Broken Hill Halo (Broken Hill High #2)

by Sheridan Anne

  Silent tears start falling from my eyes as I reach for the nearly empty packet of pain killers. I have to do something about this. I can’t go on in this kind of pain. I start googling things that could help when I see a cool shower.

  It’s worth a try.

  I drop my phone back to the bed and get my hands underneath me before pushing up. Pain rips through my lower stomach and I realize this couldn’t be right. I mean, period pain couldn’t possibly be this bad. It has to be something more.

  I swivel around on my bed and somehow manage to get myself into the bathroom. With one arm wrapped tightly around my lower tummy, I reach into the shower and turn the tap with a grunt of pain.

  It’s been like this all day but has only started to get this bad over the last few hours. I mean, since Nanna died, I haven’t really been eating much and what I have eaten, hasn’t exactly been that good. It’s all junk food and sodas. Maybe my body is reacting to that.

  I stand under the spray of cool water but it doesn’t help and standing up only seems to make it worse. I lean back against the cold tiles of the shower and slide down until I’m sitting in the corner of the shower.

  Tears stream down my face and I know I can’t go on like this much longer. The pain-killers aren’t helping and this feeling couldn’t be normal.

  After sitting for a while and trying to breathe through the pain, I reach up and latch onto the tap. I use it to help pull myself up off the ground before keeping myself hunched over as straightening out hurts like a bitch.

  My hands begin to shake and I somehow manage to wrap a towel around my now shivering body. I get back out into my room and scramble around in the dark for my phone. I need help and I doubt I’ll make it up the hallway.

  I have no choice but to curl back up in my bed and the second my head hits the pillow; my tears instantly begin staining it. I pull up my phone and go into my recent contact list and find his name right at the top.

  I hit call and a second later, the sound of his phone going off in his room is echoing through the silent house. He answers the call before his tired voice comes through on my end. “I knew you’d come running b-”

  “I… I… Something’s wrong,” I cry, through the phone, cutting him off with a voice filled with agony.

  “Huh?” he says through the phone as I hear him moving around in his room.

  A sob tears through me and before I know it, the door of my room is practically kicked in as Nate frantically storms in. He flicks on the lights and I clench my eyes closed at the sudden blinding light. His eyes widen as he takes me in. “Fuck,” he curses while racing towards me. He drops down to his knees beside the bed as he looks me over. “What’s wrong?”

  “My…” I shake my head, unable to get the words out as I hold onto my sore lower tummy. “Please. Hospital.”

  “Shit,” he grunts as he flies back to his feet in a panic. “Ok. Um… right. Ok. Hold still.”

  He races from my room and I listen to him sounding like a heard of elephants running around his room, probably finding a pair of pants and a shirt. “JESSE,” he yells at the tops of his lungs as I hear the familiar sound of car keys. “Get up. Get mom and dad. Tora needs the hospital. Something’s wrong.”

  “What?” Jesse responds as his own door is ripped open.

  “Get mom and dad,” Nate repeats urgently. “Meet me out the front.”

  A moment passes and next thing I know, both boys are in my doorway, Jesse looking confused while deep lines of concern are etched into Nate’s face. Jesse looks me over for a quick second before his expression becomes horrified and he dashes out the door.

  “You’ll be alright,” Nate says as he walks forward. He grabs my clothes and pulls my top over my head before helping me struggle into my pants. Next up, he takes my phone off the bed and slips it into his pocket before bending down to me. “I’m going to pick you up, ok,” he warns me.

  I nod my head and take a deep breath knowing this is bound to hurt. Nate scoops me up and the pain is unbelievable. I take quick breaths through my mouth as I cling to him, but nothing could have prepared me for the way it feels as he gets me down the stairs. “I’m sorry,” he murmurs, looking haunted as he presses his lips to my forehead.

  I don’t respond, just keep my eyes trained on the front door. One step at a time.

  “What’s going on?” Trish demands as I hear both her and Cade rushing in from the other side of the massive house.

  “I don’t know,” Nate says through clenched teeth. “She’s hurting. She needs the hospital.”

  Cade and Trish catch up to us and both their eyes widen as they take me in. “Oh, honey,” Trish says as Cade races ahead to open the garage door for Nate.

  “Put her in the Range Rover,” Cade says. “She can lay down.”

  Trish comes around and opens the door of Jesse’s Range Rover while someone presses the button to open the automatic garage door. Jesse is suddenly there, helping Nate get me through the door of the Range Rover while trying not to jostle me too much. “You’ll be alright,” Nate whispers as they lay me down on the seat.

  Nate races around to the other side of the car and gets in beside me so I can rest my head on his lap. Jesse dives in the driver’s seat and starts the engine. “We’ll follow, Trish says through the driver's side window before looking back at me. “I’ll give your mom a call on the way, sweetheart,” she tells me.

  I go to tell her not to bother my mom, she’s already going through a lot today, but Jesse is already peeling out of the garage.

  Jesse drives like a maniac as Nate runs his hand over my hair in a calming motion, silently letting me know that he’s here for me.

  We pull up at the hospital and I do my best to help the boys get me out, ignoring their objections. Nate scoops me back into his arms and Jesse races ahead, hopefully, to warn someone that we’re on our way.

  As Nate walks through the doors of the ER, the place becomes a scurry of activity. Nurses are rushing around, doctors in white lab coats are coming at me. A bed is pushed from somewhere. Nate is saying something.

  I tighten my grip around his neck but he pulls at it, trying to get me on the hospital bed. “Please, babe,” he murmurs. “The doctors can’t check you like this.” Reluctantly, I loosen my grip and he lays me on my back.

  I cry out as a stabbing pain hits me and I try to roll over to my side. Nate’s right there helping me, watching me with worried eyes, eyes that tell me he’d do anything to take the pain away. I pull my legs back up into my chest and try to curl around myself as best as possible.

  Someone pushes the bed and before I know it, I’m pushed into a room where a doctor comes in and starts looking me over properly. People start poking and prodding at my stomach, sending blinding pain right through me.

  Tears flow from my eyes as Nate talks to the doctor while squeezing my hand, but I don’t hear a word he says. Trish and Cade come barging through the door with Jesse, but all I can focus on is the feel of Nate’s hand in mine.

  Please. Just make it stop.

  The doctor presses on my stomach one last time, getting me right where the stabbing pain is and my body gives in. That’s all I can take as my world promptly turns to darkness and I pass out from the pain.

  ----------

  Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

  I blink awake as the grogginess takes over. What the hell is going on? Why am I laying in a hospital bed? And why the hell do I feel like I’ve been run over by a freight train?

  I try to sit up a little but my stomach screams at me not to move, which is when I’m reminded of my night from hell.

  I look around the room and find Nate in a chair next to the bed, leaning forward onto his arms, fast asleep. Trish is sitting on the couch with Jesse’s feet in her lap, who’s also fast asleep while Cade sits in a chair across the room, working on his laptop.

  My mouth feels funny and I look across at the bedside table, searching for some water.

  “Oh, thank god,” Trish gasps from across th
e room, making us all jump. “You’re awake.”

  Nate sits straight up in his chair and continues up to his feet. His eyes come straight to mine before he looks me over, a second later, relief starts to seep into his heavenly eyes. He takes a step towards me and takes my hand in his. “How’re you feeling?” he asks as Jesse appears on the other side of the bed looking just as concerned.

  “Not great,” I tell them both. “Sore. I could use some water.”

  Nate nods his head as Trish flies to her feet. “I’ll get it, sweetie,” she says. “I’ll let the nurses know you’re awake. They’ll want to check on you.”

  I nod as she exits the room and focus back on Nate. “What happened?”

  “It was your appendix,” he tells me. “We got you here just in time. Any longer and it would have burst. You had to have emergency surgery.”

  My eyes widen in shock. “What?” I gasp as I try to sit up.

  His hands shoot out and lock onto my shoulders as he pushes me back to the bed. “You can’t move just yet. You need to heal.”

  I reluctantly stay where I am and watch as Nate presses a button on the bed which raises me into more of a sitting position. “So, they just opened me up and took the bastard out?” I question.

  “Pretty much,” he says as a softness seeps into his eyes.

  “Shit,” I groan. “I have to call Mom.”

  “Don’t stress,” he tells me. “She already knows what’s going on. The doctors wanted parental consent before going in for surgery. She’s already spoken to the doctor who performed the surgery and Mom has been giving her hourly updates, so it won’t surprise me if she’s on the phone to her right now.”

  I nod my head. “I’ll call her anyway,” I say. “She won’t stop worrying until she’s heard it from me.”

  “Ok,” he says as he leans down and takes my hand in his. He lifts it up and presses a kiss to the back of my hand as he sits on the edge of the bed. “You’ve got some nerve scaring me like that.”

  A smile crosses my lips for the first time in what feels like forever. “I’m sorry,” I tell him as Trish comes barging back through the door with a nurse hot on her heels. “I promise. I’ll make it up to you.”

  A second later, Nate is ushered out of the nurse’s way and once again, the poking and prodding begins.

  Chapter 10

  “Come on,” I beg with a whisper. “I’ve been stuck in this stupid bed for over a week.”

  Jesse shakes his head. “No way. The doctor said you’re on bedrest for another week and you’re supposed to be taking it easy. Besides, Nate would kill me.”

  I scoff innocently. “You’re not afraid of Nate, are you? What’s he going to do? Spank you and tell you what a naughty boy you’ve been?”

  His face scrunches up in distaste. “That’s wrong on so many levels,” he grunts. “And for the record, when it comes to you, then yes, I’m definitely scared of him. He’d do just about anything to protect you, including ripping my balls off and feeding them to the wolves.”

  “Please,” I beg. “I have to get out of here. There’s only so much Netflix I can watch. I need to get out. Please, please, please? I swear Nate will never know.”

  His face scrunches up again, but this time it’s filled with indecision before regret takes over. “Sorry, Tor. Can’t risk it. Doctor’s orders.”

  “So, you’re just going to go and have the best time ever at the best party of the year without me?”

  “First of all,” he grunts as he reaches a few trashy magazines off the floor that I’ve already read a hundred times and dumps them on the side of the bed. “This is not the best party of the year. My party was the best party of the year. And yes, I’m going to leave you right here because you need to get better no matter how boring it is.”

  I let out a huff. “Fine,” I groan as I cross my arms over my chest and sulk. “You may as well get me my Kindle then,” I tell him. “And a soda.”

  A grin rips across his face as he drops down in an elaborate bow. “Anything for you, my queen,” he says, putting on a ridiculously bad English accent.

  “In that case, take me to the party with you.”

  “Anything but that,” he tells me. “Besides, Nate said he was going to go to the party. Can you imagine what he would do if he saw you there?”

  “I know,” I groan. “It would be fun to see the look on his face though.”

  A grin rips across Jesse's face as he finds my Kindle and picks it up. “Indeed, it would,” he chuckles with an evil smirk. “But either way, you and I both know that after his race, he’s going to show his face for all of three seconds before coming back here and making sure your pillow is fluffed enough.”

  “Shut up,” I smile as a wave of lovey dovey goodness comes over me. I mean, he’s not wrong. Ever since the surgery, Nate has been my rock. Well… he’s always my rock, but he’s been making sure I have absolutely everything a girl could need or want while I’ve been in recovery mode. Chocolates. Tick. Blueberry Muffin. Tick. Trashy magazine. Tick. Books, books, and more books. Tick. Tick. Tick.

  He’s been amazing and I absolutely love him for it.

  The only problem is that he refuses to let me out of bed until the doctor has cleared me. The first night he insisted on coming to the bathroom with me, so I was forced to set a few boundaries. I had to compromise that he’d walk me from the bed to the bathroom door which is where he stayed while I peed, only to have him walk me back again when I was finished. Now though, he’s gotten a little better. He still insists on showering with me, though I have a feeling that’s more for his benefit rather than mine, seeing as though I struggle to keep my hands off him, especially when I see that broad chest. I mean, it just calls to me. If any girl tells you they can resist Nate Ryder’s naked chest, they’re lying. It’s as simple as that.

  Jesse drops my Kindle on the bed beside me, pulling me out of my dirty thoughts. “Is there anything else, my majesty?” Jesse grins.

  “No,” I groan, rolling my eyes.

  “Good,” he says as he walks to the door of my room. “Then I’m out of here.” A moment later, he disappears altogether, leaving me alone for the millionth time this week.

  I let out a sigh and make myself as comfortable as possible while silently cringing at the dull pain that shoots through me from the surgery, but don’t get me wrong, I’d take this pain a thousand times over the pain I felt that night. That was god awful.

  I bring up my Kindle and start flicking through my ‘to be read’ pile but can’t find anything that holds my attention, so naturally, I find my favorite re-reads collection and dig in.

  I’m halfway through my book when my phone starts ringing on the bedside table. I reach across and smile at the phone. “Hey,” I answer as the sound of a speeding car comes shooting through the other end. “What’s going on?”

  “Hey,” Brooke yells over the sound of the race. “Nate’s race is on. I wanted to give you the live feed.”

  “Oh really?” I ask, brightening up for the first time today. “You should have FaceTimed. I could have watched.”

  “Oh shit. I didn’t think about that,” she tells me. “Wait. I’ll call you back.”

  “No, no, no,” I yell, hoping she can still hear me. “Nate’s too fast. By the time you call back, it’ll be over.”

  “Shit, you’re right,” she says.

  “What’s happening? Is he winning? Who’s he against?”

  “Um… ok. Yeah. He’s winning, but it’s Nate; so of course, he’s winning. I don’t know the guy he’s against. I think it’s someone from public.”

  “Is he winning by a bit or by a lot?” I question, desperately wishing I was there. I mean, since we officially got together, I haven’t missed a single race. I hate not being on the sidelines cheering him on.

  “By a bit,” she tells me. “It’s a close one, but Nate’s got him,” she says before gasping and talking really fast. “The guy tried to cut through the inside of the corner but his tires are slipp
ing on the dirt. He nearly hit Nate and he had to pull back.”

  “Shit,” I gasp.

  “No, it’s ok. All it did was piss him off. The guy spun out wide and Nate was able to hold back and shoot up through the inside. Fuck. Yes,” she screams. “Go, Nate.”

  “What?” I demand. “What? What happened?”

  “The other guy took too long to gain control after going wide and Nate left him behind in a cloud of dust.”

  “Hell yeah,” I cheer, wishing again that I could have been there.

  “Oh, shit,” she laughs. “Literally everyone is cheering for him except for one person.

  My eyebrows pull down as I try to work it out. “Who?” I question.

  “Who do you think?” she laughs. “Jackson.”

  “Ugh,” I groan. I’d forgotten about that douchebag. I haven’t been to school in nearly two weeks and Nate hasn’t mentioned his name since Jesse’s party. So, I’d assumed all was good in the world, but hearing his name reminds me that he’s transferred to my school and is going to be another thing for me to deal with when I get back. “What’s the gossip there?”

  “Nothing much,” she says. “He’s been crawling up the asses of the football team and it’s working like a charm. They all know he’s good, especially after the game the other week, so they’ve taken him in like their new king. The coach officially made him the quarterback.”

  “Great,” I groan. “I guess that makes him the most popular guy in school by default.”

  “Sure does,” she says. “It’s been fine though. He’s stayed away from Nate and Jesse so far, but the way Jesse watches them around school, it won’t be long before something goes down. You know how Jesse has a hard time holding his tongue.”

  “I kno-”

  Brooke’s laughing cuts me off. “Oh, shit,” she chuckles. “He heard me.”

  “Who are you talking to?” I hear Jesse in the background.

  “It’s Tora,” she laughs before I hear rustling and both their muffled voices. “No,” she squeals.

  “Give me it,” I hear from Jesse.