Chapter Three
Alarms blare, screaming in their frantic tone, waking me suddenly.
Immediately, I think Dee’s flat-lining. I stand quickly while my heart races dramatically in my chest, but I look around her room, and she’s sleeping peacefully. I release the breath I was holding, relief flooding me.
The alarms are coming from another room.
Fuck! I’m so on edge!
At this rate, I’m going to give myself a heart attack if I don’t calm the fuck down.
I run my hand through my hair and exhale, returning to my chair beside Dee.
I feel like I haven’t slept properly since we arrived, and every noise and buzzer makes my heart thud in my chest. My blood pressure is probably sky-high, and my nerves are wrecked.
Hux tried to get me to go back to the hotel with him for a decent sleep and a meal, but I’m one hundred percent adamant that I’m not leaving Dee.
Even if it means I’m losing it by being here.
I take Dee’s hand and rest back in my chair, closing my eyes.
Not ten seconds later, her hand moves in mine, and she groans again.
My eyes shoot wide open, and I stand waiting for her to say something or open her eyes.
But her eyes remain firmly closed, shifting from side to side, and the movement is noticeable under her eyelids.
I can’t stop the worry from overtaking me.
“Dee?” I whisper so I don’t startle her.
“Are you with me?” Her eyes shoot open, and she appears panicked, so I take her hands in mine, looking at her in her beautiful, tormented eyes.
“It’s okay, baby. I’m here. You’re safe,” I say, and she screams before her hands cover her face.
I take a step back because I don’t want to frighten her any more than she already is.
The night nurse runs in, straight to Dee. “Dee, I’m Julie. Do you know where you are?” she asks, and Dee shakes her head like she’s trying to fight something off. Her hands are flailing around, and she’s screaming. I back away from her until my back hits the wall.
“That man, he’s going to hurt me,” she yells, and I swear my heart sinks to my gut.
Is she talking about me?
She doesn’t recognize me again?
“Dee, honey, there is no man,” the nurse says as she holds on to Dee’s flailing arms.
“No, he’s right there. He’s hiding in the shadows. He has a camera and wants to take photos of me. Make him go away,” Dee screams out, and I scrunch my brows, shaking my head in confusion.
What the hell is she on about?
Dee points to the wall, but there’s nothing there. “He’s there!” she yells, and the nurse follows her direction to nothing, and she nods.
“It’s okay, Dee. He’s not there. It’s just a dream, darling,” she says while I run my hand through my hair. I’m relieved she’s not scared of me, but at the same time, I’m devastated that she’s completely overwhelmed by a goddamn dream.
I have no fucking idea what to do!
I feel so helpless.
So out of my depth.
Should I go over there and try to help her, or should I stay out of the way?
Fuck!
My mind is spinning out of control, my head foggy.
Exhaustion hits. I’m beyond tired. It doesn’t help that I haven’t eaten dinner, and my emotions are all over the place.
I feel lightheaded as I watch Dee fall apart, and there’s not a damn thing I can do to help her.
I try to steady myself on the door frame, but as I reach for the wall, everything fades to black.
***
“Colt,” someone calls my name, but it barely registers.
Then the darkness pulls me under once more.
***
Slowly, my eyes open, and daylight seeps in. Moving my hand, I feel a slight sting on the back of my hand, so I bring it up, and there is an IV attached to it.
Suddenly, I sit up.
I am in a hospital bed next to Dee’s, still in my jeans but no top, and those stupid sticky pad things are all over my chest and attached to a machine.
Guess I wasn’t coping as well as I thought.
I look over at Dee, sleeping peacefully. I am a complete fucking failure for passing out on her when she needs me the most.
Shannon walks in and half-smiles. “I told you that you weren’t taking care of yourself, Colt.”
“How long was I out?” I ask while I watch Dee.
Thank God they set me up in here and not in my own room. I would have killed them if they had separated me from Dee.
“A solid seven hours. You needed it. Your body couldn’t take any more, so it shut down. It needed time to recover. Are you feeling any better?” Shannon queries as she looks at the machine attached to me. I sit back and exhale.
“Yeah, I think I do,” I answer, and she smiles.
“Good, you should be with all the fluids we’ve given you and the rest you’ve finally allowed your body to have. Colt, do I need to remind you how to look after yourself, or are you going to listen to us now?” she scolds, and I move my legs to the edge of the bed, just sitting there.
“I’ll listen, but I’m sure as hell not leaving her side.”
“Well, I have never seen anyone as devoted as you. She’s one lucky lady. I’ll make sure they keep a bed in here so you can sleep at night, not in a chair. Hopefully, that will make it easier for you,” she says. I nod my head while she walks over to Dee, checking her vitals.
“How was she last night? I remember her freaking out before I passed out,” I ask with concern.
“She’s doing okay. What she’s suffering from is called delirium.
It’s quite common for patients coming out of an induced coma.
Her nightmares seem like reality, and they can be incredibly frightening for her.
She actually believes that a man is following and taking photographs of her.
Sometimes this can last for a couple of weeks.
She may not even remember her first few days of being awake, so you need to be aware that she’ll more than likely forget anything you say now.
What’s happening to her is normal. There’s nothing to be afraid of.
Just don’t tell her anything that could exacerbate her condition,” she states.
“Like what?” I question.
“Well, for starters, I wouldn’t mention anything about paparazzi. She’s obviously having delusions about them, so that I wouldn’t mention,” she explains.
“Okay, got it. Do I really need all these fuckin’ sticky things on me now?” I look down at my chest, covered in round stickers with wires coming from them.
“No, I can safely remove them,” she confirms, walking over to me. “Okay, fast or slow?” she asks with a smirk, and I groan.
“Just rip ’em off,” I reply and bite my bottom lip, preparing for the inevitable. Shannon laughs at my groaning and complaining as she continues to take them off, then puts my drip on a stand and helps me over to Dee.
“Thanks,” I call out as she goes to leave me alone with my girl.
“You’re welcome! Keep that drip in because you need more fluid in you,” she announces as she walks out of the room.
Sitting in the chair beside Dee’s bed, she moans so slightly I barely hear her. Her eyes open slowly as I bring my hand up to touch her face. I brace myself for another psychotic moment, but she smiles at me. I smile back and lean down, kissing her cheek.
“Your nose. What happened?” Dee asks as she runs her hand along my face.
“I got into a little misunderstanding with your father.”
Her eyes open wide as she tries to sit up. But then grabs her stomach and whimpers.
“Easy, baby, try not to move too much,” I advise, and she looks at me, then down to the drip in her hand.
“Where am I?” Her eyes dart around the room as she tries to take in everything around her.
“In a hospital in New Jersey. You were hit…” I trail off, struggling to say the words.
“Hit by what?” She looks a little panicked.
I caress her cheek. “By a van. But you’re doing so well and healing perfectly,” I lie to her. Well, technically, it’s not a lie because she is healing, but she’s having these psychotic events, which I sure as hell am not going to mention while she seems somewhat lucid.
“Were you hit too?” Dee’s fingers run over the drip in my hand.
I shake my head. “No, I wasn’t looking after myself when you came in here, and I got a bit dehydrated and tired, that’s all. Don’t worry about me.”
“When did I come in? How long have I been here?” she asks, the tone in her voice scared.
“That doesn’t matter. All that matters is that you’re getting better and the staff here are looking after you. Your parents are here. So is my mum. She thinks you’re beautiful—”
“Wait, if we’re in New Jersey and my parents are here, then I must’ve been here for at least two days, right?”
I don’t know what to do.
Do I tell her the truth, or do I let her think that it’s only been a couple of days? I don’t want to lie to her, but I also don’t want her to upset her over something she won’t remember anyway.
“Yeah, baby, that’s right,” I say, and she exhales and nods as a tear runs down her face.
“Why does my stomach hurt so much?” she asks.
I close my eyes for a second and exhale.
“The car… well, it was more of a van that hit you. I mean it was a worker’s truck, and it had metal tubing and shit on the roof, and when it hit you, the tubing fell from it and into your stomach.
But it’s okay, the doctors say you’re going to heal completely fine,” I explain with another lie.
I have no idea what’s happening with her stomach.
I really should ask them to fill me in on what’s going on.
“Colt?” she whispers, her voice barely audible.
I lean in, our faces inches apart, and meet her gaze. “Yeah?”
Her eyes, dark with desire, lock onto mine. “Kiss me,” she murmurs, her breath warm against my lips.
A slow smile spreads across my face as I close the distance. Our lips meet, soft and searching at first, then deepening as the world around us fades away. Her fingers weave into my hair, pulling me closer, and a soft moan escapes her lips.
Concern flickers through me. I pull back slightly, searching her face. “Did I hurt you?” I ask.