His Assurance (Assured Distraction Book 3) (22 page)

Chandler:
Good job there, Gunner. Scare the girl to death.

The nurse returned with a red hair tie and handed it to me. She turned and spoke to Chandler.

Chandler:
She said it’s hers and the only color she had, but she didn’t think you would want to use a rubber band on your hair.

“What difference does that make?” I used them all of the time.

Chandler:
They are bad for your hair Gunner. It will cause your hair to break off.

“Like I care at this point. Hell, I already keep the sides shaved. I might as well shave it all.

Chandler:
I’m not sure how that would look with a slick headed drummer.

“It would be easier to take care of,” I told her and the nurse who was back to cleaning the area on the back of my head. When she finished, she wrapped it in gauze. She left the room just as Carter came through the door. I noticed him watching her walk away and down the hall.

Carter typed into his phone:
Dude, if you wanted a hot nurse stripper, we could have hired one for you.

“Haha. Very funny, dumbass.”

Carter:
Now you look like a character from the Walking Dead. Do I need to get a gun in case you try to bite us?

“You are such a comedian today. Maybe I should have let her shave it all off.”

Ryan pulled out his phone and typed:
Was this a ploy to get Lola to come back? She might have come if you just called her.

“Lola’s going to work in Houston, remember?” I hadn’t thought about calling her since they all arrived at my house earlier. “I guess she made it home okay. I never heard from her. She was supposed to call me.” I hadn’t looked at my phone except to read messages, but when I did, I had several missed calls.

I scrolled through the list and saw she had called and left a voicemail. Of course, I couldn’t hear it, so I handed it to Chandler. She’s the only one I trusted to listen to it and not make a big deal about anything Lola said to me. Chandler listened and typed what she heard into the phone.

Chandler:
I’m home now. I thought you would be waiting for my call. Anyway, I wanted to let you know we are home, and I’ll be here preparing for the interview.

“That’s good,” I said. “I should have called her to check on her.”

Chandler:
Gunner, you’re in the hospital. How could you call her?

One of the doctors returned. I couldn’t tell by his face if the news was good or bad. I was glad the guys were all here to listen. He spoke to Chandler, and she started typing.

Chandler:
You do have a concussion that has caused some damage. In this case, the damage has affected your hearing. We don’t believe it’s going to be permanent, but honestly, only time will tell about the extent of it. We are calling in an ENT that has experience with this kind of hearing loss and has worked with the neurologist on cases like yours. He or she will be able to tell you more about what the prognosis for your hearing will be.

He stepped forward, removed the bandages the nurse had just applied, and examined my bare head and Chandler started typing again.

Chandler:
You are going to get some staples in your head to close up the wound. Then they will move you to a room. The team will be back in to see you tomorrow and should have all of the test results by then.

The doctor had the nurse bring in a big ass staple gun and a needle full of pain killer. The guys stepped out while the doctor and nurse made me look like Frankenstein with silver staples across the back of my head. When he finished, the nurse opened the door, and the guys and Chandler came back in to see my new piercings. Not exactly the type I had in mind, though.

After shaking my hand, he left the band as they stared at each other and then at me. I might be the one who couldn’t hear, but from looking at each one of them, they weren’t doing any talking.

This did not look good.

I was throwing clothes in another suitcase when my mom walked into my room. “Lola, what are you doing?”

“What does it look like I’m doing? I’m packing a bag. Gunner’s been badly hurt. I’m going back to Austin.” I ran around stuffing necessities in the bags. “I don’t know how long I’ll be gone. I don’t know how badly he’s hurt.”

“But what about your interview? Getting this interview was an honor and you’re going off to see some man?” She was already getting on my last nerve, and I hadn’t been here a full day.

“Mother. It’s not just some man. It’s Gunner and he’s hurt. I’m going to Austin. After I get there and see what’s going on, I’ll either call to reschedule, or get home in time for the interview.”

“They aren’t going to hold this job for you, Lola. You realize that, don’t you?”

“Yes, I do, but Gunner is important to me, too. I’m going.” I stood the suitcase upright and pulled out the handle to roll it to my car. She followed behind making remarks about not knowing him enough to jeopardize my career. Blah, blah, blah. That’s all I heard. I stopped and faced her.

“Look, Mother. I don’t know exactly where this is going with Gunner. I know I feel more for him than I have ever felt for another man. We want the same things in life. He makes me feel like I’m his whole world, and he’s willing to do anything to make me happy. He’s kind and loving. He always puts me first in every decision he makes. Right now, he needs me, and I have to go to him.

I opened the door and had to push her back to get it closed. “Bye, Mom. I’ll call you when I know something.”

“I hope you know what you’re doing, Lola. You could be making a big mistake.”

“You’re right. I could be, but how will I ever know if I don’t go and find out.” I shut the door and drove away.

The drive took forever, and I only heard from Chandler once to say they were moving him to a private room. I parked and ran in the hospital taking the elevator to his floor. I turned in the direction of his room and ran into a brick wall in the form of a massive man who looked like a secret service agent had swallowed a tackle from the Houston Texans football team. I shot Chandler a text letting her know I was here waiting since King Kong in a suit wouldn’t let me pass. Apparently, they hired private security when fans found out it was a member of Assured Distraction. Great, he didn’t need to deal with that, too.

Chandler came running down the hallway visibly upset. “Thank God you’re here. It is horrible. He’s freaking out about his hearing, and we are all worried sick about him.” I wrapped her in a tight hug.

“Let’s wait until we see the tests and talk to the doctors.” I wanted to assure her but knew this was serious.

“We’re just glad you’re here now to help us calm him down and translate all of this medical mumbo-jumbo the doctors seem to think we know about.” We get to his door, and the room was full of big, hot men all donning stressed looks. I bet the nurses and CNAs were happy this was their patient.

The guys turned and saw it was me, and a path parted to the bed. Gunner raised his head, greeting me with a huge smile. That made me feel better already because I knew he recognized me and had the ability to smile. I wanted to hear what they had learned so far. He wanted me on the bed instead.

“Thank God you’re here. It’s so confusing. I don’t know what the doctor is saying. My head is hurting like a bitch, and I’m deaf, Lola. Deaf.” I leaned over to hug him, and he pulled me to him on the bed, wrapped me in a hug and held on tight. I felt a slight shiver run through him, and I knew he was afraid of what he’d just admitted.

I wanted to whisper words of comfort to him, but I knew he couldn’t hear me. I held him close hoping to convey the strength and energy he needed. We stayed that way long enough to get the attention of the rest of the band. Carter finally cleared his throat to remind us we weren’t the only ones in the room.

I sat up on the edge of the bed and took Gunner’s free hand in mine, seeing his phone. “Is this how y’all are communicating with him?” They all nodded, and I got my phone out so I could communicate with him, too.

Lola:
It makes me happy to see you looking good. I couldn’t imagine what I was going to find.

He responded immediately. “What? You thought I wouldn’t look like my awesome self? I’m even starting a new fashion trend for the band, a zombie look.” Everyone in the room laughed. He obviously hadn’t lost his sense of humor.

Lola:
What has the doctor told you?

“Not too much. Chandler can tell you more than me.”

Chandler reiterated what they had learned so far. I wanted to talk to the doctor myself because I wasn’t sure she understood all of the information.

I looked at Gunner closely. I needed him to know I was here for him no matter what. At that moment, I finally got that texting didn’t always show the emotion or feelings that a real conversation could have. He needed to understand my feelings at this point and I wasn’t sure a text would ever come close to it.

Lola:
Is it okay if I stay with you here tonight?

“I wouldn’t want you anywhere else, but you know you can’t take advantage of me when I’m not one hundred percent.” The smile he gave me wasn’t as bright as usual. He was hiding his fear from me and certainly from the others.

The nurse came in, and we heard the announcement ending visiting hours. The guys looked at each other as though they didn’t know exactly what to do. I knew they were hesitant to leave him. The nurse said they had to go, so they said their goodbyes and made their way out to the hallway with me following. The emotional looks on each of their faces told me what was going through their minds, and I wanted to offer them reassurance that everything would be fine. I needed to talk to the doctor first, though.

“Okay, guys. Heads up. This is not like the band I know. No negativity. I’m sure we’ll hear a lot more tomorrow when the other doctors have a chance to read all of the test results. He needs you all to be positive with whatever news we get.”

Chandler stepped forward. “We are just so glad you decided to come back. We don’t know what we are going to do without him.” The group looked devastated at this point.

“I know this is scary, but you’re all getting way ahead of yourselves. Let’s wait until tomorrow. It’ll all look better in the morning, and maybe we’ll get some good news from the results.”

Carter spoke up. “You’re right. We are here for Gunner no matter what the doctor tells us. He’s family, and we will do whatever needs to be done to make this right for him.”

“That’s great,” I told them. “Right now you need to go home, sleep and be ready to handle whatever tomorrow brings. He needs smiles and positive attitudes, and most of all, he needs you to be your normal selves. Acting weird is only going to make it harder for him.

“So tomorrow I expect you all to return with your best game faces on,” I said as I hugged each one. I didn’t know Gunner’s family that well yet, but I already understood that before this was over, I would know them all like my own.

I took a deep breath before I headed back into Gunner’s room. I didn’t know all there was to know about his condition, but it didn’t look too good to me. His hearing loss would be the most horrible problem a band member could have. I was going to pray tonight that these problems were all able to be healed.