by Hart, Rebel
“HIPAA.”
“What?”
“HIPAA. With an ‘A’.”
“‘HIPPO’ sounds better.”
I chuckled. “It does, doesn’t it?”
“Yep. You can’t get rid of me that easily, handsome.”
I smiled. “Trust me, I don’t want to.”
She paused. “I like sappy you. It’s very romantic.”
“Don’t give away all my secrets at school now. Can’t have all the guys being as smooth as me. Someone might steal you away.”
She snickered. “I’d like to see them try.”
“I’ll punch them in the throat if they try.”
“You and what army?”
“Me and the left arm that can still move.”
She giggled. “Let’s not break the other arm, okay?”
“Technically, it’s my collarbone. My right arm was just dislocated.”
“Oh. Oh. Yeah. Totally better then, Mr. Internal Bleeding.”
I laughed. “Are we really making jokes out of my injuries?”
She reached up, kissing my jawline. “Do we really have any other reaction to this situation?”
My face fell. “I guess you’re right.”
And as she tucked herself back against me, my eyes fell closed. Sleep began drawing me under. I felt myself succumbing to the darkness. And as my body relaxed, I hoped with all my might Rae would be here when I woke up. I hoped with all my might my father wouldn't give her any other trouble. But if he did, I hoped with all my might Cecilia would find her voice again.
Long enough to put him in his fucking place.
11
Raelynn
Clint’s soft sleeping sounds lulled me into my own sort of trance. I knew Michael and Allison wanted to get back on the road, since they’d been standing in the hallway for well over an hour. But I couldn't relinquish Clint. I kept wrapping myself around him. Clinging to him. Simply thankful to be in his presence again.
I have to go, though.
I sighed as I slowly untangled myself from his body. I reached up, pressing a soft kiss against his bruised cheek. His face looked like a mess. Every time I gazed up into it, there seemed to be a new bruise. Or a spreading bruise. Or another part of his face swelling. It made me sick to my stomach.
Let the boy sleep, Rae.
“I’ll be back soon.”
I whispered the words against the shell of his ear, then slipped off the bed. I peeked out into the hallway, watching as Michael and Allison stared at me. I sighed before nodding my head, signaling to him that I was ready to head out.
Until Clint jerked awake.
“Rae?”
I whipped around. “What is it? I’m right here.”
“Rae? Where are you? Rae!”
I rushed back to his side, lunging myself into his face. I crawled back up onto the bed, straddling him as I blocked off his view of the rest of the room. Michael and Allison rushed in. I pressed my lips against Clint’s, trying to stop his yelling. If he spooked the nurses or one of the doctors, we’d be thrown out.
“Sh-sh-sh-sh-sh. It’s me. I’m right here.”
His lip quivered. “I’m sorry. I—I felt you leave, and—”
I shook my head. “Your father isn’t here. It’s okay. I figured since you’d fallen asleep—”
“Dad’s already gone.”
He blurted out the words and I heard the hurt in his voice. I looked back at my two best friends, watching as they flicked their hands out at me. Telling me to stay as they made their leave again. His statement didn’t shock me, but it hurt me. Mostly, because I saw how much it hurt Clint.
“What was that?” I asked.
He grimaced. “Dad’s already gone.”
I slid off to his side. “But, I thought you said—”
He sighed. “He and my stepmother got into another fight last night. I mean, a really good fight. The hospital threw them out. I haven’t seen either of them since.”
“Then maybe your father is still in town. Just not allowed back in the hospital.”
“He called me to let me know he’d be back before I was released.”
The flatness of Clint’s voice turned my stomach. I took his hand, lacing our fingers together as I rested my head against his good shoulder. He drew in broken breaths, trying so hard to stay strong when I knew all he wanted to do was be weak.
I kissed his arm. “It’s just me. You can let it out.”
“He fucking left me, Rae. To rot in this hospital bed. And Cecilia isn’t allowed back in the hospital. At least until tomorrow morning. And I have no one. Just the doctors and the nurse staff who come in here with their pitiful glances and their small talk.”
“You have me.”
He snickered. “Thank fuck for that.”
I nuzzled against him. I watched his chest jump as his voice hiccuped. I gazed into his face, watching as tears rushed down his cheeks. I sat up, wiping at them softly with my fingertips. I grabbed his drink and put the straw to his lips, giving his trembling lip something to do.
“I’m right here. I won’t go anywhere if you don’t want me to.”
He swallowed down the liquid. “I just—don’t understand.”
I rubbed his arm. “What don’t you understand?”
He closed his eyes. “Why my father doesn’t love me.”
I didn’t know how to answer him. I didn’t know what to tell him. The only thing I could do was be there for him, so I settled deeper into his side. I watched him cry silent tears as he held his sounds back, his chest hiccupping with pain and anger and sadness.
“Clint, I—”
He sniffled. “For years, it’s been this way. For years, my father has seen me as nothing. But, I mean, even the last time I was in the hospital, he was here. Present. Sure, typing away on his laptop and taking phone calls. I’d fallen out of a fucking tree and jammed my neck. And every time I woke up, he was at my bedside. Working, yes. But here. And now? He’s nowhere to be found. On a jet somewhere, or chilling on some island with a cocktail in his hand while the only person who’s been at my side since I was admitted to the hospital sits at home, by herself, because of him!”
I cupped his cheek. “I’m so sorry, Clint.”
“My father is a good-for-nothing piece of shit. And he thinks that, for some reason, being back before I’m discharged is good enough. Like, sure. I’ll leave you while you’re in the hospital. While you’re hooked up to tubes and in ICU. But, at least I’ll be here by the time they take your fucking catheter out.”
I leaned his bed back as he closed his eyes. Something in the pit of my gut told me he wanted to lean back, so I laid him down. I tucked the blankets around him tightly because I really didn’t know what else to do.
Other than listen, of course.
He murmured, “Thanks.”
I shook my head. “No thanks needed. I just wish I had something to tell you. Or advice to give.”
He snickered. “There’s no advice when it comes to my father. He treats me like a nuisance rather than a fucking son.”
“I’d do anything to take your pain away, Clint. All of it. Physical. Emotional. Mental. All of it.”
“I know you would. But I wouldn't let you. I’ve been dealing with this for a long time. I can do it for a few more months.”
“If it makes you feel any better, you’re right. He’s a piece of shit human being who doesn’t deserve the type of son you are in his life.”
He scoffed. “I’m not anything special. It’s not like I made things easy on him.”
I nodded. “I’m sure that’s true. But at one point in time, you were nothing but an innocent boy. A boy who missed his mother and didn’t understand the world. Anger begets anger, Clint. You are this way and you act this way because you’ve learned to survive your father. Not thrive alongside him. And that’s your father’s fault.”
His eyes found mine. “Since when did you become so smart?”
I smiled softly. “You forget we both
have Daddy issues.”
He chuckled. “How is it that you can make me smile, even in this kind of situation?”
I shrugged. “Consider it my superpower. Making people smile and laugh when they’re on the brink of destruction.”
“Says a lot about what you’ve been through.”
“Yeah, well. I can cry on your shoulder about it a different time.”
“Deal.”
I squeezed his hand tightly. “I hope you know this isn’t your fault.”
“Rae, don’t.”
“I’m serious, Clint. None of this is your fault. It’s got nothing do to with you. Some people just don’t know how to be parents. Your father doesn’t know how to be a parent. He only knows how to be a businessman, and everything else is a nuisance. Including your stepmother, I’m sure.”
“I hope she comes back tomorrow. I’ve liked having her around.”
I smiled. “That’s good. I take it you guys have been talking a bit?”
“A bit, sure. I mean, it’s been awkward. We don’t really know each other, despite the fact that she’s been around for a while. But, it’s been nice waking up and having her around. She’s helped a lot with the doctors. Relaying information. Shit like that.”
“Sounds like she’s finally figuring out how to step up as a parent.”
“And she doesn’t berate me for things like my father does.”
I swallowed back my growl. “If I could get your father in a room for just a few minutes…”
Clint smirked. “I’d like to hear what you might do to him.”
“For starters, I’d sneak in a baseball bat.”
“Old school. I like it.”
“His kneecaps wouldn’t.”
The two of us laughed softly as my eyes danced between his. Then Clint closed his eyes.
“I guess I just always wondered if he loved me or not. But now I guess I have my answer.”
I snuggled against him, trying to be his rock while his foundation eroded from underneath him.
“And the funny thing now, Rae, is that I’m starting to regret ever wondering at all. I guess ignorance really is bliss, at times.”
I looked back over my shoulder and saw Allison wiping at her tears. Even Michael’s eyes were glistening. I didn’t know what to say. As I looked to them for guidance, all they did was shrug their shoulders. None of us knew what to say. There were no words for the situation. I turned back around, finding Clint staring at me as I sighed.
“You can go, if they need to go,” he said.
I nodded. “If they need to leave, they can come back around and get me. Or I’ll catch a cab once a doctor kicks me out.”
Allison piped up. “Actually, you’ve been okayed to stay in here for a bit.”
I furrowed my brow. “Really?”
“Well, once we get you on this HIPAA form, yes.”
I turned around at the sound of the strong voice. A man in a white coat came into the room with a clipboard and a pen. He handed it all to Clint before sitting him up in the hospital bed, using the controls that had taken me damn near ten minutes to figure out.
The doctor quirked an eyebrow. “While we’re not fans of how you guys sneaked in—or brought him food—the truth of the matter is that neither his father nor his stepmother are allowed in here right now. So, as long as it’s one person at a time, we can overlook some things for a few hours.”
I smiled. “Thank you, Doctor. I really appreciate it.”
Clint groaned. “What do I do, Doc?”
“Have this young woman put her name, address, and phone number down. Then you sign at the bottom. That’s all you need to do.”
Clint handed me the clipboard. “Rae?”
And with a smile on my face, I took it from him to fill in.
Anything that got me one step closer to never being pushed away from his side again.
12
Clinton
“All right, Mr. Clarke. It’s that time again.”
I smiled coyly. “Hello, Nurse Nina. Time for me to show you my nooks and crannies again?”
She giggled. “You better stop that flirtatious nonsense. My husband’ll come in here and give you a piece of his mind.”
“The more, the merrier.”
“Hey, now! I saw that cutie patootie that came in here yesterday to visit. I also saw how she made your heartrate monitor rise and fall. You can’t tell me there isn’t something there.”
I chuckled. “That’s Rae. And she’s a saint. Literally, my guardian angel. She’s the one that found me in that ravine.”
“Well, thank the Lord for that. Because without her, I wouldn't be accosted by you on a daily basis.”
“And you know you’d miss it.”
Nurse Nina was always a refreshing face on the ICU floor. An older lady with a spunky personality and a lovely meet-cute story she enjoyed telling people about. Everyone on the hall knew the story of how she and her husband met. And I had to admit, I didn’t mind hearing it multiple times a day. She always had a smile on her face and a giggle on the tip of her tongue to offer someone. An infectious sound. One that reminded me a lot of Rae’s giggle.
Thank fuck for Rae.
Nurse Nina sighed. “All right. Ready?”
I looked up at the ceiling. “Just be gentle with me. I’m tender, and sensitive.”
She giggled. “You wish.”
She pulled my blankets off, exposing me to the harsh cold of the room. And after she flipped up my hospital gown, she got to work. I had bandages covering stitches created during surgery. Multiple entry points where the surgeons had explored, cauterizing veins or whatever the fuck it was they did to stop the internal bleeding.
“All right. Things look nice.”
I grinned. “Just nice, Nurse Nina?”
“Oh, stop it, you little hellion.”
The humor detracted from the fact that she was literally raising my cock up to inspect me. Because out of everything else, my balls had also been bleeding when I came rolling into the E.R. She finished her inspection before changing my bandages. She ran this numbing salve over my wounds before covering them back up with new gauze. She taped everything down and flipped my gown over my hips. Then she changed my blankets out for these nice, warm sheets that made me moan as they hit my skin.
“Fresh out of the dryer. Why do you always flirt with me like this?”
Nurse Nina laughed. “I plucked them out just for you. It’ll help you relax a bit.”
But I knew the real reason she was doing it.
Does everyone on this damn hall know my father abandoned me?
I closed my eyes as she continued checking my vitals. I felt my tubes being finagled with, and I held my breath for it. I hated it when they shifted the ones going up my nose. It always pinched a bit more than I wanted. I listened as she whirled around the room, whistling to herself and trying to bring a bit of cheer into my life.
Then I heard the clicking of those heels.
“Uh oh. I think I hear someone coming down the hallway.”
I opened my eyes as the nurse leaned up my hospital bed. And my heart exploded with delight when I saw Cecilia come into the room. Thank hell, the hospital had let her back in. Because this Sunday was creeping by slower than I wanted it to. She clutched a bag of food and it made me smile. Plus, she had some books in her hands. She pulled up a chair and sat down next to me, sitting the books in my lap.
“I found those on your bookshelf. They had various bookmarks in them, so I figured you might want to continue reading them to pass the time.”
I grinned. “I appreciate that.”
Cecilia unpacked the food. “I also brought lunch. There’s this cute little cafe on the corner just a couple blocks down from here. Massive salads. And great soups. I got you a steak salad with extra meat, and then some thick tomato bisque soup and some of their freshly-baked bread to dip in it.”
“Thank you, Cecilia.”
“I also snagged you a lemon bar, if your sweet toot
h starts acting up.”
She said it as if she had some sort of dangerous secret she were carrying around. And the tone of her voice made me chuckle.
“That’s more than enough food, thank you. Really. I’m glad you made it back today.”
She sighed. “I’m sorry I let your father get to me like that. I couldn't stop thinking about you yesterday.”
I reached out, taking her hand. “I’m glad you stood up for yourself against him. Even if it did get you tossed out.”
“I should have kept a cooler head for you. You were here all alone yesterday. That isn’t right. I shouldn’t have been so selfish.”
I squeezed her hand. “It’s fine. Don’t beat yourself up over it, okay?”
I wanted to tell her about Rae, but I figured… baby steps. I thanked her for the food and the books, then dug in while she ate beside me. I looked at the books in my lap and sighed with relief. I’d been painfully bored in this place. And while I usually would’ve been upset that she rifled through my room, she brought me four books I had been wanting to secretly devour for weeks now.
“I’m sure those books will help. And if there’s anything you want from the house, just let me know. I’ll do my best to find it.”
I took a large bite of my salad. “Thank you. Really.”
“Oh! I have exciting news, too.”
I looked over at her as I chewed my food, watching as she set her salad down. She looked at me with pride in her eyes, and I wondered what had her so worked up in all the best ways.
“I talked with your father. And meetings are going well. He said he’s going to video conference in tonight and hang around with us. I have the laptop in the car, I’ll just have to go out and bring it up here once he tells me he’s ready. He’s going to text, I’ll get the laptop, then boom! Howard’s here with us.”
She beamed with happiness, and I tried to give her the kindest smile I could. But I knew how my father worked. He’d get busy with something, or pissed off at something, and suddenly he’d forget all about me. I didn’t have the slightest bit of hope he’d video conference in, much less remember to text Cecilia about it. But she looked so happy about it. So bright and vibrant with hope.