Chapter 12
Jesse
“Mikaila…,” Was all I could get out before I started coughing up a lung.
Mikaila looked at me and said, “Jesse, it’s me. I’m right here. Don’t talk.”
“How are…” I tried to ask what she was doing there, but another coughing fit kicked in. Just saying her name was poison. If I could talk long enough without coughing, I’d tell her to get the fuck out.
“Don’t talk, Jesse. You took in a lot of smoke.”
Brady came into the room and gave me a look that said something was wrong. I knew that look. His tone was annoyed when he asked, “Mikaila, can you give me and Jesse a minute? Alone?”
Mikaila seemed offended and said, “I don’t want to leave him.” She wasn’t even with me.
I glared at Mikaila with hellfire in my eyes. “Out...” I managed to croak out.
A look of worry crossed Mikaila’s face, but she said, “I’ll be back later,” and walked out.
Pointing to a glass of water on my bedside tray, I choked out, “Brady…”
Brady gave me the water and explained while I took a sip, “Listen man… I’ll be quick. I called Laida and she was just here.”
“Here? Where?”
“She’s gone now. She came in while you were recovering and Mikaila made it seem like she was the one who should be here with you. Then you woke up and said Mikaila’s name, and I think that’s what fucked Laida up. She left, man.”
Fuck! I knew she was thinking the worst. “That’s not…” It was so fucked up. I needed to go to her. “That’s not what I was doing. I wanted…” more coughing. Brady gave me more water. “I wanted to tell Mikaila to get the fuck out of here. Why is she here? How is she here?”
Then Brady said something that made all the sense in the world and pissed me off. “I think Ethan called her. It’s the only explanation I have because he greeted her when she got here. Why the fuck would Ethan call Mikaila?”
Rolling my eyes, I laid my head back on the pillow trying to breathe better and open my airway.
Then it dawned on me. I tried to get it out fast to Brady before I hacked up another lung.
“He hit on Laida at the firehouse once and she turned him down. My guess… he thought if Mikaila were back, he could move in on Laida. I’m going to fucking beat the shit out of that asshole. ”
“Damn, that’s fucked bro, but you need to rest. Look at yourself.”
I was too busy hacking…and thinking. Laida was never going to forgive me. She thought I wanted Mikaila there. It was the furthest thing from the truth. “Brady, I need you to go see her. Explain everything.”
“I don’t know, man. She’s really upset.”
“Please… I… I didn’t think I would want to date anyone after Mikaila. Laida is special. I don’t know what I’d do without…”
“Okay. Easy, big guy. We aren’t getting romantical here.
I’ll go talk to her.” I laughed, until I started choking again.
“Jesus, man. Okay, you gotta sleep and get better. I’ll go talk to her tomorrow during normal business hours, so no one gets the wrong idea, like I’m trying to date her.
Besides, she’s probably upset right now and needs time to calm down. ”
I nodded at him. “You’re probably right. Thanks. Call me tomorrow, after you talk to her.”
“You know I will. Get some sleep. I’m going to grab a coffee. I’ll be back in a few.”
A few minutes after Brady walked out, Mikaila came back in. Right on fucking time, as usual, to fuck things up. She teased, “Hi, baby.”
She’s fucking batshit crazy. “You can’t be serious right now, Mikaila. Did you fall on your head?”
“No, silly. Jesse, I miss you. I’m sorry for everything that happened between us. I’m so glad you’re okay. I was so worried.”
I wanted to throw up a little bit. “Who called you?”
“What? I’m so confused.”
I repeated, “Who called you and told you to come here?”
“Ethan. He was scared and said you would feel better if you woke up and saw me here. I thought you told him that you still had feelings for me or something.”
“My fucking god. Ethan is a dirtbag, Mikaila. You have lost the fucking plot. I want you to leave and never come back. I never want to see you again.” I couldn’t sugar coating anything with her.
“Jesse…”
I held my hand up to stop her from talking. “No. You fucked my best friend. My ex best friend. What’s the matter? That tiny needle dick not doing it for you anymore? Get the fuck out of here, Mikaila. You and I… never again.”
Her expression changed from shocked to angry, then from angry to hurt. Good, I thought. It didn’t even come close to the way she made me feel. She didn’t say anything, just picked up her purse and stormed out.
Everything was a mess and I needed to fix things with Laida.
She probably felt betrayed, and I was stuck in a fucking hospital bed.
There was no way I could wait for Brady to go see her.
It was just a little smoke inhalation and heat exhaustion.
They treated me with an I.V. full of fluid and I already felt better.
Keeping me in the hospital was just for them to watch over me and let me rest, but I’d only rest after I knew Laida was okay and she understood that I didn’t want Mikaila, I wanted her.
Brady came back into the room to see me getting myself dressed. “Whoa. What the fuck are you doing?”
Giving him a stern look, I said, “You’re gonna take me to Laida.”
“Woah! First, it’s almost four o’clock in the morning. Second, you haven’t being released. Did you yank your fucking I.V. out?”
“You know as well as I do, I’m fine. I’ll drink more water. They’ve given me a steroid to help with the inflammation in my airway. I’ll schedule a follow-up appointment. We can pick up some cough drops on the way. Let’s go.” Cough, Hack, Cough.
“Cough drops? For fuck’s sake, Jesse, Chief isn’t gonna like this.”
“I’ll deal with the Chief later. Get me out of here.”
***
Brady and I pulled down Laida’s gravel driveway.
I glanced at him and said, “I’ll be right back.
” When I got to her door, I knocked, but she didn’t answer.
I knocked harder and louder. I could hear Rusty barking.
She wouldn’t be happy about that. When she finally peeked through the curtain in the door, she looked startled and confused. Then she opened it and stared at me.
“Hey,” I said, then coughed and doubled over.
“Jesse! What the hell are doing here? You’re supposed to be in the hospital.”
“Water…”
“Come here.” She grabbed me and helped me walk inside. “Are you bleeding?” We looked down at my arm. I didn’t apply pressure long enough to where I had taken the IV out.
I shrugged. “Oh, that. It’s fine. It’s where I yanked the IV out.”
“Oh my god! You’re crazy. Sit down here, in the kitchen. Let me get you cleaned up.” I watched Laida as she rushed around the kitchen to get me a glass of water and a first-aid kit. After she handed me the water, she said, “I can’t believe you left the hospital… do I smell cough drops?”
“Yeah, the herbal kind. I thought you’d like that.” Cough. Hack. Cough.
She shook her head, laughed, and said, “Oh, well that makes everything better. You’re an idiot. Drink up.”
I drank the water and said, “Obviously. Listen, Laida… it’s not what you think.”
“What’s not? If you mean Mikaila, it’s not my business.” She placed a bandage over the I.V. hole in my arm. “You aren’t my boyfriend. We fooled around. I get it if you want to go back to Mikaila. That’s your choice.”
I was angry, maybe a little hurt. “Are you serious? We fooled around? I’m never fooling around with you, Laida.
” My ribs and chest were yelling at me like I’d gotten the shit kicked out of me.
She stood up, so I stood to meet her and explain before she kicked me out.
“Laida, I care about you. I don’t want to be with Mikaila.
Ethan called her and suggested she come.
Ethan likes you and was mad that you turned him down, so he called Mikaila…
” I started coughing again because I was getting worked up.
“Jesse, slow down. Here, drink more water.”
After swigging more water, I set the cup on the table so I could continue. “He called Mikaila so that you would think something was going on between us. Then he could move in on you.”
“Well, that’s just a really shitty thing to do. It made me feel like shit. When you woke up, you said her name.”
“I was shocked she was there and wanted to tell her to get the fuck out.”
Laida looked nervous, and asked, “Did you? Tell her, I mean.”
I took a step towards her. “Yes. My exact words were that I wanted her to leave and never come back. She didn’t take it well but that’s not my concern. You are.”
“When Brady called…”
“Brady! Shit! He’s still sitting outside. Can I stay, Laida? If so, I’ll tell him he can go home.”
She seemed hesitant. “I don’t know, Jesse. This whole thing…”
I reached up, placing my hand on her cheek. She leaned into me. “Please, Laida. Let me stay.” She nodded. “I’ll be right back.”
After I let Brady know that I’d be staying the night, I went back inside to find Laida standing at her kitchen sink, staring out her window.
Rusty was lying on the kitchen floor, asleep.
He was never far from her. I stood behind her and wrapped my arms around her, feeling her lean back into me.
“You smell so good,” I whispered into her neck.
“You smell like smoke…and cough drops.”
I took a step back. “I know. I’m sorry, Laida. I’m sorry she showed up and that you even had to deal with her.”
She turned to look at me. “It’s okay. I understand what happened now, but I was more worried about you. Worried that… something far worse had happened to you. I don’t know if…” She shook her head.
I knew in my gut what she was going to say. She didn’t know if being with me was good for her. If she could handle it. It was the last thing I wanted to hear. “Don’t.” I closed the gap between us again. “Don’t say it.”
“Jesse…”
Leaning into her, our lips were just inches apart. “Don’t Laida. Just be with me. Don’t be afraid.” I cradled her face with both hands and kissed her. Moving my right hand down her back, I pulled her tight against me. “Let’s just…go to sleep. Okay?”
She quietly grabbed my hand and led me upstairs. She didn’t need to say anything. So much had happened that night, and even if she had doubts, at that moment, she was going to rest with me, and we’d figure everything else out later.