A Beauty Dark & Deadly (A Dark & Deadly Series Book 1) (24 page)

"Hey." Jason squeezed her hand and rubbed her knuckles with his thumb. "Don't stress over something we don't know about yet. No one said anything about dying. Dry your tears. We're going to be there soon and you need to be strong for him."

Emmy nodded, blinking rapidly, trying to get rid of the tears. Jason was right. She needed to stop. She needed to breathe. She refused to be a blubbering mess when she walked through the sliding doors of the small town hospital. She needed to be coherent, capable of listening to the nurses when they discussed what was going on with him. She wasn't too concerned about looking good, but she did want to look put-together. She needed to be strong for her grandfather. He was too stubborn to admit it, but he needed her. She was all he had left and she wouldn't drop the ball when he needed her the most.

She grabbed the vanity mirror to make sure her makeup wasn't running and her eyes weren't red. Jason kept his hand on her thigh, which she needed. He was her lifeline, her reminder to take a moment for herself and just breathe. When she adjusted herself, she closed the mirror and unbuckled her seatbelt. Jason had just pulled into the half-filled parking lot. He turned off the engine and waited. He didn't push Emmy, didn't even ask if she was ready. He simply waited. And that made her heart swell with joy. She wasn't rushed. She called the shots. And he supported her. And it meant the world to her.

They walked into the hospital hand-in-hand, fingers intertwined. Emmy held on tight to Jason but her face was as relaxed as she could make it. The hospital itself was small, and since it was just after eleven o'clock in the evening, it was quiet. Their footsteps echoed on the cool tile and a nurse looked up from the reception of the quarter-full emergency room and offered them a small smile. She didn't seem to recognize Jason, and if she did, didn't gave any indication of it.

"How can I" -

"I'm here to see my grandfather," Emmy said and winced when she realized she interrupted the nurse. "Sorry. I got a call an hour ago, maybe. They told me he was rushed here by ambulance. His name is Oral Brown."

The nurse's fingers flew across the keyboard. "Mr. Brown was rushed in after complaining of severe stomach cramps," she said. "It appears as though he's currently in surgery. I'll let the doctor know you're here. What's your name?"

"Emmy Atler," Emmy said. "I'm his granddaughter."

"Great. Once he's out, the doctor will come out and speak with you. Please have a seat in the lobby." She gestured at the purple plastic chairs.

Jason led Emmy to the very back, where they could be practically alone. In a way, she was grateful this was a small town. It wasn't terribly busy - especially in the winter in the middle of the night - with only a few people sitting, waiting to be called on. Emmy barely paid them any mind and they kept to themselves for the most part. An old television hummed in the background, playing an old western television show no one was paying attention to. Once they sat down, Emmy glanced over at magazines stacked neatly on a low plastic table. She knew it would be a while and gossip magazines was a favorite way for her to pass the time, but she knew she wouldn't be able to retain the information nor would she be able to think about anything other than her grandfather.

From the corner of her eye, she noticed a couple of boys - they might have been twenty but that was pushing it - start looking at Jason. Suddenly, they began whispering, not loud enough to decipher what they were saying but they weren't hiding the fact that they were talking about him. Emmy clenched her jaw and forced herself to look away. She felt Jason tense but a cursory glance at him showed that his face was cool and indifferent. Like he didn't care.

Emmy knew better. Of course, he cared. He hated dealing with people. He was an introvert at best and an isolated writer at worst. He didn't like going out if he could help it, yet here he was, sitting in the lobby of an emergency room, like a caged animal in a zoo on display for the masses. Emmy was positive a Jason sighting would go viral through social media.

"You know," she whispered to Jason. "You can go home. I'll call you when I'm ready to be picked up."

Jason said nothing but he shook his head and took her hand once more.

Her heart screamed with bubbles. She was floating. In this awful, terrible, horrible situation, she was air. This didn't make any sense to her. Jason didn't make any sense. Why would he choose to deal with something that made him so uncomfortable when he didn't have to. She was giving him an out. He wouldn't take it. Instead, he took her hand and squeezed it, like he was reassuring her. It boggled her mind. No one had ever done something like this for her before. She was almost uncomfortable about it, almost felt like she owed him. But she knew he wasn't doing it because he wanted something in return. He was doing it because he cared about her.

He genuinely cared about her.

It was a while before a doctor emerged from the ER doors. Emmy passed the time by flicking her eyes over to the old television or dozing on Jason's shoulder. Ever since she started touching him and holding him, she couldn't stop leaning on him in some way. It didn't matter where, either. Her head fit his body perfectly, like they were from the same puzzle. Like they were molded from the same clay.

It was an odd thing to think about. These feelings for Jason had cropped up unexpectedly. She wasn't exactly sure what to think. She didn't know if it was because Jason was so beautiful in his darkness or if it was because she allowed herself to trust him just a little bit. She didn't know if that made her foolish or optimistic. She supposed it didn't matter at this point. She had made her choice, and the more she thought about it, the more she realized it had been before that fateful night in the rain when she couldn't deny it any longer. In fact, she knew exactly when it occurred. The minute he opened the door to his cabin to her and her breath was stolen from her in such a way where she couldn't expect for it to ever fully return.

There was something there she hadn't noticed, hadn't put much thought into. Perhaps it was something she unconsciously dismissed because there was no way she ever expected to fall for someone like him. Not that there was anything wrong with him, exactly, his whole murder trials not withstanding. But he had baggage, a history she did not yet have due to the difference in their ages. It wasn't a bad thing. Not really. When she was with him, she never thought about his age or his past. She only thought about the way he made her feel, the way he looked at her. In fact, she didn't think much about their future together, if she was being honest. Did they have a future together? Was that even feasible? And what did future mean, anyway? Marriage? Babies? Emmy didn't even know what she wanted to do as a career much less figure out who and what she wanted to support. She was just having fun in the moment.

But. She pressed her lips together. She did care about him. A lot. And she didn't see a reason why they wouldn't be together in the near future. And for now, that was enough.

"Emmy Atler?"

The doctor's voice broke her out of her swirling thoughts and caused her to stand. Without thinking about it, she tugged Jason over to the doctor with her. Her heart pounded throughout her body like it was on a loudspeaker and the vibrations thrummed through her nerves. She tried to study the doctor, hoping to decipher if what she was going to say was good or bad, trying to garner her grandfather's status based on how her facial features responded.

"I'm Dr. Reslen," the doctor said, introducing herself in a smooth voice. Her dark eyes slid over to Jason - recognition flashed in her eyes and she involuntarily swallowed before looking back at Emmy - and took a breath. "If you'd like to follow me, I can let you know what's going on with your grandfather."

Emmy narrowed her eyes. She knew what the doctor was trying to do and she wasn't going to have any of it. "Whatever you need to tell me, you can tell my boyfriend," she said pointedly. She didn't even feel bad that her tone was harsher than she originally intended it to be. It was important that the doctor know that such behavior would not be tolerated, regardless of the doctor's personal feelings regarding Jason.  He had been acquitted for both murders. He should be allowed to return to a normal life without constantly being judged. That wasn't fair to him.

Dr. Reslen's eyes widened at Emmy's admission and even Emmy had to remember what she said that was so surprising.

Boyfrien
d
, a voice reminded her
.
You called him your boyfriend.

She would have to deal with that later. Right now, she was here for her grandfather. They could talk about labels and the depth of their relationship at a later time.

"All right," Dr. Reslen agreed, shifting her eyes back to Emmy. She was still wary but she couldn't argue. This was Emmy's decision and she had to respect it. "Your grandfather, when he was admitted, was passing a kidney stone. Because of his age, we had to help him pass it with surgery, just to make sure it did not tear anything internally and cause bleeding. He's out of surgery now and is currently resting but he looks like he's in good shape. If everything remains consistent, he'll only have to stay for a few days."

"Few days?" Jason asked. "Besides a night of observation, don't you get discharged the next day for just passing a kidney stone?"

When Reslen looked at Jason, her eyes were hard and cold, almost as though she was offended that he was questioning her in the first place. Emmy felt her jaw lock and her eyes narrow. She started to get defensive and had to curl her fingers into tight fists and squeeze, causing pink crescent moons to appear in her skin. She did not like when Jason was dismissed simply for asking a question. She knew it had to do with who he was, what people thought he was, and she had to bite back a response. She honestly had no idea how Jason was able to handle this disrespect whenever he went out, probably every time he went out. He had more patience than she ever could.

"Can we see him?" Emmy asked, trying to keep her tone under control. She apparently didn't do a good job because Jason reached out to squeeze her hand, trying to offer her support in any way he could.

"Actually, no," Reslen said.  Her eyes flickered to Jason before shooting back to Emmy. Emmy didn't think Reslen did it on purpose; it was a tic. She revealed her hand. "We don't allow visitors past eight at night" -

"That's bullshit," Emmy said through a snarl. Reslen's mouth dropped open and her eyes widened. Emmy felt Jason look at her with a similar reaction but she kept her focus on the doctor in front of her. "I've been here before at this time and I was let in to visit him once he was stable from surgery so don't tell me I can't see him. We both know what you're doing and I'm not going to tolerate it. You can't discriminate against people based on race, religion, ethnicity, sexuality, and income level. You do not get to dictate my visiting rights based on who I'm dating. If I want him here with me, you can't tell me he's not allowed."

"Em," Jason said in a rough murmur. "It's okay. You go ahead and check on your grandfather. I'll stay here."

"It's your choice, Ms. Atler," Reslen said, her eyes hard and distrustful. She was looking at Emmy the way she looked at Jason. Filled with suspicion and dislike, even though she didn't even know Emmy.

"So I am allowed back there even though it is past eight?" Emmy asked through gritted teeth.

Reslen pushed her brow up but says nothing. It was almost as though she were challenging Emmy, and Emmy did not respond well to challenges. "Yes," she finally said. "You can go back." She shifted her eyes back to Jason, giving him a hard, long look before looking to Emmy. "Check in with the front desk and they will bring you back." With that, she spun on her heels and disappeared back into the ER.

Emmy opened her mouth, ready to vent out all of her frustrations, when Jason intervened by placing his finger over her lips. "Wait," he said, his eyes locked with hers. "You're pissed. I get it. You have every right to be pissed. But this isn't the time to be stubborn. Not when it involves your grandfather. Go to him. I'll be here. I promise I'll be here." 

Emmy clenched her jaw. She wanted to argue but she knew he was right. She nodded once and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Thank you," she whispered before heading over to the front desk. Before she went through the emergency room doors, she cast one last look at Jason and gave him a smile.

Even in a dire situation such as this one, Jason somehow still made her feel like the luckiest girl in the world.