Chapter 64
64
TEGAN
“Teggie? You okay?”
Whatever Jackson was about to say or do to me gets interrupted by Dennis standing at the entrance to my hospital room. Jackson rotates his head to look at my brother and gives him a dirty look.
“Tegan and I were talking,” Jackson says irritably.
“Actually, we were done talking.” I flash Dennis a look to let him know that I need Jackson out of my room ASAP. “And I’m really tired.”
Jackson’s clean-shaven jaw twitches. “Tegan…”
“She’s had a long day, Jackson.” Dennis shoots Jackson a hard look. “Time to head out, man. Whatever it is, you can talk tomorrow.”
For a moment, I’m worried Jackson might refuse to leave and that things could get ugly between him and my brother. I’m relieved that Dennis has arrived to defend me at least—after everything that’s happened to me, it’s nice to have someone in my corner. But then Jackson lifts himself off the chair and gives me one last, long look. “We need to talk tomorrow, Tegan,” he says. “First thing.”
All I know is I’m not giving him another chance to be alone in a room with me.
Finally, Jackson turns and trudges into the hallway. I had expected to feel the tension drain out of my body with his exit, but somehow I still have an uneasy feeling I can’t seem to shake, like there’s still danger on the horizon. I put a hand on my belly, and Tuna gives me a reassuring kick.
“Jesus,” Dennis says as he settles back into the seat that Jackson vacated. “What was his problem?”
Truer words have never been spoken. But the weird thing is that the two of them almost seemed like they already knew each other. Dennis even called Jackson by his name. Which is really strange, because how could they know each other? I never mentioned Jackson in my conversations with Dennis, and earlier, he acted like he didn’t know who he was.
“If that lawyer comes back,” Dennis adds, “I’ll make sure to tell him you don’t want to see him.”
I nod, although I’m not certain all of a sudden. When Jackson was by my bed, I wanted him gone. But there was something he wanted to tell me. And the look in his eyes—it wasn’t menacing. It was something else.
It was fear.
“Are you okay?” Dennis asks me for what feels like the millionth time.
I squirm on the mattress, trying to get comfortable, which is almost impossible with my broken ankle and giant belly. “This pain is awful.”
“Yeah, I know.” He frowns. “I broke my leg in three places when I got into that car accident. Remember?”
“Of course I remember.” I had been so worried about Dennis when I got the call about his accident. He was my only family left at that point, and I couldn’t bear the thought of losing him. I hate that I put him through much worse over the last few days. “It was similar circumstances too, wasn’t it? An icy road?”
He nods, his gaze growing distant for a moment. “Right. There had been a snowstorm the night before, but that guy you were dating—Brian, was it?—broke up with you, and you were so hysterical on the phone, I had to come.”
I remember Brian breaking up with me, although I didn’t ask Dennis to drive out—he had insisted. Except now there’s a slight edge to his voice, like he’s upset with me for having forced him to drive in a snowstorm.
He doesn’t blame me for that crash, does he? The accident brought his career as a professional skier to a screeching halt, sure, but he always seemed happy with his life as a ski instructor. He isn’t like our father, who was obsessed with achieving more and more success in his career. And when he failed, it killed him. Dennis is different. He’s content with what he has, and he cares about me more than anything else.
“It wouldn’t be so bad,” I say, “if I had a way to pay for all this.”
“What about your insurance?”
I glance over at the IV dripping medicine into my vein. “My insurance is terrible.”
“What about the money from Lamar?”
Despite everything, I feel a surge of irritation. I never told Dennis what Simon did to me, but I explained in no uncertain terms that I wouldn’t be accepting that money. “I told you, I can’t take that money.”
“Yes, but circumstances have changed.” He looks pointedly at my broken ankle. “Maybe you should reconsider.”
He has a good point. Things were bad enough before my accident, but my situation is much worse now. God knows how long I’ll be unable to work because of my broken ankle and infection. I’m falling deeper into the hole than I’ve ever been. And despite the fact that Simon ripped up that contract, I have a feeling if I go back to him, he’d be more than willing to draw up a new one for me to sign.
Except that’s not going to happen. No way. I will not take hush money from that man. He did a terrible thing to me, and I won’t keep my mouth shut and let him do it to other girls.
“No,” I say with forcefulness that surprises me. “I’m not taking his money. Never.”
Dennis opens his mouth as if to argue with me, but then he shuts it, and his shoulders sag. I feel guilty that he’s the one I’m going to have to rely on to help me after the baby comes, but he’ll be there for me. He always has been.
“Anyway,” he says, “don’t think about it right now. You’ve been through enough, and you look wiped.”
He’s right about that. I have been through far too much the last few days, and even though I told Jackson I was tired in order to get rid of him, my eyelids suddenly feel like lead. Now that my pain is under better control, I can get a decent night’s sleep for the first time in days.
“You should take a nap,” Dennis tells me. “You’re safe now. There’s nothing to worry about anymore.”
“Maybe I will,” I murmur. “Just for a little while…just to…”
And before I can even finish the sentence, my eyes have drifted shut.