I felt my nostrils flare, and when they did, his eyes widened.
He started to speak, but I squeezed the back of his neck harder and turned so he could see the bed. “Take a long look,” I intoned. “The man I love is lying in that bed. And yeah, he’s in a coma. But you think threatening me with more headlines is going to get you somewhere? Wake the fuck up, man. I’m already living my nightmare.”
I threw him on the floor, and he scrambled back, looking up at me in fear.
“If you don’t want to know what it’s like to live in your own personal nightmare…” I walked over and bent at the waist to stare him down. “I suggest you get the fuck out of here and don’t ever try and take pictures of my family again.”
He lunged for the broken camera.
I growled.
He dropped it and raced for the door.
“Hey, asshole,” I called just as Romeo and Braeden blocked the entrance into the hall.
He stopped, his shoulders so tense they nearly reached his ears.
“I see any of this in the news or hear even a whisper anywhere on the streets, there is nowhere you will be able to hide.”
Romeo and B parted, and the guy ran off.
Braeden went right to Ivy, taking her by the shoulders. “You okay, blondie? He hurt you?”
“I’m okay.” She assured him.
Trying to get my anger under control, I went to Drew’s side, double-checking he was unharmed.
“If it wasn’t for you, the press wouldn’t be breaking into the ICU for photos and a story.”
My back teeth gnashed together.
“Man, you just don’t know when to quit, do you?” Braeden snapped, turning to block Ivy from any view of her father.
“Are you saying I’m wrong?”
“Yes.” Romeo and Braeden spoke unanimously.
“I think that violent outburst I just witnessed was enough to get a restraining order against you. Who knows when you could snap, my injured son the victim?”
I backed away from Drew as my eyes narrowed. “The fuck you just say to me?” I spoke deadly quiet, causing both Romeo and Braeden to straighten.
“With a restraining order, you wouldn’t even be able to set foot on the same floor as my son.”
I lunged. Romeo was ready and used his body like a barricade, trying to keep me back.
“Let me go!” I yelled, trying to fight past him.
Romeo wrapped his arms around my midsection and dug his feet in. “This is what he wants, Trent. Don’t give it to him.”
“I’ve had just about enough of these petty threats, nasty sneers, and disgusting words!” I burst out, still fighting Romeo. “Do whatever you want, you hateful son of a bitch! It won’t matter, because the only way I’ll stay away from Drew is if I’m dead.”
“What on earth is going on in here?” Adrienne worried, rushing into the room with Camden on her heels.
“Call the police, Adrienne,” he instructed. “Apparently, a legal document isn’t enough to keep him away. So we’ll have to put him in a cell.”
Bam!
Drew’s father fell back against the wall and slid down, a shocked look on his face.
Braeden stood over him, chest heaving, shaking out his fist. “If you weren’t my wife’s father, you’d be in the ER right now.”
Romeo let me go, and I stood. I wasn’t the one who hit him, but it was still satisfying to see him go down.
A few nurses rushed into the room, along with an orderly in all white. “What is going on?” Patrick exclaimed. “Why are there so many people in here?”
“I want everyone out,” Burke said, using the wall to help him lever back up to his feet. The corner of his mouth was bleeding and already starting to swell. It would match well with his black eye and busted nose. “Everyone!” he yelled. “I am next of kin, and no one is allowed in this room anymore. No one!”
The staff threw everyone out.
In the hall, my head buzzed and my hands shook. Whether it was from anger or regret that I’d lost it in front of Drew, I wasn’t sure.
Hell. Maybe it was both.
“If you don’t keep to the waiting room, you will all be banned.” The supervising nurse warned everyone. “This is intensive care. There are patients here who are seriously ill. This is disruptive and dangerous.”
“I apologize,” I said, staring at the floor. “Reporters are starting to come into this wing, even though it’s prohibited—”
“That’s no excuse!” she snapped.
Everyone turned to go toward the waiting room, me being the last.
He came out of the room just after and spoke to the nurse. “Whom do I speak to about having a patient transferred to another facility?”
My hands balled into fists, and about a thousand emotions pummeled me at once.
Just as I was about to turn back, Romeo put his arm around my shoulders, nudging me to walk. “He knows you can hear him. He wants another reaction. Don’t give it to him.”
“He can’t take Drew,” I whispered, hurt breaking through everything I had going on inside.
“We won’t let him.” Romeo vowed.
But Romeo didn’t have a say either. The only person that could truly put a stop to him was Drew, and he was in no condition to do it.
23
Trent
* * *
Three weeks a man could survive without food.
Three days a man could survive without water.
Two days. I’d been kept away from Drew for two days. How long could a man survive without his heart?
Not much more.
Desperation clung to me like a bad odor. The joints of my fingers and hands ached in exhaustion from being clenched for so long.
Every single second of the last two days, I had fought. Every single second, the cells in my body, the blood in my veins, pulled me to Drew.
Yet I resisted. I had no choice.
It was a battle inside me that continuously waged. So many times I’d started to storm in there, only to be dragged back by the small shred of reasonable thought I had left.
If I went in there, I would lose it again. I would do way worse to Drew’s father than punch him in the nose. I’d definitely land my ass in jail. Then I would be even farther away from Drew.
Just hang on.
The mantra became a heartbeat inside me.
Just hang on a little longer.
The doctors were slowly decreasing the medication that kept him in a coma. Soon, he would wake up. Soon, he could end this excruciating separation.
Please, God, don’t let his brain be damaged.
The very last thing I needed to do was give that asshole anything else he could use against me.
But holy hell, the urge was intense. I nearly shook with the desire to feel his flesh split beneath my knuckles. The satisfaction of seeing even just a fraction of the fear and pain he’d caused me flicker in his eyes had the same kind of pull as a drug.
I kept my ass in the chair. I kept my eyes off that man. Because as much as I wanted to retaliate against him, I wanted to be with Drew more.
The love in my heart outweighed the hate. Wouldn’t it be nice if everyone operated the same?
Right after Drew was breathing on his own and right after I was threatened by the staff to chill the fuck out, he was transferred.
I’d nearly pissed myself when I saw his bed being moved. I thought old man asshole had made good on his threat to take Drew away.
Just as I was about to go to war, Ivy rushed in, throwing her arms around me. “He’s being moved out of the ICU! They said he’s stable and out of the worst danger!”
It took a moment for her words to sink in. When they did, the relief I experienced was indescribable. Some feelings just couldn’t be put into words. Some feelings were far greater than any word a person could speak.
For the first time since the accident, I found some comfort, and I hugged Ivy back until new worry assaulted me.
“Where are the
y taking him?” I asked, muscles tensing anew.
“The third floor,” she replied, pulling back.
“No.” I shook my head. “No, no, no. Romeo!” I bellowed, not knowing where he was, but knowing he would hear. “Braeden!”
B appeared first, coming around the corner instantly. Romeo rushed in shortly after. Both of them were clearly ready for anything.
“They can’t put him on the third floor. The place is crawling with press,” I demanded, pacing. “It’s just asking for trouble.”
Romeo nodded. “I’ll see if there is a higher floor available. Maybe a VIP room.”
“This is exactly why that man shouldn’t be in charge. He has no fucking clue,” I muttered. Turning to Ivy, I asked, “Think your father will listen to Romeo?”
She frowned. “I don’t know.” Her lower lip wobbled. “He’s so difficult. I don’t even recognize him. I keep trying to recall if he was like this when I was little, but—” Her words stopped and she sniffled.
“It’s okay, blondie.” B consoled her, putting an arm around her, pushing her face into his chest.
Her arms wound around his waist. “I’m glad you decked him.”
Braeden half smiled, patting her head. “Anything for you, baby.”
Romeo came back with the doctor in tow. “The VIP room is full.”
I cursed under my breath. “There has to be somewhere you can move him that will be less obvious,” I implored the doctor.
“I should probably talk to his next of kin…”
I swear I felt a piece of my back tooth chip off when my jaw grinded. “That’s not important right now!” I bellowed. “His safety is!”
“I know!” Ivy perked up, snapping her fingers.
Everyone glanced at her. “Can he have a room in the labor and delivery wing?”
“Where babies are born?” Braeden asked, dubious.
She nodded vigorously. “That would be the last place the press would look. It would definitely take them longer to find him there.”
I nodded slowly. “You’re right. I’ll call and get some guards for the door too. That way when he is found, they won’t be able to get in the room.”
Ivy turned toward the doctor. “Is this possible?”
The doctor frowned.
Romeo stepped up with the charm he wielded like a sword. “I’m sure Ron Gamble will be really grateful that you would go above and beyond for one of his drivers. A driver that just happens to be the New Revolution Racing champion.”
“I think we could make that work.” He nodded once.
What a douche canoe. If I didn’t have the country’s highest-ranking quarterback standing there and a friendship with the richest man in the state, this doctor wouldn’t even give us the time of day. Everyone deserved to be treated equally.
Few people ever were.
“Let’s go talk to my parents,” Ivy insisted, grabbing the doctor by the wrist and dragging him away.
Braeden made a sound as he watched them go. “That dude don’t stand a chance against her.”
“I’m calling in some bodyguards,” I said, reaching for my phone.
A phone I still didn’t have.
“Fuck!” I swore.
“You can’t be cussing like that when we get to the baby wing.” B scolded.
I leveled him with a hard stare. “Give me your phone.”
He handed it over.
And so here I was, camping out in the waiting room of the labor and delivery wing, waiting for Drew to open his eyes. Waiting to see if his brain was unharmed in the crash.
I couldn’t even fathom him looking at me with blank eyes and no recognition. It might kill me.
No. It wouldn’t. I’d rather have him here looking at me as a stranger than not here at all.
I shot to my feet for the thousandth time and started to pace.
“You’re going to wear a hole in the floor,” Lorhaven informed. Joey smacked him in the back of the head. “Ow, woman!”
“Don’t you woman me,” she growled. “Leave him alone. He can pace if he wants to.”
“You don’t baby me like that,” he muttered, wrapping his arms across his chest.
“That’s because there isn’t one thing about you that’s soft.”
I couldn’t help it. I rolled my eyes.
Lorhaven chuckled under his breath. “Don’t you know it.”
Joey giggled, and I wanted to puke. “Why isn’t he awake yet?” I wondered, running my hands through my hair. “It’s been days. How much medicine did they give him?”
“I’m sure he’s doing everything he can to wake up.” Rimmel assured me.
I stopped pacing in front of her chair. “He looked okay last time you saw him?”
I’d asked her this hundreds of times. I’d asked everyone who had been allowed in the room—which actually was very few. But even that bastard Burke wouldn’t deny the sweet face of my sister asking to see Drew.
I could ask her a hundred more times, though, and she would act like it was the first time. Scooting forward in the seat, feet dangling over the floor, Rimmel caught my hand, giving it a squeeze. “He looked good. Honest. I put some of that balm on his lips for you.”
I nodded. “You talked to him, right? Let him know I was still out here?”
“Of course I did. I also told him you smell, refuse to eat, and your injuries look like dog meat.”
I made a face. “You’ve been hanging out with Rome too long.”
I went back to pacing. Rimmel giggled behind me. Seconds later, I felt her arms wrap around me from behind. Even though I’d literally been punching anyone who pissed me off, scaring the staff, and yeah, okay, I kinda smelled… this one still didn’t hesitate to hug me.
“He’s going to wake up soon.”
I let her hug me for a few, then patted her arms. She went back to her seat, and I resumed pacing.
Out in the hall, Patrick went by.
I raced out after him, calling his name.
He turned and smiled. “We meet again.”
“You’ll be seeing a lot of me in the next few weeks.”
He made a gesture with his hand. “No complaints here.”
“Any news?”
“Not yet. He’s still stable. Not awake.”
I nodded, eyes falling to my feet.
A light touch on my arm made me look up. Patrick was much closer now, his eyes cast upward to meet mine. “I promise I will tell you the second anything changes.”
I nodded.
“Honestly,” Patrick said, stepping closer and dropping his voice, “I know things are… tense with this situation, but I think you know whose side I’m on.”
I did, and it was exactly why I’d asked Romeo to use his persuasive powers yet again to suggest a few of the nurses who’d been taking care of Drew in the ICU continue to do so. Turned out that wasn’t usual protocol.
Neither was Drew almost dying. So I did what any man would do. I threw money at them. Patrick, Katie, and one other nurse were now assigned to Drew exclusively.
Yeah, yeah. I was bitching about people being treated equally and fairly earlier. Didn’t you also hear me say that wasn’t how this world went ‘round?
If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. Besides, this was one of the only things I was able to do for Drew right now. If I couldn’t be beside him, then I could at least make sure the people around him were quality.
Well, except for that soul-chewing, foul-mouthed man whose name I would not say. The only power I had over that man was the ability to inspire hatred.
He didn’t even know I was paying extra for these nurses. If he did, he probably would have had them fired.
“I really appreciate it,” I told Patrick sincerely.
He patted my arm and then went back to work.
A wave of dizziness swept over me, and the raw skin on my wrist burned. Blowing out a breath, I gazed down the hall to the bodyguards standing post outside Drew’s room. One saw me looking and nodded slightly.<
br />
They also were aware of the situation. They also were told I wasn’t allowed in that room.
But they also knew who was signing their paycheck.
Wearily, I rubbed my temples. The dull thudding in my skull was annoying, and the sandpaper feel of my eyelids was equally so.
And who the fuck is crying?
My God, the sound had been background noise to this hellish day for far too long. Pulling my hands from my head, I gazed around.
Now that I focused on the crying, it seemed even worse than before. That kid sounded worse than I felt.
The thought was strangely unsettling. I mean yes, this was the baby wing of this hospital, and newborn babies cried. But they didn’t cry this much.
Did they?
I shook my head. I had five nieces and nephews. Not one of those kids cried as much and as fitfully as that baby.
Where the hell were its parents? The nurses?
Didn’t anybody give a shit it was obviously miserable?
They say misery loves company. I didn’t agree. Because the misery I heard in that baby’s wail was not anything I took joy in.
Without realizing it, I started to walk, following the sound.
24
Trent
* * *
The wailing seemed to grow more insistent the closer I came. Or maybe it was just because it was louder.
Whatever the reason, I didn’t like it.
I’d grown used to having kids around. On our compound, there wasn’t a day that went by when I didn’t see them. And when Drew and I were traveling for races, I missed the rug rats.
Hearing a baby cry so diligently made me uncomfortable.
Around the corner, the nursery came into view. You know, that place where families could go and stare through a large glass window to look at all the babies who’d just been born. Following the sound, I went there, gazing through for the source of the noise.
There were only two babies lying behind the glass. Both of them swaddled and asleep in their bassinets. One had a pink hat; one had a blue. Confused, I glanced around, knowing the crying was nearby, but not knowing where.
When I gazed into the nursery again, a small bout of movement caught my attention. There. Near the corner of the room, away from the other babies, was a bassinet. Inside it, I could see a baby flailing about.
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