told him about Simon, but I genuinely can’t imagine him hurting anyone.
The officer said your car had been tampered with prior to your accident.
“I’m too tired to talk,” I say. “I…I’d rather you leave.”
“This will be quick,” he promises.
“Jackson…”
“No, let me say this.” He levels his gaze at me. “The other day, when you said that stuff about Simon and what he did to you, I was really surprised. My job is to protect Simon, you know?”
“Uh-huh…”
“And I handled it horribly.” His light-brown eyebrows scrunch together. “I always heard stories about women having the courage to be honest about what happened to them. That’s what you did, and I reacted in the worst possible way. Worse, I covered for Simon. I’m so ashamed of my behavior.”
I frown. “Are you?”
“I really am.” He fixes his eyes on me. Are his pupils dilated, or am I just imagining it? His eyes suddenly look darker than usual. “I’m really sorry things turned out this way, Tegan. Truly. You of all people don’t deserve it.”
Jackson is making me really nervous now. I don’t know why, but it feels like something isn’t right here. Jackson’s apology feels off somehow. I mean, it’s hard to believe he’s sorry after what he said to me. I wish Dennis would hurry up and get back from the cafeteria.
There’s nobody outside my room that I can see. I push down on the red call button to contact the nurse. The last time I called, the nurse appeared almost instantly. But now it doesn’t seem like anyone’s out there.
“Did you call for the nurse?” Jackson asks. Damn, I didn’t realize he saw me do that. “They’re signing out for the next shift right now. I doubt anyone is coming for a bit.” He pauses. “It’s just you and me.”
I feel like I’m going to be sick. “Oh…”
“But I can help you.” There’s a glint in his eyes that sends a chill down my spine. “Tell me, Tegan. What do you need?”
“Nothing,” I say quickly. “I’m fine.”
“But you hit the button for the nurse.”
“It was a mistake.”
Jackson considers my words for a moment. He glances at the door, verifying that we’re still alone here. We are. “Listen, Tegan…”
I squirm in the bed. “Jackson… I… I’m really tired…”
“I’m sure you are.” He leans in closer to me. Too close—I can smell his aftershave. A minty smell, much different from Simon’s cologne. “But there’s something you need to know…”