27. Cassidy
cassidy
. . .
M y chest is tight, not only from the smoke. Travis was here. I wished with all of my being that he would come after putting out the fire, but with how quickly he arrived at the hospital, the men he trusts with his life are still at the shop. Travis? He came for me.
We’ll have our work cut out for us once everything is cleaned up. I’m grateful I still have my other jobs in the meantime. I didn’t have a chance to talk to Pop about it, but with the damage at the shop, the situation seemed to have resolved itself. At least for now.
“I’m so glad you’re okay, Cass,” Pop says softly. “As soon as I got the call from Cay…” He lets out a long breath. “Travis screamed at his chief. He needed to make sure you were okay. I know when you were kids he was—how do I put this lightly—a fuckboy, I believe you called it?” I laugh, but it hurts. “Shit, I’m sorry, sweetheart. I won’t make light of it. I don't need to cause you any discomfort. But I hope you know he’s not the boy he was. He’s a man so in love with you. He beat me to the hospital, and they wouldn’t let him see you, wouldn’t give him an update. I’m surprised they didn’t call me ; I thought I was your emergency contact, or at least Caleb.” My eyes blow wide. “Don’t tell me. Zack?” I nod. “Shit. I’ll have to see if they contacted him. He’s the last person who should be here right now. Will you be okay if I step away for a few minutes?” I nod again and Pop kisses me on my temple. “I’ll be right back.”
I’m in hell. Protocol would be to contact him; he was number one on my list. I can only hope he didn’t pick up, but then why did Pop or Cay not get a call?
Several minutes pass and my heart begins racing, enough that it triggers the monitors. A nurse I don’t recognize rushes in, making me even more nervous. The last thing I need is some inexperienced new girl to fuck up my oxygen or IV. Except, that’s exactly what she does before I can remove my mask to stop her. I’m hit with a blast of the corticosteroid and pain med cocktail they have me on, and everything goes black.
I ’m groggy as I wake to Pop and Travis at my bedside with… Zack? This has to be a dream; some fucked up Wizard of Oz scene that didn’t make the cut in the original.
“She’s awake!” Travis yells toward the open door, then asks me, “Scale of one to ten, baby. How are you feeling?”
Zack groans when he hears Travis call me baby. He shouldn’t be here, and I don’t want him to be. I try to piece together what happened when Pop quietly echoes, “How are you feeling?”
I squeeze a hand two times, unsure if it’s my father or Travis. It must be Travis, because he mutters, “Fuck,” under his breath. “Where is her doctor? ”
Moments later, a blurry figure enters with a white coat. It’s either Dr. Morrow or Dr. Baker—my hope is the latter. Their voice is a bit muted, and I can’t tell which one it is. I’m able to make out Pop saying, “My daughter forgot to remove him as an emergency contact. He refuses to leave, and because she wasn’t awake, he had a right to be here.”
Travis lets out a feral growl. I reach for him, unable to keep my eyes open. He squeezes my hand and whispers, “I’m right here, Cass. I’m not going anywhere. Do you want Zack to go? Squeeze once for no, two for yes.” I squeeze twice. “She wants him gone.”
The doctor approaches and he takes my hand, asking the same question. It’s Dr. Baker, thank fuck. I squeeze his hand twice and he tells Zack to leave. He pitches a fit, but I only catch half of it. I can’t seem to focus properly. He asks Travis and my father to step out, and they do, reluctantly.
The door shuts and he asks, “You know the drill. We need to ask about pain in your whole body; I’ll start at your toes. As I go through each one, squeeze my hand with your pain level.” He begins listing off every major body part, and I reply with various pain levels. Most are nominal—I have a high pain tolerance—my lungs being a six. He orders scans, and promises the incompetent nurse isn’t anywhere near my room again.
As he leaves, Travis and Pop enter, and Pop announces, “I’ll be by in the morning, but someone will be by shortly with paperwork to remove Zack as your first emergency contact. Do you want me to have them add Ingrid?” I shake my head and point to Travis. Pop smiles and nods once. “Consider it done. Get some rest, sweetheart. You’re in good hands with Travis here.” He leans in and kisses my cheek, whispering, “I love you. ”
Pop leaves, and it takes everything in me to not burst into tears. All of this is my fault. If I had paid better attention to Inferno or blew out the candle when Travis dropped him off. The shop could be destroyed because of me.
Travis sits on the side of the bed, squeezing my hand. His voice is soft as he asks, “Are you feeling any better?” I shake my head once. “The doctors are saying they need you to stay overnight, but I want to bring you home tomorrow if you’re up to it.” He swallows thickly, unshed tears making his eyes red. “If you still want to move in with me.”
How could I not? I would scream it from the rooftop if I could actually breathe properly. I squeeze his hand tighter, then scoot over, careful not to screw up my IV or oxygen. He slides onto the bed, and I rest my head on his shoulder. Before he can stop me, I remove my mask to quickly tell him, “I love you, take me home.”
“Cass,” he growls. “Keep that on. As soon as the doctors clear you, you’re coming home with me, even if you don’t want to move in yet. Pop or Caleb can bring over a few things for you. Ingrid is still out of town, but she said she’ll be by the lake house the minute she’s back. Until then, I’m not leaving your side.” His thumb swipes over mine, and I can’t help my eyes from welling with tears. I don’t deserve him. A minute later, he startles. “Shit!” Scrambling off the hospital bed, he kisses my forehead, then rushes for the door. “I’m sorry. I’ll be back in thirty minutes. I need to get something.”
I chuckle to myself. So much for not leaving my side.
The next hour, I’m visited by my doctor informing me that my scans are scheduled for the morning. A nurse also comes in to check my vitals.
When Travis returns, he has a small duffle I don’t recognize. “Sorry, it took longer than I thought.” Rummaging in the bag, he recites the contents. “Okay, I have your favorite pajama pants, a nursing top from Ingrid—so you can dress without messing with your IV—and a few other essentials.” He pulls out a prescription bottle. “The nurse said they won’t administer antidepressants, so I grabbed yours from home. Since your purse is still at the shop, she was able to put in refill for your birth control. I’ll pick it up from the hospital pharmacy in an hour.” I mime writing, and he hands me his phone.
You didn’t have to do that.
“Yes, I did.” He drops the bag onto one of the chairs and climbs onto the bed next to me. “I know you hate it but let me take care of you.”
I sigh, and for once, give in.