A Wild Ride (Jessica Brodie Diaries #3) (19 page)

By this time she was my biggest fan. Her and I kept vigilance. Often she stayed late into the night, falling asleep in her chair. When she woke up with a stiff neck, she would kiss William, then to head home for a few hours’ sleep. She’d come back early with breakfast.

On the fifth day my bandages were taken off and left off. The nurse was worried about me, but said nothing except that I needed to remember to apply my salve every day for the bruises. I looked like a piece of abstract watercolor.

At the end of that day Denise, who was leaving for the night, bent over to kiss me on the head. She patted me softly and left without a word. I laid down my head, put my hand in his, and closed my eyes.

It seemed like ten minutes later that I felt a weird feeling. My brain, foggy and confused, pulled back sleep for a second to take inventory. All I felt was the pain radiating through my body. Letting the veil of sleep fall once again, I drifted--until my hand was squeezed!

My eyes snapped open, meeting a pair of beautiful blue peepers as deep as the universe. My heart started thumping. The pain in my body lifted immediately, numbed by my surprise and joy.

“William?” I asked tentatively through the darkness. I wasn’t sure if I was dreaming.

“Hi, love.” His voice was hoarse through non-use, but it was him!

I put both my hands on his. He squeezed again.

“How long was I out?” he asked.

“Long enough to get some healing done. You are going to be okay.”

“That’s good. I don’t feel that great.”

“No. It’ll take time.”

“Did that bull just give up finally?”

I didn't even hesitate. “He did, yes.” It was the truth.
Ish.

“Didn’t expect it from that one. Guess my dad was right.”

“Shhhhh.” I rubbed his arm.

“I love you, Jessica. I dreamt of you. I knew you were here waiting for me.”

I took a ragged breath, keeping my tears in check. “Of course I am here.”

His head still pointed at me, he closed his eyes again. When his breathing grew steady, I laid my head back down and went back to sleep, too. I thought about staying up, but then I would look terrible for tomorrow. William needed me strong, and I could only do that with sleep.

Chapter Ten

I awoke to a pair of ocean-oasis blue eyes looking at me. I had straightened up painfully, as usual, and looked at him, also as usual. It was then I saw him focused on me with a warm smile playing across his face.

“You are so beautiful Jessica. My angel.”

I didn’t really feel beautiful, but I smiled back. Before I could get two words in, the night nurse walked in on her last stop before her shift was over, and saw his eyes open.

She exclaimed, “Mr. Davies! You’re awake. Welcome back, young man.”

“Thanks.” His eyes returned to my face.

“I’ll just let the doctor know,” she said with a smile.

“I need to let your family know, William," I said, not moving. "Your mom wouldn’t forgive me if I didn’t. She’s not due to come in for another two hours.”

He nodded, eyes unwavering. I got my phone and sent a text out to everyone. I didn’t feel like calling. They would be by the phone anyway, so they didn’t need to hear my voice.

I went back to sit by William.

“Do you want to climb up here with me?” he patted the bed.

“I shouldn’t, baby. There isn’t much room there. You need space.”
And it would hurt unreal bad.

He nodded.

We didn’t say much to each other, but he continued to stare. He would close his eyes for a while, then open them again, going right to me.

It wasn’t long before Denise and Tom came rushing in. As soon as Denise saw his eyes open, she gushed, tears falling. She ran over and kissed his face, bending over the bed, smothering him as mothers do.

Easing my hand out of his, I intended to move away for some family time.

“No, Jess.” William's voice was panicked.

I nodded and kept hold of his hand. His parents didn’t seem to notice.

Adam came in next and let out a big sigh of relief when he saw William’s eyes. He stood beside me and looked down on his buddy, so close they might as well be blood.

“Good to have you back, Davies,” Adam said with a grin.

William smiled, spared him a glance, then returned to me. He gave me a wink before leaning back against the pillow and closing his eyes.

“When did he wake?” Denise asked.

“He woke up once in the night for about five minutes. Then when I woke up this morning he was looking at me. I texted you all when he would let go of my hand.”

Denise nodded and looked at him again with tears in her eyes. Everyone was so relieved. Camille came in and congratulated everyone on the great news. She came up to me, as she had every day about this time, and raised her eyebrows.

“No Camille, I’m fine.”

“No Jessica, you will be checked until I
deem
you fine. Your shoulder is still not healed like it should be since you have been sitting in that God-forsaken chair these last five days. Neither is your rib healing as fast as it should.” Eyebrow raise.

I sighed. She was pushy, at best. Sweet as pie when everything went her way, which with me, was never if I could help it.

I checked William to make sure he was sleeping, gave an embarrassed glance to the nurse’s supporters, which were supposed to be on my side, then let her inspect me. I knew if I asked to go anywhere else she would give me a speech and strip me herself. I’d been down that road. She was stronger than she looked.

When she was done fixing my shoulder holster thing, she had me turn around so she could put on the salve—she didn’t trust me to do it myself. As I turned, mid eye-roll, I noticed William looking at me. I stopped abruptly. We locked eyes—I was caught.

“Now,
turn
around or I will turn you around. Remember last time? It hurts, remember?”

I finished turning. There was nothing for it. I didn’t know how long he’d been watching, but the pain on his face was pretty clear. When Camille was done she said something about unruly children and put my shirt back down.

“Since he is awake, you need to take some muscle relaxer. I won’t make you take the pain medication, but you at least need muscle relaxer. I will personally--”

Eyes still locked with William, hating the look of uncertainty and ignoring the questioning, I said, “Sure. Anything you want. I’ll take whatever you want.”

She hitched in her familiar tirade, not used to being complied with so easily, and looked around me. “Oh. Is that all it took to take care of yourself? Future note.” And out she walked.

And they said William always got his way? He could learn something from nurse Camille.

I sent a plea to Adam, who just shook his head. He couldn’t get me out of this one.

“Jessica,” William said, very quietly. “How did all that happen to you?”

Thank God my bruising had dramatically reduced in five days. There was a lighter pallet of color and more yellows and browns than blues and purples. Still.

I looked around the room for help. No one wanted to trade places with me for all the world. I knew they would back me, but it wouldn’t matter.

I sat back down with a straight back.

“By saving my youngest son’s life,” Denise said firmly. “And for that she has my gratitude.”

It was sweet, but certainly wasn’t going to get me out of trouble!

“Jessica,” William said again.

This was awful. I was squished between Camille and William. One wanted to heal me, one would soon want to tear me apart. Maybe I could just sick Camille on William and save myself the trouble.

“Jessica.” William repeated, interrupting my reverie.

I sighed. “William, you aren’t strong enough for stories about my silly adventures. Let’s wait until a full recovery.”

“Jessica.” It was a whisper now.

“He has a right to know, Jess,” Adam said.

I knew Adam would gang up on me. I just didn’t know it would be quite so soon. It sucked that Lump wasn’t here to fortify my side.

“Well, fine. Adam, you saw the whole thing,
you
tell him. I am going to go get a coffee. Does anyone have a dollar?”

“Stay Jessica,” William begged.

“William, if you want the story, I am going to get a coffee. If not, I would be happy to stay.”

“Will you come back?”

“Of course I will. I don’t have keys or a purse or any idea how to get home.” I was a little irritated, if only because I knew what lay in store for me. I figured I would be mad now since I later I would be yelled at.

Tom held out $5.

“Thanks Tom.” I turned and left.

On the way down to the cafeteria I got lost. I then found a coffee cart and waited in a line. I got it, drank it too quickly, sat and watched the bustle for a while, and went to accept my fate.

I bet Superman never had these problems from the people he saved.

As I walked back in the room the conversation stopped. I grudgingly looked at William and saw the pained expression I knew would be there. I sat in my chair.

“I think you should go home.” His voice was even and resolute.

I stopped mid-way down with a look of disbelief.

Any other time tears would have come to my eyes immediately. Rejection like this was hard to live through. Especially in front of people. But this time he could shove it up his hole, as Claire would say.

I dare one of them to try and throw me out.

“F-off.” I said, continuing to sit down, not caring about what others thought of my naughty slang.

“Jessica, I want you to go home. I don’t want you here.”

“Oh shut up. I didn’t sit and sleep on this uncomfortable chair for five days to be told to go home before you were allowed to go with me. So if you want me home, you better get better and go with. That place is not my home until you are there with me.

“And one more thing. If any of your body guards tries to throw me out, I will sick Camille on you. I am legend here. Just ask for the report Madga is filing on my aggressive behavior.”

I leaned back in the chair with my arms folded.

“Who is Magda?” Tom asked.

“One of the nurses on the third floor. She tried to stick me with a needle when I was trying to get up here. They did that trick when I tried to follow William after the ambulance dropped us off. I was ready for it this time. I...well, the report she filed says I hit her hand and pushed her against the wall. Luckily, the other nurse didn’t see anything, and the nurses up here didn’t hear any of the story, or my name, or who I was going to see, so the paperwork said I sneaked out and the claim was trashed.”

“You did that to come up here? To me?” William hadn’t stopped looking at me since I walked in the door.

“Of course. What good was it to stay on the third floor?”

“You could have rested, Jessica. And healed. They said you refused pain medication in case I woke up.”

“Well. Yeah. What if you had woken up last night and I couldn’t wake up with you because I was on meds?”

My resolve to stay strong was weakening. The pain and fear and worry of the last five days was starting to come through.

“They say you aren’t healing properly because you wouldn’t go home to sleep. You are hurting now. I can see it.”

“But William, you are hurting worse. I couldn’t indulge. Not with you...like that.” My voice cracked.

“What if I lost you?”

“What if I lost
you
? I couldn’t bear it, William. I couldn’t bear to see that bull attacking you. I couldn’t bear to watch and do
nothing.
Not when I could have done something. Not when it was in my power to stop it. Or try to stop it. I would do it again. I
will
do it again if I have to. That’s all the explanation I can give you. Please don’t send me away.”

I was crying by the end. I had my head down on the bed and was crying into it.

“I can’t hold you Jessica. I can’t move to hold you.” William’s voice told me he was in pain for what I had said. For what I had suffered. He didn’t know the half of it. Try to sit vigilance to someone in a coma of all things.

After a while, when the tears subsided, I noticed that his family had left. They obviously wanted to give us a moment. When I straightened up, William’s familiar eyes were on me.

“Jessica,” he said, “I don’t want you to get mad, but I would like you to go home. I would like you to sleep in our bed tonight. You can come back bright and early in the morning, but tonight, please do me the favor of sleeping in our bed.”

I wiped another tear.

“I will be moved shortly to a room on the second floor,” he continued softly. “They reckon I’ll be here another couple days before I can go home. I’ll have to be an invalid at home for a while, but I can go home. All I have to do now is heal. So I am safe. You saw me through the hardest part, and I will forever thank you. I felt your presence the whole time. You helped me find my way back. I said as much to the others. But now, for me, please get some real sleep.”

As I looked into his eyes I knew I couldn’t say no. I stayed here out of worry for him. He was sending me home out of worry for me. It was only fair.

I nodded.

He sighed in relief. “Good. I can’t wait to hold you, love. Only a couple more days. Until then, it is your turn to get better. Someone is waiting for you downstairs to take you home. Let them.”

“Okay.” I got up. Our kiss was sweet and heartfelt. I let my fingers trail across his face, told him I loved him, and left.

When I got to the lobby I didn’t see anyone. No one outside, either. I went to the cafeteria and saw everyone at a table. Lump had joined, and Gladis.

Everyone looked up as I neared.

“Well,” Gladis said, “did he talk you into leaving?”

“Yeah. Only fair right? Granting a sick man his wish?”

Everyone nodded. Tom stood up. “I will be taking you home, Jessica. The rest are going to visit and make sure the move to the second floor goes well. Too many chiefs.”