The Line Between

by Tamsyn Bester

  “Stop overthinking it, Kitten,” he breathed into my hair. When had he learned to read me so well? “Just get some rest.”

  My eyes started falling closed, but not before Dane’s arm came around my stomach.

  I loved it when he held me like that.

  Damnit.

  I was starting to fall.

  Hard.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  Kennedy

  I WOKE UP a few hours later when my phone started ringing. Dane was noticeably absent, but my slight disappointment dissipated when I found his note on the pillow beside me.

  My grandmother’s name flashed on my phone, and I held the piece of paper to my chest as I answered.

  “Hi, Grams.”

  I could imagine her smiling on the other end of the line. “How’s my precious girl doing? I haven’t heard from you in a while, I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

  I felt a pang of guilt. I should’ve tried harder to stay in touch with her and my Gramps, especially as they took me in after high school. I had nothing without them.

  “I’m so sorry,” I said. “I’ve been so caught up with school, and my days seem to blend together at the moment.”

  “Oh I understand sweetheart, we just miss you. The house is so quiet, and your granddaddy misses you on the ranch.”

  “I miss you too.” I swallowed the lump in my throat. “You’ll tell Gramps that I’ll be there for Christmas?”

  “He’s already talking about your visit,” she chuckled. “Crazy old man.”

  My eyes suddenly welled up with tears, the wave of emotion coming from nowhere. “I really miss you guys.”

  “Honey, don’t cry,” said Grams. “It’s not long, and you’ll be home with us. You want to tell me what has you so emotional? My Kennedy is usually so put together.”

  Where did I begin?

  My no-strings-attached arrangement with Dane? My stepmothers’ pregnancy? My fathers’ complete disregard for my brothers’ memory? Grady’s attack?

  “I’m fine,” I sniffled. “I’ve just had a lot going on. It’s been overwhelming.”

  “It will get easier, sweetheart. You just have to take one day at time, and give it your best shot. You might be a Monroe, but you’ve got your momma’s blood in those veins, and nothing will get you down if you don’t allow it to.”

  Grams liked talking about my mother – her daughter – and she’d made sure to tell me I was just like her when I lived with them in Georgia. It was better than being like my dick of a father.

  “One day at a time,” I repeated. “Are you guys ready for Thanksgiving?”

  “Almost,” she replied. “It’s not going to be the same without you this year.”

  “I know, but I thought it would be easier to spend the day with Jade and her family. We only have four days off, and I wouldn’t want to waste two days traveling. I’ll be in Georgia for three weeks in January, and you can fatten me up with those pies you like to bake.”

  She chuckled. “I’m counting down the days my sweet girl.”

  We stayed on the phone for a few more minutes, and when I ended the call I felt like a weight had been lifted. Remembering the piece of paper in my hand, I thumbed it open, and smiled.

  I left the ibuprofen next to you bed. Drink it.

  Hope you’re feeling better.

  P.S You snore in your sleep ;)

  “I do not,” I mumbled with a giggle. Silly boy.

  I stuck the note in my desk drawer, and I slipped into a pair of grey sweats. I fixed my hair, and headed into the kitchen to make something to eat.

  Jade was sitting on the sofa, legs crossed underneath her, with her phone pressed to her ear. She looked up, and the tears streaming down her face alarmed me. Had something happened to Grady?

  Please, no!

  “Okay, mom. I’ll see you at the airport soon. Yes…Reid is coming with me. Okay…love you too.” Jade spoke in fluent Spanish, and I relaxed slightly knowing she couldn’t have been upset over Grady.

  She ended her call, and I sat down next to her. “What’s wrong?” My panic was barely contained. “Is it Grady?”

  She shook her head, and wiped her face. “No. They’re waiting for Grady to wake up on his own. The doctor’s said he’s breathing fine on his own, and his brain activity is normal. They’re just waiting for him to wake up now.”

  “Then why are you so upset? That’s good news?”

  “It’s my grandmother,” she said with a sob. “She died of a heart attack late last night. I’m flying to Barcelona with my parents in three hours so we can attend her funeral, and see my mom’s family.”

  “I’m so sorry, Jade.” I hugged my friend. I knew how close she was with her abuela, and could only imagine how devastated she was. She’d spent almost every summer in Spain when we were in high school, and always brought me something her grandmother had made.

  “You said Reid is going with you?”

  She nodded. “He didn’t even hesitate. God, that boy…”

  “He loves you,” I said quietly.

  Jade’s mouth lifted on one side, and she looked at me with more than just sadness in her eyes. It was resignation.

  “We can’t seem to get it right,” she laughed sadly. “I think we’re both scared - ”

  The front door opened, and Reid walked in as if he knew we’d been talking about him. He shut the door, and came to kneel on front of Jade, the look on his face a mixture of concern and love. Staring at them, I wished they would just pull their heads out of their asses. They belonged together, but they were both being stubborn dummies.

  “Flights are booked,” he said gently. He brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, and the intimacy of the gesture made me feel like I was intruding. “We have an hour before we need to be at the airport. I told your parents we’d meet them there, and told mine I won’t be here for Thanksgiving.”

  “Thank you,” replied Jade. Her lip trembled, and then she turned her head in my direction. “Will you be okay on Thanksgiving?”

  I’d completely forgotten about that, despite mentioning it to my grandmother on the phone a little while earlier.

  “Of course,” I replied, squeezing her hand. “You don’t have to worry about me. Worry about you, and I’ll see you when you get back.”

  “I’m sorry.” Jade cried, and I battled tears of my own from seeing her like that.

  “Don’t apologize. You have no control over things like this. I don’t want you to worry about me.” I gave her a small smile, hoping it would ease her somewhat.

  Reid stood up, and helped Jade stand. “C’mon. Let’s get you packed, and showered before we have to leave for the airport.”

  He walked her into her bedroom, and shut the door. I sagged back into the sofa, feeling deflated. I was going to be alone on Thanksgiving, and I didn’t blame Jade for that, but the thought wasn’t appealing at all.

  JADE AND REID had left last night, and it was my first official day on break. I hadn’t seen Dane last night, and being alone in our apartment was a little scary. I called Lucy to ask her if I could collect my brother’s belongings, and she told me she had a spare key under the pot plant next to her front door. She was spending a few days with her children and her grandchildren, and I was relieved when she mentioned that my father and his wife had already left for their vacation.

  I hired a U-Haul trailer, and after hooking it up to my Jeep, I drove the hour to Brighton, and loaded it full of what was left of my brother. I didn’t have the courage to open the boxes yet, but I had the U-Haul for a few more days before I put Charlie’s belongings in storage. I couldn’t bring myself to get rid of anything. It felt like I was betraying him somehow, and I didn’t want to lose the things that were important to him. That, by default, made them important to me, whether it was a Simple Plan poster or an MVP trophy for one of his many sports. It mattered to him, so it mattered to me.

  I found a box full of his old sweatshirts that still smelled like him, and decided I could handl
e taking this one box with me upstairs. The elevator was broken, and had been since before break, so I had to climb the stairs.

  Fantastic.

  I was going to look like a sweaty mess by the time I reached our floor.

  I’d just reached the landing between the two stairwells it took to reach each floor, when my foot slipped. I fell backwards, sending the box into the air, and screamed as I rolled down the stairs to the floor below me. My ankle twisted, and I cried out in pain. My head hit the floor with a thud, but luckily I didn’t black out.

  I tried to move my foot, but I sharp pain shot out through my leg, and my eyes grew wet from the intensity.

  “Shit,” I muttered, using my arms to lift myself up into a seated position. Leaning against the wall, I searched frantically for my phone, and let out a string of curse words when I realized that I’d forgotten it in my Jeep.

  I knew no one was around. The majority of the students had all left campus for break, and my chances of getting help now were minimal. But I had no choice.

  By the time I heard the ground floor door open, it had been over an hour, and I’d had remove my shoe because my ankle was so swollen. It had started turning blue too, and the pain was excruciating. I held my breath, listening as the footsteps drew closer.

  “Hello?” I called out.

  “Kennedy?”

  Dane’s head appeared, and I couldn’t hide how grateful I was to see him. He was making a habit of rescuing me.

  “Jesus,” he climbed the stairs two at a time, and crouched next to me, “what the hell happened? Your ankle. Shit.”

  “I fell,” – I hissed when he tried moving my ankle – “I think it’s broken.” I’d never broken a bone in my life, but it sure as hell hurt like I’d broken it.

  “Why didn’t you call me?” Asked Dane. He made it sound as if calling him would have been the most obvious choice. “How long have you been waiting here?”

  “My phone is in my car. I’ve been here for about an hour, but you’re the first person who’s come up or down the stairwell.”

  “Can you stand on it?”

  I shook my head. “No, I can barely move it without it hurting.”

  “Okay, let’s get you up. I’ll take you to the hospital, but I don’t think it’s broken, which is good. The fact that you’ve been sitting here for so long hasn’t helped though.”

  He lifted my legs from under my knees, and wrapped an arm around my back. He picked me up, and I had to bite the inside of my cheek to stop myself from crying out again.

  Dane seemed to be on a mission, so I clung to him until he had me in his truck, and on the way to the hospital.

  After a quick call, no doubt to someone who could pull some strings, a nurse took me for x-rays, and led us to a room where we waited for a doctor.

  An elderly man stepped in, and smiled at Dane first.

  “Mr. Winters.” He took Dane’s hand, and shook it. “I would say it’s nice to see you, but I’d hate to insult Ms. Monroe.” Warm, sympathetic brown eyes greeted me. “It looks like you’ve landed yourself in quite the pickle young lady. You’re very lucky though because your x-rays didn’t show any breaks, or fractures. But your ankle is quiet badly sprained.”

  “She has two left feet, Doc,” said Dane. “It wasn’t her fault.”

  I gaped at him, and he had the nerve to wink at me. The ass.

  “I tripped,” I replied, looking at the doctor. His kind face, and greying hair reminded me of my grandfather.

  Dane chuckled. “Exactly. Two left feet.”

  He was being playful now, and I was having a hard time keeping up with changes in his demeanor.

  “I’m going to have to elevate your foot, so that we can tape it. I want to put it in a moon boot for two weeks, just as a precaution to help keep your weight off the ankle.” The doctor – whose name I had yet to learn - moved my foot, and I clutched the bed to keep from letting out a string of curse words. Curse words seemed to be the only words in my vocabulary today. He started taping it, all the while firing off instructions on after-care.

  “I want you to elevate it as soon as you get home,” he said. “And if you have to go anywhere, you wear the boot. When you shower, try not to get it too wet, and keep it rested as often as you can.”

  I nodded, trying to remember it all. It was going to be difficult to stay off my foot for the next few days though. I didn’t have anyone at the apartment that could help me. Dane must’ve seen the worry on my face because he loosened my grip on the edge of the hospital bed, and held my hand. He was doing it again, making me feel like a yo-yo.

  “Anything else, Doc?” That came from Dane.

  “No, but I want you to keep an eye on it, and call me if the pain doesn’t subside in the next twenty four hours. Will you be helping Ms. Monroe at all?”

  I started to say it wasn’t necessary, but Dane cut me off.

  “Yes. I’ll be checking on her, and making sure she follows your instructions, Doc.”

  The teasing lilt in his voice did strange things to my already puzzled insides.

  “Good.” The doctor stood, and started writing out my prescription. Rather than telling me what I had to take, and when, he told Dane, clearly under the impression that Dane was going to be taking care of me. Again.

  “Call me if there are any problems.” The doctor smiled again, and exited the room, leaving me alone with Dane.

  “You don’t have to take care of me,” I said, swinging my ankle around the bed. “I’m sure you’d rather be with your family over Thanksgiving.”

  His beautiful grin faltered, and I realized that mentioning his family would make him think about Jewel too.

  With that one poorly thought out comment I’d managed to acknowledge the big, ugly thing that would always be between me and a real relationship with Dane. We’d never really spoken about his sister, or my brother for that matter. It was just easier to keep things simple, but I was afraid we wouldn’t be able to do simple for much longer. Where would that leave me?

  Dane distracted me from my wayward thoughts when he stepped forward, and moved between my legs. I looked up, and I had no doubt he saw the questions in my eyes.

  “I think I’d rather play Doctor-Doctor with you.” He’d deflected my remark about his family, and I welcomed the change in subject.

  A grin tugged at my lips. “I somehow think you’d look ridiculous in a nurse’s outfit, but I’d totally pay to see that.”

  The half-smile I’d come to love appeared, and Dane leaned forward. His lips were millimeters away from mine, and I prepared myself for his kiss when the door opened.

  “Oh, sorry.” A redhead nurse walked in, and Dane stepped back. “I didn’t mean to interrupt, but I have your moon boot.”

  Heat crawled its way up my neck and into my cheeks. “Thank you.”

  She went about slipping the boot on to my injured foot, and I looked up to find Dane watching me with a gleeful stare. He mouthed the word “later” and moved to help me from the hospital bed.

  “Did Dr. Andrews explain your after-care?” The nurse asked, her eyes flitting between Dane and me. I couldn’t blame her. He was a fine package to look at, and even women in their nineties couldn’t resist a peek.

  “He did,” I replied, clearing my throat.

  “Great. Is there anything else I can help you with?” The nurse was lingering, and I couldn’t blame her for that either.

  “No,” replied Dane. “I think we’re quite ready to leave.”

  With a nod, the nurse left, and Dane took my hand as he led me out the door.

  Dane’s phone rang, and I leaned against the wall while he answered. I was going to need his help if we were going to get out of the hospital in the next four hours.

  “Chase?”

  My brows shot up, and the surprise in Dane’s voice most likely matched my expression. Things had been tense the last time Chase and Dane were at the hospital

  “Yeah, we are…Kennedy had an accident and I brought her in�
�Yeah she’s fine, she left her phone in her Jeep…That’s great news, man…Of course, I’ll bring her up now…”

  Dane pocketed his phone, and turned his body towards mine.

  “Grady’s awake. Chase said he woke up last night.”

  After what had transpired in the last twelve or so hours, I hadn’t given much thought to Grady. I covered up my guilt with a wide, genuine smile, and if it weren’t for my foot I would have jumped up and down on my feet.

  “Can we go see him?” I asked hopefully.

  Dane did the strangest thing just then. He brushed my cheek with his knuckles. It was so gentle, but it caused something inside me to fracture, leaving me feeling a little more exposed and vulnerable to him. It terrified me.

  “Of course,” he replied. “But wait here, and I’ll grab you a wheel chair. You must be tired.”

  He turned, disappearing around a corner before I could say anything. But maybe that was a good thing because I was worried that the moment I opened my mouth, I wouldn’t be able to keep the truth from spilling out.

  I just needed a few more days with him, I reasoned. As soon as Jade and Reid are back, I’ll tell him we need to end things.

  Dane reappeared minutes later and helped me into the wheelchair before taking me to the floor where we’d find Grady’s room. The door was open, so Dane wheeled me in without preamble, and the moment I saw Grady sitting up in bed, I wanted to cry.

  Dane stopped me next to the bed, and I could see Grady’s smile beneath the black and blue bruises marring his face. He had a neck brace on, and still had one leg, and one arm in casts.

  “There’s my tootsie roll,” he said in a scratchy voice. That seemed to be tipping point because the dam broke, and the hot tears spilled over my eyelids.

  “I’m so happy you’re okay,” I said softly. “I was worried I was never going to hear that voice again.”

  Grady’s eyes glossed over. “It would take more than a fucker like Gavin Blake to keep my down, honey bee.”