Surge : A Stepbrother Romance (10 page)

Chapter
18 Mick– Shark in the Ward

“Shark! Shark!”

Where
the hell am I? I need to get out of here. Where is that shark? What is going
on? Why are these people grabbing me, why am I feeling tired…
***

        I awake with a start, unsure of where I am. I
gasp for breath. The last thing I remember is the shark. I decide it’s better
to take stock of my surroundings before I start yelling again. I try to piece
the information together again and recall where I am and how I got here. I have
some recollections of the attack, but can’t remember much of anything after
that.

Looking down, I see my
leg is wrapped in an enormous bandage. I touch it and feel it is more of a
cast. I try to raise my leg, but I can’t—the pain shooting through it is
intense. I guess the good news is that I still have a leg.

I have all of my
faculties, albeit I’m a little groggy. More good news: I’m alive. I can’t get
the image of that shark bearing down on me out of my head. It is still surreal
and seems like it never happened. My leg, however, is a testament to the fact
that it did.

There is a great deal of
silence, with the exception of dinging machines. I have no idea if it’s day or
night, nor do I have any recollection of how long I have been here. A nurse
arrives at my bedside.

       
        “Mick, do you know where you are?”

        “Well, it looks like a hospital. So I assume
that’s where I am.”

        “What do you remember?”

        “I remember the shark attack. I remember
swimming for my life. I remember it tearing into my leg and the searing pain of
its jaws. Then I remember Sam, sitting by my side. Holding my hand and crying.
But how is that possible? Is my leg okay? Will I ever walk again? Where is Sam?
Where is my father?”

        “Mick, there is a lot to go through. I need
you to have a little patience.”

        “No, I need to know. Please, give me the news!”

        “It’s too early to tell, but after hours of
surgery, we were able to attach most of the nerve endings. You have definitely
lost muscle, but the body is an incredible machine—it has the ultimate capacity
for healing. However, how hard you are willing to work will ultimately
determine your recovery. Your father is here. Would you like me to let him in?”

        “Yes! Of course!”

        Moments later, my father walks around the
divider. I cannot help by cry at the sight of him. Man, is he ever a sight for
sore eyes. He laughs and I laugh, both of us with tears in our eyes, happy that
I’m alive. He has never been a man of many words, but the ones he says now are most
certainly precious.

        “Glad to have you here, son.”

        That said it all. In his amazing way, he captured
“I love you,” “Thank God you’re not dead,” and “I couldn’t imagine my world
without you” in those six simple words.

        “Someone else is here to see you.”

        “If Delia has weaseled her way out of prison,
I am not interested.”

        “It’s a girl, but it is not Delia.”

        To my shock and joy, it’s Sam. She smiles with
a tear in her eye as she comes into view. I don’t reach for her, but I don’t have
to. She has already wrapped herself around me.

        “She has been here every day since they
brought you in,” my father says.

        I blink at him. “What do you mean, every day?”

        My father frowns. He looks somber again. “You
don’t know how long you have been here, do you?”

        “No.”

        “Mick,” he says gently, “you have been here
for almost two weeks.”

        Good Lord! I have lost two weeks of my life,
but thankfully, I didn’t lose my life altogether. This sure brings a lot of
things into perspective. I’m scared, and I’m sure it’s written all over my
face. Immediately, I decide on two things. The first is that I will not be
getting back into the water again, and the second is that my love for Sam is true.

        “Mick, I am going to let you two alone for a
while to catch up, but I will still be here.”

        Dad always just seems to know what the moment requires.

        “One more thing, Mick,” he says to me before he leaves. “Do yourself a
favor and don’t let this one get away.”

        I smile at my father. He has commented on a lot of things. Never before,
though, has he meddled in my love life. He must see in Sam the same thing that
I see in her. Sam pulls up a chair right by my bedside and grabs onto my hand. She
looks deep into my eyes, we exchange small talk for a little while until her
expression changes.

        “Mick, don’t take this the wrong way, but… I
think I’m…”

        “You think you’re what?”

        “I think I am…”

        Sam seems unable to control herself and she
stands up to run away. I sit there alone, calling her name, but with no
response. I don’t know if she’s telling me goodbye, or if she’s confessing her
love for me. Either way, I am exhausted. As I lay my head back, I can see Sam
walking back. I try to stay awake, but the meds and the excitement of the day have
gotten the better of me.

        “Mick, are you awake? I wanted you to know
that I…”

Chapter
19 Samantha - Of Love

        I come back to Mick’s bedside. He looks as tired as any one person
could be. I sit down again and grab his hand. I am so scared of losing him. He
has to know.

“Mick, are you awake? I
wanted you to know that I love you.”

        Mick isn’t awake, and maybe it’s for the best.
This is a good test for me to see if I can say the words. I said them and I
meant them. When he wakes again, I will tell him. I leave the room to let him
sleep and go back into the waiting room with Tobin. The nurse comes by to speak
to us.

        “Mick is almost ready to go home. His vitals
are all normal and his wounds are healing properly. It will now be a waiting
game. We cannot know how much damage has been done until all of the muscles and
nerves properly heal. It could take months, it could take years—it may never
happen. One thing he is going to need is a good support system. He will need ‘round
the clock care for the next few weeks. We can give you the name of a home
service and you can make arrangements.”

        “I used to be a homecare worker. Could I do
that job?” I chime in before thinking about it.

        “Do you know how to change bandages?”

        “Yes.”

        “From a medical perspective, that is the most
important thing. We need to stave off any infection. Keep in mind this is not
an easy process and it can be very emotional. If you feel you are able and up
to the task, then go ahead.”

        “I can do it. I want to do it.”

        “Very well. He will be released to your care
tomorrow. I recommend sending him home in an ambulance and renting a hospital
bed for the duration of his needs.”

        “He will come to my house. I understand his
house requires some work right now.”

        Tobin looks over at me, smiling softly. I
think he’s both glad it’s something I want to do for Mick, as well as grateful
that he won’t have to be the one to step up. We both know Mick will need
support now more than ever. A pang of reservation washes over me as I realize
what I am committing too. I still won’t be able to work, and Mick will be in my
house. It’s a lot to ask, for sure, but if not for love, then what would anyone
do it for?

        Tobin and I walk back into where Mick is situated,
to talk to him about the next steps. Mick, Tobin, and I speak at length about
life, love, and the great beyond. My procrastination about telling him he would
be coming home with me has gone on for as long as it can. The conversation needs
to happen.

        “Mick,” I say, “you are going to be released
from the hospital tomorrow.”

        “What? Am I able to go home now?”

        “They say your recovery will go much better
out of the hospital. You are going to have to retrain your muscles if you ever
want to get back into the water.”

        “Well, I can’t very well go home. My place is
destroyed. Never mind the fact that everything is up a set of stairs or down a
few.”

        “I know that, son,” Tobin replies.

        Mick eyes him. “And I can’t very well live
with you in your trailer.”

        “I know that, son.”

        The feeling comes over me that Mick is going
to realize I am his only option. Granted, he’s rich and could probably afford
to rent someplace, but to figure all of that out now would be a nightmare.
Should
I bring it up to him? Or should I wait for him to bring it up to me?
As
usual, my mouth opens first.

        “Mick, why don’t you stay with me?”

        He swings his head around to look in my
direction. “Sam, that’s nice, but I’m not sure I can ask you to do that.”

        “I tell you what, why don’t you at least come
stay with me only until you find another place?”

        Mick thinks for a while. “Okay, I will come
and live with you, but I want to contribute to the rent and the bills.”

        I smile. “I wouldn’t expect anything less.”

        “Should we get a nurse?”

        “I was a homecare worker. If you feel you can
trust me, I am happy to do it.”

        Mick smiles at the prospect of me waiting hand and foot on him. I’m not
entirely sure what I’ve gotten myself into, but I did put it out there. Like it
or not, it’s going to happen.

        “I’m okay with that,” he says.

        “Great, so it’s settled. I will go home and
make all the arrangements and see you at my casa tomorrow.”

        I turn to leave so I can clean up the house
and prepare his room. I also need to order a hospital bed. Before I reach the
door, I hear Mick calling to me.

“Sam?”

        “What is it, Mick?”

        “Do you mind staying with me a while? I could
really use the company.”

       
        My heart melts at the prospect of Mick admitting he wants me by his
side. Tobin looks at the both of us, getting the hint.

        “Well, I have to hit the road. Mick, call me
if you need anything.”

        “Will do, Dad. Thanks for being there for me.”

        “Anytime, son. Anytime.”

       
        We watch as Tobin leaves, pulling the drapes closed as he goes. I smile
at Mick in an evil fashion and he looks at me, knowing and wanting the same
thing. I hop up onto Mick’s bed and nestle in beside him. It’s nice to feel his
body next to mine. I have to be very careful not to injure him in any way. He doesn’t
look like he’s in pain—in fact, he looks happy I’m here.

        We begin to kiss, and his lips are as
succulent as I remember. I run my hand up and down his muscular stomach. His
body is still as magnificent as I remember. Mick returns the favor, grabbing at
my breasts with his strong hands. Lowering my hand, I reach for his manhood. To
my surprise, it’s hard. He’s always hard, or so it seems. As I begin to stroke him,
he moans at the pleasure. I unbutton my blouse to give him a better view of my
breasts. He strains in obvious discomfort as he tries to get closer. I gently
place my hand on his chest and push him back down.

        “Just enjoy, Mick. You don’t have to do
anything but enjoy.”

I continue stroking his
cock. As I move the sheets back, I stop to stare at the size of his dick. Mick smiles
as he usually does, understanding how he is blessed. I begin to suck his hard
member and Mick moves his hips to the rhythm of my sucking, stroking my hair. I
can hear his heart monitor increasing in speed. The gentle beeping has become
more frantic. Then it occurs to me that this may bring the nurses by. There’s no
time to waste. I increase my speed to hurry him up and not get caught.

Already, I can hear
footsteps. I sit up and begin again, kissing Mick while stroking his cock and
saying dirty things in his ear. I can feel he was close, and so is the nurse. All
at once, his body tenses up and he shoots his load high in the air, most of it
landing on my shirt the remainder on my hand. I clean up my hand as quickly as
I can just as the nurse draws back the curtains. The nurse looks at us, and the
look on her face tells me that she at least partially understands what she just
walked in on.

“Oh. Um, please get off of the gurney. It is not designed for two people.”

        “My apologies.”

        Mick smiles at me as I get off of his bed and
I smile back. The nurse leaves without another word, shrinking into the shadows
of the halls.

        “Mick, I know now may not be the best time,
but I have to tell you something.”

        “What is it?”

        “I’m late.”

        Mick raises a brow. “Late for what?”

        “Late, Mick. Late!”

        It takes him a moment, but finally, my
stepbrother catches on. “…Oh!”