Chapter 29
Wes
Neither of us can sleep after leaving Rory at the bar, so eventually Kyle and I end up out on the couch together. I put a random movie on, just something to make noise while we wait for Rory. Neither of us watches the movie, instead Kyle holds me in his arms as we drift in and out of sleep. When I look at the time next, it’s three in the morning and Rory still isn’t here. I don’t see any messages from her when I check my phone and I war with myself on if I should be concerned. Concern wins, so I sit up away from Kyle and shove him awake gently.
“Rory’s not here,” I tell him.
“She’ll probably be here soon. It’s not even midnight yet, right?”
“It’s three a.m.”
He bolts upright. “What?”
Kyle checks the time before swearing. We sit there quietly as he scrolls through his phone, looking for any text messages or calls he may have missed. I could tell him he didn’t miss anything, but I know he needs to see for himself.
“Maybe she just went home and fell asleep?” I offer.
He grimaces. “Yeah, I mean, that’s gotta be it. She’d text us if she needed something. It was busy, so she probably just crashed right away.”
My concern doesn’t leave, but there’s nothing we can do short of leaving here and going to her apartment. I don’t think she would appreciate it if we woke her up, so I stand and pull Kyle with me toward the bedroom. We’ll call her in the morning and check in with her. I pull my shirt over my head as I hear my phone ring. Looking at my phone, it’s not a number I recognize, but the name of the local hospital system is displayed under the number. Frowning, I slide the answer button.
“Hello?”
“Hi, is this Wesley Graves?”
“This is.”
“Hi, my name is Carmen. I’m calling on behalf of Aurora Tomlinson.”
“Rory? Wha-Is she okay?”
Kyle snaps his gaze up and those words and stares intently at me. I raise my eyes up to meet his as the woman on the other end of the phone explains to me that Rory is in the observation unit asking for me and Kyle. I’m not sure if I respond to her, but the next thing I know my phone is in my pocket and I’m bolting to the door with Kyle as I pull my shirt back on.
We race to the hospital, Kyle gets us there in record time, and we race through the halls as fast as reasonable. We understand that flat out sprinting isn’t a read idea, but this is no leisurely walk either. Finally there’s a station in front of us. I have no idea if that’s a nurse working or someone else, but they better have answers. The woman working the desk is around our age, a few piercings lining her ears. She looks up at us, cocking an eyebrow in displeasure.
“Can I help you gentleman with something? You are not the only ones with loved ones you know. Some respect would do you well.”
“Please, we got a call that our girl is in observation. Can you tell us how to get to that unit?” I ask, breathless.
She nods, somehow looking like she’s disapproving while still kind. A moment later, after validating our information, we have a room and directions. Stopping in the doorway of her room, my heart sinks when I see her lying in the bed, her face bruised on one side.
“What the fuck?” Kyle chokes out.
My hands fly up to my head and I pull at my hair. We should have waited for her. We should have never left her alone. Kyle and I each take a side and hold a hand. I’m in love with this girl and I wish this hadn’t happened to get me to admit it. She stirs not long after we take her hands in ours. Rory’s eyes flutter open and her face twists in confusion before recognition lights them.
“You came,” she says weakly.
I pull her hand up to my mouth and kiss it. “Of course we did.”
Her head slowly turns to Kyle, and he gives her a smile and brushes some hair gently away from her face. She smiles back before slowly blinking, her eyes filling with tears.
“I’m sorry,” she says softly, tears escaping.
“For what? You didn’t do anything wrong,” I say.
“I should have taken him more seriously. I shouldn’t have dismissed him like that.”
“Who?”
“Nathan.”
“ He did this?” Kyle all but growls.
“Yeah,” she admits before starting to fade back into sleep.
“It’s okay, baby, we’ll talk when you’re better,” I assure her.
Kyle looks over at me, fury in his eyes at the situation. I know he feels as helpless as I do, and just as guilty. We should have trusted our instincts and waited. Instead, we were too worried about being clingy and let that dictate our actions. Never again. Going forward, we’re going to listen to our instincts and work with Rory to make sure she’s being smart and safe. Not a minute after she starts to fade, a nurse comes into the room to check on her.
“She couldn’t tell us much before she drifted off again. What are her injuries?” I ask, knowing Kyle is still trying to reel his emotions in.
The nurse looks between us, trying to decide if she should tell us anything.
“I don’t think I can tell you anything without her permission unless you’re listed as someone who can receive her medical information.”
“You can tell them. S’okay.” Rory says softly from the bed.
“I thought you were out. Sorry if we woke you,” I tell her.
“Was just resting my eyes,” she replies without opening them, a slight smile peeking through.
The nurse gives a small smile and explains the injuries to us as she does her routine checks. She introduces herself as Carol and says Rory’s being kept due to a nasty concussion. She has bumps and bruises as well, and they confirmed no internal bleeding, so the big concern was her head. If the doctor agrees, as long as she keeps passing her checks for the next twelve hours, she should be okay to head home in the afternoon. We thank her and she lets us know she’ll be back in after a couple hours. Hopefully with the doctor.
We all settle in to rest for a few hours, Kyle and I passing out with our heads on the bed on either side of Rory. A scuffle outside wakes me, and I gently disentangle my hand from Rory’s and nudge Kyle. He rouses a bit slowly, but when I nod my head to the door, he perks up at the noise outside. Slipping out as quietly as we can, I close the door quickly when I realize Nathan is by the nurse station raising a fuss. Fuck.
Kyle doesn’t hesitate and whips out his phone to dial 911. He explains the situation, and the dispatcher says they’ll send over a police officer to come assist. Kyle starts toward Nathan after hanging up and I grab his arm, holding him back.
“If we go over there, it’s just going to add to the problem. Let’s hang here and make sure he can’t get in until the officer gets here.”
“I hate this. I just want to pound him into the ground.”
“Me too, love, but we’re better than that. She needs calm, not more violence.”
Kyle takes a breath and nods in agreement. I grab his hand and lean back against the wall by the door to Rory’s room, taking Kyle with me. After a moment of arguing with the nurse, she threatens to call security and Nathan looks around him, spotting us down the hall. He sneers and starts our way. Kyle and I step away from the wall, moving so our bodies block his way to her door.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” he sneers.
“Taking care of our girl. You have no reason to be here,” I reply calmly.
Nathan looks between the two of us. “She’s mine. I don’t know what you think you’re doing, but you need to leave.”
Kyle actually starts chuckling and I’m concerned he’s lost it. “God you really are stupid, aren’t you?”
Nathan moves to stand toe to toe with Kyle, who doesn’t budge. I can see the restraint Kyle is using to hold back, but he understands the need to hold Nathan off, not egg him on. The last thing we need is to get blamed in any kind of fight. Neither of us are particularly physical or violent, but we’re damn protective, and we’d fight if we had to.
“The fuck did you say?”
“You’re stupid. You think for one second that we’re going to leave? That she actually belongs to you? She belongs to herself. Better get that through your thick skull.”
Nathan’s face starts to redden, and I can tell his temper is rising. Part of me is confident that he won’t start anything in the hospital hallway, but I also hesitate to fully believe that. He might lose control if provoked too much. So of course, my mouth runs without checking in with my brain first.
“He probably shaved his intelligence out with his hair.”
His face whips over to me, but before he can take a step, the elevator dings and security steps out, followed by a police officer. A smirk graces my face, and I feel oddly triumphant, like we’ve won a battle that hasn’t even started.
“Time’s up, asshole,” I tell him.
Nathan turns to see the uniformed men headed our way and I almost get whiplash from how quickly his demeanor changes. His face is no longer red, and he exudes confidence and calm.
“What’s the problem here?” The officer asks, skipping the nurse’s desk and walking straight to us.
“Well, these gentlemen are causing some problems. They won’t let me in to see my girlfriend who was jumped in the parking lot after her shift,” Nathan says.
“Nope!” a nurse all but shouts at us.
The officer and security guard position themselves to see all of us as she approaches. She nods at Kyle and I before continuing.
“These men came at the patient’s request. This man came in a few minutes ago, threatening the staff when we would not let him into the patient’s room. When she asked for these two gentlemen, she was very clear she wanted only them, no other visitors. So, I told him we need her permission, and that’s when he started getting extremely hostile and I called. These two have been keeping him from the room without any force.”
“That true?” the police officer asks, not waiting for security to chime in.
“Yes sir, my name is Wesley Graves, and this is Kyle Williams. We’re dating the patient and came at her request. This man is not welcome here. He’s her ex-boyfriend and I promise you she will not want to see him.”
The officer sighs and the security guard waits to see if he has any wisdom for us. Behind them, the elevator dings again, and a medium height woman comes out, her blonde hair in a no-nonsense ponytail, the rest of her dressed business casual. She heads our way, and the officer rolls his eyes.
“For fuck’s sake, another person trying to see the patient?” he gripes.
The woman raises her eyebrows. “Yes, another person coming to see her. I’m Becca Johnson, the patient’s boss and the one who called an ambulance for her.”
When I glance over, Nathan’s eyes are surveying the situation, and I can see him trying to figure out how to escape. He’s not dumb. He’s realized that this situation isn’t to his advantage. Becca looks at the group and narrows her eyes at Nathan.
“He tried to tell me she just tripped but ran the moment I got close enough to see her injuries. He’s suspicious, if you ask me.”
She crosses her arms and stands her ground. Nathan looks between everyone in the small circle that’s formed and starts to panic a little. His face smooths into what some would call a charming smile. I call it slimy as fuck.
“Clearly there’s been a misunderstanding, officers. I’ll just go.”
“Sir, I think that’s a good idea. I’m sure someone will be in touch when the patient is awake enough to answer some questions.”
At that point, Nathan makes a beeline for the elevator, security close behind him. The officer stays and offers his card, which I take and slide into my pocket. We promise to keep in touch if there’s anything we need, and he leaves as well. Becca looks at me and Kyle.
“Will she be okay?”
Kyle nods. “The nurse thinks so. The only reason they have her in observation is due to a concussion. Everything else is bruising and soreness. Nothing else serious.”
She heaves a sigh of relief and gives us her number. We agree to call if there’s any change and pass the message to Rory that she can take off whatever time is needed. Her job isn’t going anywhere. Kyle and I settle back in with Rory as quietly as we can, and the rest of the night passes without incident.