Chapter 20
CHAPTER TWENTY
DIXIE
H e looked so still.
“Tripp,” I say softly, my hand resting on his chest. I am desperate for him to wake up. Desperate to see his beautiful brown eyes. “Tripp,” I try again, my voice cracking. “Tripp...” I trail off and my heart shatters in my chest.
I hear footsteps by the door, and I lift my red rimmed eyes to Riggs. He is leaning against the door frame, arms crossed against his chest.
I palm my tears away and step back from the bed.
“You okay?” he asks, and I nod heavily, sniffling as I play with the hem of my dress. “You sure? Because you sure as hell don't like fine from where I am standing,” he scoffs a soft laugh as he walks a little further into the hospital room.
I look up at him, his kind eyes pinned to mine and I break down when I feel his arms wrap around me, and I sob into his dirty and bloodied white shirt.
I don't even care.
Every one of us lost something today. Every one of our souls altered slightly after today.
“How's Pacey?” I ask, refusing to step out of his brotherly embrace.
“In the ICU, he lost a lot of blood, they think part of his spleen was damaged, but they just wanted to get the bullet removed, get the bleeding stopped and they will keep an eye on him.” His low voice rumbles through his chest where my head rests, my eyes pinned to Tripp. “But the next forty-eight hours are critical.”
I feel myself shiver.
“And Tripp?” I can barely manage to squeeze his name past my lips without a tear cascading down my cheek.
“It's going to be a long road to recovery. Ligament and muscle damage around his hip and pelvis, broken femur and fractured tibia. They've pinned and caged it...” he trails off and I know that, I can see the cage around his leg, can see the way the pins have penetrated through his skin, the dried blood stained. “The bullet went straight through the flesh in his shoulder. They said it was clean. No remnants of the bullet. Also, a few stitches in the back of his head from the fall.”
I nod, not sure why.
“Have you had any news from Marty and Hudson?”
And I realise that I am still standing happily wrapped in Riggs' warm embrace and I know I can step away, but I don't want to. His hard exterior has been left at the door, and I am enjoying the softer side of Riggs. It won't be long before his walls are back up and his armour is on.
“Nothing as of yet, but they probably don't want to bother us.”
“Ahem,” I hear Aspen clearing her throat, but there is not an ounce of jealousy swarming in her voice.
“Hey Wildflower,” he looks over his shoulder and smiles at his fiancée.
“Hey,” she smiles, pushing onto her toes and placing a kiss on his lips.
I push away, eyes red and watery.
Aspen's eyes meet mine, and she throws herself at me, holding me close to her.
“It'll be okay,” she whispers and my heart sinks.
“How are you doing?” I find myself asking, Harlow was her best friend, her sister from another mister. “And Austin?”
“Austin is...” she pauses, her eyes glassing.
My heart .
Her lips part but then they close again, her bottom lip trembles.
“I am so sorry,” I whisper and now it's my turn to comfort her.
We hold onto each other, when we hear a croak of a voice.
We all turn to face Tripp as his eyes flutter open. He blinks a few times, eyes moving slowly between us all.
“Tripp,” I whisper, heart stuttering in my chest and he gives me a small smile, lips pulling at the corners.
“Hey Dixie,” and my feet are moving towards him.
“I'll go get the doc,” Riggs says quietly, leading Aspen from the room.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, I'm mindful to be gentle and not to cause him any discomfort.
Reaching forward, I brush his hair from his face as my eyes settle on his.
“I dreamt of you,” he rasps.
“Did you?” I choke on a sob, tears threatening to fall.
He nods, closing his own eyes as he swallows.
“It was the afternoon we went down to the creek... you in that pretty cream sundress,” he smirks a boyish grin and my heart jack hammers in my chest. “The way the water glistened over our bodies,” he continues, and my breath catches in the back of my throat.
“Always dream of that moment, the best of the best,” he sighs, moving slightly and he winces, head thrown back into his pillow as he grits his teeth.
I stand up, slightly panicked.
“Was it me? Did I hurt you?”
“No, baby, no,” his glistening brown eyes seek mine out.
Baby.
I go to sit back down but Riggs walks through the door with the doctor.
“Tripp,” he smiles over at him, and I take that as my cue to step away.
Moving for the door, Tripp calls out, “Dixie?”
“I'm just going to the restroom,” I give a small smile and he meets me with his own before I walk out the door and leave the man that I once loved; but the truth was, I have never fallen out of love with him.
So, what do I do?
I run.