Chapter Thirty
MILES
PRESENT
The sound of footsteps shuffling past my room has become some kind of odd comfort to me in the last few days. But today is the last day I’ll hear it, I’m being discharged and can go home to rest. Right now, the home I’m heading to is the Lost and Found.
When my mom called telling me to go home, I froze. Not because I was thinking about going back to the States, but because it hadn’t even crossed my mind to do so, and I hadn’t even realized it until that moment.
I didn’t imagine myself flying there, being with my parents, or anyone else.
I had only imagined myself here, surrounded by this family, in this town.
All I could think about is that I have more time.
Six weeks to show Marina just how much I regret what happened between us.
Six weeks to mend things. And even if nothing changes for her, I’ll know I tried.
I think Marina took my silence as my consideration, but that’s not what it was at all, it was introspection. She hasn’t come back since then. I’ve tried calling her over and over but she won’t pick up. Every moment she’s not here chips away at my worry. The worry that she doesn’t trust me at all .
She has no reason to, but I hoped she would anyway. Now that hope is dwindling.
“Alright, pretty boy,” Leo’s voice echoes through the room as he saunters in. “You ready to bust out of here?”
“Don’t know if I’ll be doing much busting but I am so ready to get out of here and breathe in some fresh air. I hate hospitals.”
“Me too, man, get changed and we can get you out of here.” He chucks a duffel bag on the end of my bed before slouching into the chair.
I’m sort of surprised that Leo is the one here to pick me up, considering he would've had to fight my sister to get her to stay at home. But I'm slowly realising just what kind of a person he is. One that shows up for people when they need it, like now.
I slowly swing my legs off the side of the bed. “Can you get the nurse?”
“Why? What’s wrong?” He sits upright.
“Nothing,” I shake my head. “But I’m gonna need a hand getting this shirt on safely.”
He stands up. “I can help you, man.”
“No, it’s fine,” I wave him off. “The nurse can do it.”
“So can I,” he says. “It doesn’t have to be weird unless you make it weird.”
I chuckle, but wince at the movement. “Yeah, alright.”
I go into the bathroom and take the gown off, switching into a pair of sweatpants Leo brought before walking out into the room with the T-shirt in hand.
I carefully remove the sling, keeping my arm in the same position once it’s gone.
“Okay,” Leo mutters, his eyes assessing how he’s going to do this.
“Right, I’m going to slide the sleeve over your arm,” he says, doing exactly that, following the angle of it and doing his best not to bump it.
Once it reaches my shoulder, he’s pulling the neck hole over my head, and I’ve just got to thread my left arm through and we’re good.
“Easy,” he says, looking proud of himself .
“Thank you.”
“I’m sorry,” is how he responds.
I frown, tugging on the shirt to pull it down my body. “For what?”
He slumps back into the chair, rubbing a hand over his jaw. “I should’ve pulled you out as soon as I saw him.
“I chose to fight him, Leo.”
“I know you did, but we should have seen it coming. After you pinned him that first round I thought you might actually be alright but—” he shakes his head. “It was stupid, look at where you are now. I’m sorry you can’t work now, that you had to have surgery. I’m just sorry, Miles.”
I sit at the edge of the bed. “If anyone’s to blame it’s me, I got cocky. Plus, I probably deserved the beating.” It sounds pathetic, but it kind of feels like the universe playing the karma card.
“What are you talking about?” he says.
I shrug with my left shoulder. “I don’t know I—” I look over at him but he’s just looking at me with pure curiosity, the kind that makes me feel like I could open up to him. “I feel like all of you should hate me.”
He barks out a laugh. “You’re Isla’s brother, none of us are going to hate you.”
“No, but—” I pause. Do they not know? “Marina, did she not… Do you…” He looks at me blankly. “Okay, that’s a no.”
“What should we know exactly?”
Well fuck, there’s no getting out of this now.
“Marina and I… Four years ago, we were a thing.”
“A thing?” he asks, his eyebrow quirked.
“Yeah, a thing. This wonderful thing, this amazing thing that was unlike any other thing I’ve ever experienced and I fucked it up big time. I left, and I should’ve stayed, I should’ve told her the way I loved her, the way I still do I…”
A smirk climbs up Leo’s face, an invisible string pulling at the corner of his mouth.
“I’m so glad this is enjoyable for you,” I say .
He shakes his head. “I know, I knew, we all do,” he says, as if it’s obvious.
I frown. “Well then why did you just act like you didn’t know, not even thirty seconds ago?”
That string tugs tighter. “I just wanted to see what you’d say.”
I choke on a laugh. “You’re a dick.”
He just grins. “It’s part of my charm.”
I just shake my head, exhaling a laugh. Leo crosses his ankles.
“Look, we are all unhealthily protective of Marina. She’s the one person who holds us all together, she’s the glue.
But no one hates you, man. Shit happens.
In this instance you were the shit, you broke her heart, you suck.
” I look around the room, looking for an escape from this conversation.
“ But , we’d all be fools not to see the way you’re trying to win her back, and based on everything she’s ever said about you, you seem like a good guy even if you made one massive mistake. ”
I’m surprised by his honesty, finding myself appreciating him more with every day I spend around him. He reminds me of Wes. “I think she thinks I’m going to leave again.”
He raises his eyebrows. “Well, are you?”
“No, I—” I rub a hand over my brow. “She was in here yesterday when my mom called, and when my mom asked me if I was going home, Marina bolted. It seems to be her automatic response when it comes to us now.”
“You can’t say shit. You’re the one who left in the first place.”
I tip my head. “Fair point. But she didn’t get to hear me tell them that I didn’t even think about going back, that I’m going to stay here because…” I shake my head.
“What?”
“This place feels like somewhere I could spend a while in.”
“This hospital?” He looks around the room.
“Shut up,” he just grins. “Ruby Cove. I’ve moved around since I can remember, and I don’t even really have a home anymore. But I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else for six weeks than there. More than anything, I just want to be around her, but she doesn’t know that.”
“Then let’s get out of this dreadful place so you can go and fucking tell her!” He picks up my bag and walks straight out the door. I just follow him with a stupid look on my face and butterflies in my tummy.
“But,” he starts up again. “If you fuck her over one more time, just remember how easily you went down in that ring. And know I have Boulder on speed dial.”
I bark out a laugh at that. “Yeah, okay, big man. Let’s go.”