Chapter Two #2
I strip down the quickest I ever have and hop into the alcove.
The warmth of the water on me feels terrific, and for a brief second, I relax.
Then I peer out into the room and see Hux watching Dee, and instantly, I’m panicked.
I don’t want Hux to be the person she wakes up to.
So I wash in record time, then get out and wrap a towel around my waist.
When I walk out, I see she’s still asleep, and Hux looks me over. “Quickest shower ever, bro,” Hux says, and I nod, walking over to her. She’s resting so peacefully.
“Yeah, I panicked.”
“She’s going to be fine. You know that, right?” Hux asks as he throws a clean pair of pants at me. I catch them, and my gaze travels to Dee’s still body on the bed.
“I bloody hope so,” I reply while I dry myself in the middle of her hospital room, pulling on the pants.
She lets out a moan, and I’m by her side in an instant. Hux moves to stand next to me, and I grab her hand tightly, trying to give her some comfort. “Baby, you with me?” I question softly, and she opens her eyes, but the spark that’s generally in them has faded.
She shakes her head like she’s trying to gain her bearings, and I take her cheeks in my hands, forcing her to look at me. Dee frowns, releasing a groan as she tries to sit up.
“Dee, don’t move. You’ve been in an accident.” I try to calm her down, but it doesn’t work. Instead, she thrashes her head from side to side, which forces me to let go of her.
“Who the fuck are you?” she asks.
My chest constricts.
My heart stops beating.
It’s like the wind has been knocked from my entire body.
I turn to Hux, who’s frowning. He doesn’t offer me the support I desperately need right now as I try to hold it together. Not that I blame him. He’s just as lost as I am right now.
“Dee baby, it’s me. It’s Colt,” I plead, but she keeps thrashing around. Her arms start to slap me away while she starts to cry. I try to grab her hands, but she’s too frantic for me to control.
“I’ll get a nurse,” Hux announces and rushes from the room.
Tears run down her face while she fights me, and then suddenly, she stops thrashing and looks at her hand where the drip is inserted. She goes to rip it out, but I grab her hands, stopping her.
“Get off me!” she yells, and it’s then reality sets in.
She honestly has no idea who I am.
My heart shatters and splinters into a million pieces while it pounds so hard I think it might explode. “Dee, baby, it’s me,” I yell, still trying to fight against her.
She tries to sit up but groans loudly as she does, then flops back on the bed, her hands rushing to her stomach. She starts to sob and leans over, picking up her glass and throwing it against the wall.
I stand back, stunned.
My Dee is nowhere to be seen.
In her place is this aggressive and angry woman, and it scares the hell out of me.
Dee keeps her focus firmly on me as she calms down, and her eyes show a slight glimmer. She whimpers slightly, trying to move the covers off, but I stop her.
“No, Dee, you can’t move. You’ve had surgery, and you’re only just waking up. Please calm down. I love you, and I’m here for you,” I plead with her, and thankfully, she stops, tears still flowing down her cheeks.
Dee creases her eyebrows as she stares at me, and I wonder what’s going on in that gorgeous head of hers. “You love me?” she asks with a rasp in her throat, and I step toward her and nod my head.
“I do, baby, so much,” I reply, and she rests her head back on the pillow and relaxes. Her breathing slows as she calms down.
“I know you, don’t I?” she queries, and I smile, dipping my head.
“Yeah, you know me,” I answer.
When I step to the edge of her bed, she brings her hand out and touches my chest, sliding up to rest over my dog tags. I savor her touch, smile, and instinctively move my hand to hold her wrist. She peers up at me, and I see her brain working overtime.
She smiles, and her breathing increases, like maybe she’s affected by me. At least, that’s my hope.
“Colt?” she murmurs, and I caress her cheek and lean in closer.
“Yeah, baby, it’s me,” I say while my bottom lip quivers.
“I love you, don’t I?” she asks, and I can’t stop the loud exhale that escapes my lips.
“Yeah, you do,” I reply, leaning down to kiss her.
She smiles, kissing me back. It’s not a manic, full-on kiss, just a soft, gentle peck on the lips, but it’s enough to get me by. Pulling back from her, I lick my lips.
“Yeah, I do,” she says and smiles, making herself comfortable on the bed again.
I can tell she’s totally relaxed, whereas I’m about to blow a gasket. She is looking at me, but her eyes are starting to shut. I dread that she’s going back to sleep, but her brain obviously has more healing to do. She closes her eyes, and I lean down to kiss her forehead.
“Sleep, Dee,” I say and watch her drift off once more.
Then the enormity of what just happened hits me.
My breathing increases, and I know I’m not coping.
I back myself up against the wall and try to control my erratic breaths.
It doesn’t work, and panic sets in. I don’t know if I’m devastated or thrilled that Dee has woken up.
My head’s a mess, and I can’t think straight.
Sliding down the wall, I bring my knees to my chest as I try to breathe.
Hux and Shannon rush in, and I look up and watch them head straight to Dee’s bed.
“She was awake,” Hux says, questioning himself. “Where’s Colt?”
“I’m here. Dee was frantic, but somehow I managed to calm her down,” I mumble from my seat on the floor. They both turn to me, and Hux is by my side in an instant.
“You look like shit, bro,” he says as he sits next to me while Shannon checks Dee’s vitals.
“She didn’t know who I was, but then she remembered. I just… I can’t stand this,” I admit, and Hux turns to me, concerned.
“I know that look. You’ve worked too damn hard to throw in the towel now,” Hux says, referring to the copious amounts of smack I want to inhale right now.
“I know. I’m not coping, you know?” I reply honestly to my brother.
He nods, wrapping his arm around my shoulder, and pulls me to him. “Yeah, but that’s what you have me for. And Johnny, Anna, Sia, and even Dingo, we’re all here to help you.”
“It’s hard. You know me. I’m always in control. I always have things the way I want them, and with Dee like this, it’s completely out of my control and my comfort zone. There’s absolutely nothing I can do. I don’t know how to handle it.”
He nods in understanding. “Trust me, I know how much of a control freak you are, but sometimes, when life gets a bit too much, you need to have a minute, just one minute, to clear your head and get yourself back together. I know how hard this is, but you’ve got to be strong for Dee when she wakes up,” Hux explains, and I take a deep breath.
I know he’s right.
I need to stop letting this overwhelm the fuck out of me.
I have to be strong for Dee.
God only knows what she’s going to wake up like next time, so I have to prepare myself for that.