Safe With Him (42 page)

The nurse was just pressing the bandage over the stiches when Draco heard, “Dra.” He jerked his head in time to see the curtain move.

“Good enough,” he told the nurse as he stood up off the bed.

“I’m not quite done,” the nurse complained, blocking his way.

He looked down at her. “Yeah, you are,” Draco growled.

“Sir, you need to sit back down so I can finish applying the dressing,” the nurse continued to complain as she stood in his way.

“You’re done, I’m done.” He leaned down toward her. “Now move.”

She stepped out of his way and he moved to the curtain, threw it open and…nothing. Searching, turning his head back and forth he saw…no one. Did he really hear her say his name? Or was him wanting her so bad causing him to only think he heard her call to him? He stepped the rest of the way out of the room, turned his back in the direction of the elevators and walked back toward the ED waiting room, still searching as he went, until he hit the doors that would take him back outside. He paused in the doorway, turning back once more to scope the whole ED waiting room before he walked out the doors and to his truck with thoughts of only one person.

“Breezie.”

Bree walked down the breezeway carrying another box to her, or should she say ‘their,’ apartment. She had just made it to the door when Cole stepped out.

“Here, let me get that.” He reached for the box she carried.

“I got it. Plus, there are still a ton more on the back of your truck.” But he had already taken the box from her arms. “I need a break.” She sighed as she went the rest of the way into the apartment and flopped down in a chair.

“Here,” Cole said and a bottle of water appeared over her shoulder. “You rest. Me and Ryder can get what’s left.”

Ryder came in carrying about four or five boxes at once. “Where?”

“Oh my dang, Ryder, you don’t have to carry the whole truck load at one time. Just looking at you makes me tired.” Bree sighed again.

“More load, less trips,” Ryder responded.

“True that,” Bree answered in Ryder speak and got that lip-twitch-almost-smile from him.

They had been moving all morning and now it was getting to be late afternoon, and Bree was tired and way past hungry. “I think we all need to take a break and eat. I’m starving.”

“You rest,” Cole stated. “And order some take-out. Me and Ryder will grab the rest of the boxes, then run and pick it up.”

Bree reluctantly rose from the chair. “No, I can’t do that to y’all.”

“Bree,” Cole ground out. “Seriously. This is the first day you’ve left the hospital in over a week. I know you haven’t slept worth a damn being there, then first thing this morning you’re up and going almost non-stop. Take a break, order some food, and let me and Ryder get the rest.”

“Yeah,” Ryder added.

Bree had to smile at that. “Have I told you guys thanks?”

“Yeah,” Cole and Ryder answered at the same time, then Cole added, “About ten times now.”

“I mean it. Y’all are the best. Skylar and I never would have gotten so much done today if it wasn’t for the two of you. So for the eleventh time, thank you.”

“Where is Skylar? Shouldn’t she be done cleaning by now? I don’t even know why she bothered. Not like that asswipe she called a landlord is gonna’ care,” Cole questioned with just a hint of concern and a lot more than a hint of pissed off. Not at Skylar, but at the condition of the apartment she had been living in, and when he found out that was all she could afford after paying tuition to Caleb’s school.

Ryder didn’t say much when they had gotten to Skylar’s apartment that morning, but Bree watched as he took in the surroundings. Not that her apartment was trashed, it was just that so many things didn’t work properly, or not at all. The building itself was run down and seemed no one wanted to take the time or money to fix it. But Skylar, wanting the best education for her son, used most of her income on that, and didn’t have much left for anything else. She scraped by in order to give to her son, and Ryder, though he didn’t say it, he got it. Then he surprised her when he stood taking in her apartment, then turned to Caleb and knelt down to say something low in his ear. Bree watched as a big smile came across Caleb’s face, and she heard the little boy whisper, “she’s the best mom in the whole world,” back to Ryder.
He’s one of the good ones.
Storm’s words came back to her, and she had to agree that Ryder, although he may look like a rough-and-tough-bad-boy, he really was one of the good ones.

“She’ll be here soon,” Bree answered Cole. “She just texted a few minutes ago and said she and Caleb were leaving and on their way.”

“For good?” Ryder questioned.

“Yes. She dropped off the keys and that place is nothing but a memory.”

“A bad one,” Ryder stated.

“It wasn’t all bad. We had some fun staying up all night watching movies and then all day playing with Caleb.” Bree smiled at the memories.

“They’re lucky,” Ryder said, looking right at her, then after a beat added, “To have you,” before he turned and walked back out the door.

Bree looked at the door, then at Cole. “You know, for someone who doesn’t use a lot of words, the few he does use can be so sweet.”

“Ryder, sweet?” Cole questioned. “Never heard that word used when talking about him, but he is right, Skylar and Caleb are both very lucky to have you as a friend.” Then Cole, like Ryder, walked back out the door.

Bree wasn’t so sure they were lucky to have her or if she was the lucky one to have them. She flopped back down in the chair. Cole was right about one thing, she hadn’t slept much at all being at the hospital with Storm, but he was coming home tomorrow and Skylar and Caleb were finally moving in today. Skylar pulled Caleb out of his old school but hadn’t yet enrolled him here. She said she didn’t want to move their stuff into Bree’s apartment until Bree was able to be there, but not to worry because Caleb was enjoying his ‘vacation time.’ A seven-year-old
not
going to a school he hated, plus home all day, Bree was sure he was enjoying his
vacation.
She just wasn’t sure how Skylar, who was still working four nights a week and having a seven-year-old home all day, was enjoying that vacation time.

That was why as soon as the doctor told Storm that he was being released but still wanted another x-ray first, and while Storm was having his x-ray done, Bree called Skylar and asked her about moving the next day. And Cole, being who he was and being in Storm’s room with her when she called, had volunteered to help and recruited Ryder as well. Turned out to be a good thing because she and Skylar both only had their cars and it would have taken them forever to move everything from Skylar’s apartment in Roanoke to Bree’s here in Mt. Eve. Plus, Bree needed to pack all of her stuff from the spare bedroom in her apartment and move it to Storm’s spare bedroom in his apartment. That was what she had been doing first thing this morning, while Skylar packed up the rest of hers and Caleb’s things. Then the real moving began. But although Bree stayed busy, her thoughts would always drift back to Draco. Wondering how he was doing. How he had gotten hurt when she had seen him in the hospital. She never asked, and no one ever told her. In fact, everyone had stopped mentioning Draco around her at all. Still, it didn’t stop her from thinking about him or missing him.

“Hey?” She heard whispered by her ear, and turned to see Ryder leaning over the back of her chair. “Okay?”

“Yeah.” She nodded. “Yes, I’m okay.”

He came around, knelt down by her. “Don’t look it.”

“Thanks.” She tried to smile at him, but just couldn’t quite manage it.

He looked up and past her. “Fix it,” he stated, then stood and moved out of her sight, but before she could turn around and see what and who he was talking to, Cole kneeled down in his place.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, I’m fine. Just a little tired, I guess.” What else could she say? She really didn’t think these two men wanted her crying on their shoulder.

“Yeah, I’m sure you are tired, but it’s more than that. Are you worried about Storm not coming home tomorrow? Cuz the doctors said his last x-ray was good. No sign of him ever having the swelling.”

“I know, and no, I wasn’t worried about him not coming home.”

“Oh,” Cole growled. “You were thinkin’ ‘bout him.” He didn’t wait for her to answer before he stood back up and walked behind her chair. “Not something I can fix.” She heard him say as the two men walked back out the door.

*  *  *

Draco pulled into his driveway and just sat staring at his house, knowing it would be empty and he would walk in it alone. He had spent most of the day with Storm at the hospital, knowing Bree would be helping Skylar move. He still couldn’t face her knowing the pain he had caused her, so instead he picked that time to see Storm and fill him in on his and Marco’s part of what had happened. Draco told Storm how they found out everything they did about Warwick and what the son of a bitch was doing with the old storage buildings as well as what he had learned about Hugo’s drug business. Draco knew that it would still be a few weeks before Storm would be back to work, or at least
officially
back to work, but Storm was a lot like Draco, and officially or not, he wanted to stay on top of what was going on.
You and Storm have a lot in common
. Bree’s words came back to him. Why the fuck didn’t he just tell her then, or the hundreds of other times he had the opportunity. Storm told Draco that he was right about Bree not caring about Storm being a cop, but was hurt by Storm keeping it from her for so many years. And Storm even apologized to Draco for asking him not to say anything, said he would talk to Bree again and explain to her
again
why Draco didn’t tell her. But after Storm had told him about the talk he already had with his sister, Draco didn’t think it would make any difference. She knew why Draco didn’t tell her, but knowing why didn’t take the sting out of the lie. And when it all came down to it, the plain and simple fact was, Draco had lied to her.

I can’t stand dishonesty from anyone.
Again her words came back to him, as well as the thought of all the other times he had been dishonest with her. At the time he tried to convince himself that it wasn’t a lie if he didn’t answer her real questions. They all came back to him.

You want to tell me what the hell is going on with my brother
?

His answer,
no
.

Are either one of y’all going to tell me what the hell is going on
?

His answer,
no
.

Wanna tell me what’s going on
?

His answer,
no
.

Are you going to tell me or not
?

His answer,
not
.

Do you know if Storm is…I don’t know, like a civilian undercover working with the police or something
?

His answer,
no, I can honestly tell you Storm is not a civilian working with the police
.

“Honesty,” he growled the word out loud. That was all she ever asked of him, the one thing she asked, and he couldn’t give that to her. In all the time she was there, he looked at his house, thought for a minute, she hadn’t, she hadn’t asked him for anything…except…that trip to the store so she could get that shit she need to keep her flowers.
Her flowers
. Draco remembered as he jumped out of his truck and ran to the door, unlocked it, punched in the code, then began searching for her flowers.

He looked around the living room and the kitchen, but he already knew they weren’t there. He raced down the hall, jerked open the basement door, took the steps three and four at a time, until he hit the last step and froze as soon as that support beam came into view, and…Breezie stripping for him. He forced his eyes away, took a quick survey of the rest of the room and still no flowers. With one more glance at that pole he turned and raced back up the steps, across the living room and into the kitchen. The one place he nor any of his
guests
had bothered with was the back porch. He yanked open that door, took one step and there, on the little table that sat near the dryer, her flowers. They were now over a week old and yet they looked the same as they did the day he had given them to her. “
I want to keep them forever
.” Draco remembered her saying and it seemed so important to her at the time. Now? Now he wondered if it was still just as important or if she even wanted them at all.

When Draco learned that Bree wasn’t going to leave the hospital as long as Storm was there, he had given her bags to Minga and Krista to take to her so if nothing else she would have her laptop, sketch pad, phone charger, and her clothes. He hated giving that part of Bree to someone else, not having any of her in his house, but he hated more the fact that she may need or want something and not have it. And knowing his Breezie she wouldn’t want to ask anyone to get it for her. He shook his head. Yeah, his Breezie was so damn independent. She was definitely not the kinda woman who liked to ask for something she couldn’t do herself. Even if that meant staying by Storm’s bedside and her doing without. He loved that about her. Hell, he loved everything about her. He walked over to her flowers, carefully picked up the vase and took them back upstairs and placed them on
her
nightstand beside the bed. He walked back to the door but couldn’t stop himself from looking back at the flowers and whispering softly,

“Mi manchi, Breezie.”