Chapter 28
H ayes strode out of the bathroom after showering and lay on the bed. He closed his eyes, but he just knew he wasn’t going to sleep.
What was wrong with him?
He should feel relieved that he didn’t need to feel responsible for her anymore. She had people looking after her.
But they wouldn’t do a good enough job.
Only he could take care of her.
Only he could keep her safe.
His mind drifted as he lay there and suddenly an old memory of May swirled to the surface.
Hayes stared down at May as she wrapped herself around him.
“Hey, what’s all this about?” he asked in concern.
“I don’t know. I’m just going to miss you. You’ll be safe, right?”
“You know I will do whatever I need to in order to get back to you.” He cupped her face, tilting it up toward him. “But if something ever did happen to me, I don’t want you to be sad forever, okay?
“I’d try. And you know I’d want the same for you.”
Hayes opened his eyes. “Fuck.”
It felt like there was an emptiness in his gut and it had nothing to do with the fact that he hadn’t eaten for hours.
It was being away from Devi.
From her sweet smile. Her ability to light up a room. Her kindness. Even her sass.
Was Mac making sure that she ate? Drunk some water? Would Mac or Silla stay with her through the night? What if she had a nightmare?
She wasn’t herself right now, what if she got upset and needed comforting?
“You are not the only person who can take care of her,” he said to himself.
But that wasn’t the way it felt.
This all felt wrong. Was Mac right?
Could he risk falling for her?
Or was he already there?
Where was he?
Why wasn’t he here?
Earlier, she’d woken up to find Silla sitting beside her. She’d commenced chatting her ear off. Then Mac had stayed for a few hours. Finally, they both left and Kent, Hayes’ boss, had come in to let her know that he was guarding her tonight while Hayes got some sleep.
Something seemed to be eluding her. Devi rolled to her side, trying to grab her phone off the bedside table. It clattered onto the floor.
Shoot.
The nurse had removed all of her tubes earlier, including her catheter, so she could move around more freely. Although she had warned Devi to call her if she needed to get up.
But Devi wasn’t doing that. She had to get her phone and she also needed to pee.
No one was going to help her once she left here. So she might as well get used to doing it on her own.
She was always on her own.
Sitting up slowly, the room around her spun a bit. All right, she wasn’t expecting that. Maybe this was going to be trickier than she’d thought. But she would have to learn to do it.
Devi wasn’t sure what was going to happen once she left the hospital. Mac and Silla had both offered her a place to stay. But she didn’t want to be a burden and she couldn’t see how she would be anything but that.
And then there was the safety aspect. She didn’t know if the police would find Fury and those other guys. What if they came after her for talking?
There was no way she would ever risk Mac or Silla.
If only Hayes could stay. But that wasn’t going to happen.
And, frankly, Devi was tired of being screwed over. Of everyone loving someone else more than her. Putting others first. Even Rohan, who she adored, had put the gang first. They should have left this town as soon as she turned eighteen, started somewhere else. It would have been safer.
She wouldn’t have ended up in the hospital with a sliced up arm and cheek and no idea of how she was going to continue on.
It was all too much and she could feel herself starting to panic.
Don’t think about it.
It was better to be numb, to withdraw into herself where she couldn’t get hurt.
So she really, really shouldn’t be thinking about Hayes and wondering why he’d left her.
He didn’t leave you. He’s showering and getting a proper night’s sleep.
He hadn’t slept well in two days.
But what if he doesn’t come back?
That panic returned. Threatening to steal her breath and making her stomach roll.
Calm down.
If you start vomiting, you’ll only draw someone’s attention.
And that was the last thing she wanted right now. She knew that Kent was around. He seemed like a nice guy, but she didn’t know him. And she didn’t want him trying to help her to the bathroom.
Mortifying.
Devi managed to get off the bed. She glanced down at her phone with a groan. Bending over was going to suck. Especially since she couldn’t brace herself with one hand and pick up her phone with the other.
Could she pick it up with her toes? Hmm, she guessed she could try. Using her good hand to brace herself on the bed, she attempted to flip the phone onto its side so she could grab it.
In the end it turned out to be impossible.
The phone was too heavy and her toes were too weak.
Darn it. Who knew that you could have weak toes?
There was no other way to do this. She was going to have to bend over. Slowly, she bent at the waist and grabbed her phone with her good arm, her injured arm cradled against her chest. As she stood, the room started spinning.
Shit. She leaned against the bed heavily. Her injured arm gave a protest at the sharp movement and she had to breathe deep to keep away the nausea.
Nope. Not happening. She was about to faint. Using her hand, which was still holding her phone, she grabbed the side of the bed to ease her journey down as she sat on her ass with a thump.
A low groan of pain escaped her mouth.
Ouch. That freaking hurt.
But the edges of her vision were growing dark and she knew that she had to get her head down between her knees.
Which was pretty damn impossible in the state she was. But she managed to move her injured arm away from her chest with a great deal of effort and quiet moaning. Then she pressed her face to her bent knees.
You are not going to faint.
You are not going to vomit.
And you are definitely not going to pee your pants.
Unfortunately, she wasn’t entirely sure that she wouldn’t do all three. Which was going to be hell to clean up with only one arm and a spinning head.
“Devi? Devi, what the hell? Where is she? They can’t be doing tests at this time of night . . . Kent, where the fuck is she?” Hayes snapped.
For some reason, tears entered her eyes. She should call out. Should tell him to walk around the bed.
But she just . . . couldn’t.
Why was he here now? Where had he been?
Don’t ask.
He’s not your Daddy or your man.
No matter that she wanted him to be both.
Hayes was the guy who felt protective of her for some reason. But he had no obligation to help her.
So she stayed quiet. Of course, she wasn’t exactly thinking properly, because he wasn’t just going to leave without seeing her.
“What?” Kent asked.
“Where is Devi?” Hayes asked urgently.
“She should be in here. She hasn’t left. Is she in the bathroom?” Kent replied.
She heard their footsteps, but couldn’t look up.
“Shit! She’s here, Hayes. Devi, are you all right?” Kent asked.
She felt him come closer, however she couldn’t move her face from her knees. Although she wasn’t sure if that was due to dizziness or embarrassment.
“I’m fine,” she told him. “Just thought I’d sit here for a moment.”
“Devi! Fuck! What are you doing down there? Did you fall out of bed?” Suddenly, she found herself lifted into the air. She couldn’t help but let out a small moan of pain and she felt him stiffen.
“Shit. Fuck. Sorry, baby.”
“Do you want me to call the nurse?” Kent asked.
“No,” she snapped, then she winced. “Sorry, didn’t mean to be rude.”
“It’s all right, Devi,” Kent told her. “You don’t have to apologize.”
But she did. She felt terrible. Why was she snapping at Kent?
“I am sorry. I just . . . I don’t . . .” God, no crying. Where did crying ever get her?
Nowhere.
So she didn’t need to start doing it now.
A warm hand landed on her back as she lay cradled in Hayes’ arms. Hayes let out a low growl which was weird, then he cleared his throat.
“Sorry,” he said gruffly.
“There’s a lot of apologies going around,” Kent said, sounding amused.
Which was kind of odd.
“And no one needs to apologize to me. Devi, is there anything you need? Anything I can get for you?” Kent asked.
She forced herself to open her eyes and turning her head, she looked at him. “You’ve all been so nice. I don’t know how to repay you all.”
Kent smiled at her. “You already have.”
Huh?
“One day I’ll tell you what I mean. But you don’t repay family and you don’t need to apologize, either. Not for being a bit grumpy when you’re in pain. We all understand that.”
“But I’m never grumpy,” she explained.
“Then you’re overdue,” Kent replied.
Overdue to be grumpy? That didn’t seem to make much sense, but she decided he was probably tired.
“You should go get some sleep,” she advised him.
Kent smiled again. Huh, he was actually an extremely good-looking man. She guessed she never really looked at anyone else when Hayes was around.
She tended to just get very focused on him.
“I look that bad, huh?”
Devi’s mouth dropped in horror. “Oh no! That’s not what I meant. I’m sorry.”
“Kent,” Hayes growled.
“Hey, I was just teasing you. My turn to apologize. Family tease each other.”
She hated to disappoint this kind man. But she had to point something out. “We’re not family.”
“We will be. I consider everyone who works for me to be my family. But especially those that don’t have their own families.”
Dear Lord. She just had to keep disappointing him. “I don’t work for you.”
“No, you don’t.”
Huh? This was getting very confusing.
“Kent,” Hayes barked, making her jump slightly.
Ouch. God. Maybe she should have asked to stay on the IV drugs a bit longer.
“Yes?” Kent replied.
“Leave. Now.”
Her eyes widened as Kent whistled cheerfully as he left.
“You shouldn’t talk to him like that!” she told Hayes.
“Why?”