by Lila Rose
I had to say something, how nice that was. Hell, he left his car to be stolen and ran after me.
Would he have done it for Donna?
Just that one thought dried up the compassion I was feeling for Kane. I nodded and went to climb into the car, but stopped. I was halfway up, but quickly got back out and took some steps towards the hospital doors.
“Sky, what is it?” Kane asked. I didn’t know, though—a feeling? A thought? “Sky?” I heard his door slam; I knew he was coming around the car to me, then I felt and smelt his jacket being place on my shoulders, and I quickly put my arms through the sleeves.
“I—I don’t know. Kane, I feel like I should be doing something.”
“Sky, there’s nothing more you can do,” he said with concern in his voice. He placed his hand on my waist and when I didn’t flinch he tried to move me to the car.
“No wait,” I said. I looked to the doors of the hospital. That guy I’d seen in there was coming out, and in front of him was a short girl wearing glasses, a floral dress, leggings, and a black jacket. I felt myself moving towards her quickly as she moved to me.
I came to a stop in front of her, my head tilted to the side and I stared at her, just like she was at me. “It was your dad who tried to save my Momma?” She nodded. Maybe this was why I felt I had to meet her, see her?
I held out my hand. “I’m Skylar.”
She smiled and said, “I’m Alexandra.”
The drive felt long, and I cried the whole way. Tristan tried to give me more reassuring words, but when I wouldn’t stop, he left me to cry, still holding my hand in his. When we pulled up into the hospital car park, I drew in a deep breath and got myself together. I went to reach for my bag, but it wasn’t on the floor in front of me.
“Tristan, I forgot my bag. Stuff it; I left it back at Joe’s.”
He seemed a little shocked by my surprise recovery, but I knew I had to. “It’s in the back; Sarah gave it to me.”
I blushed, reached over, pulled out some tissues, and blew my nose. Charming, I know, but it is better than having snot running down my face. I cleared my voice, “Thanks for the lift. I’m sorry I was such a mess. You…ah, can get back to Sarah now. I don’t know how long I’m going to be in there, and I really have to go, so thanks again.” I undid the seat belt and got out of the car.
I walked around the car, head hanging low while I made sure I had everything in my bag and trying to distract my thoughts. I picked up speed, need hitting me to get in there, to find out answers.
I was near the sliding doors, looking at the black Hummer left out the front with its keys in it. Someone was sure in a hurry, like I should be.
I went to walk around it when someone placed their hand in mine. I turned too quickly, causing me to lose my footing, but thankfully, Tristan was there to place his hand around my waist and straighten me back up, into his arms.
For a second, all I wanted to do was stand there with my forehead leaning against his chest and think of nothing else. I was more than reluctant to go in there in case it was bad news waiting for me.
Still, now was the time to be brave.
“What are you doing?” I asked. I hadn’t heard him approach, or even when he got out of the car.
“You are not doing this on your own. Come on.” He moved his hands from around my waist and placed it in mine, leading me into the hospital.
We walked up to the counter where the nurse was flirting with the security guy. She was laughing, and that made me feel angry. The security guy gave us a once over and stepped back, but I noticed he didn’t take his eyes off Tristan, who was nearly double his size.
“I’m—my dad, he—someone called me,” I stuttered out.
Concern showed in her eyes. “That was me, dear. He’s out of surgery and it looks like he’s going to be okay. They’re keeping him unconscious until morning.”
“What…uh, what happened?”
“All I know is that he was at the supermarket when a man came in to rob it. When he didn’t get the money, he went to shoot the cashier, and your dad jumped in front of her. But they both ended up being shot then.”
No, no. He was shot, shot by a real gun! How can one do such a thing? And what was he thinking?
“Alexandra, are you okay?” Tristan asked. I looked up at him and nodded. “He’s going to be okay.” He smiled, and I nodded again. “Can she see him?” Tristan asked what I was thinking.
The security guy coughed and said, “No visitors now; he’s asleep anyway ‘til morning.”
“So at least let her see him, so she can reassure herself that he is okay.” Tristan glared.
“Look, mate, rules are rules,” he said, standing up taller and placing his hands on his belt—one on his Taser gun.
“Come on, you let Sky through to see her mom,” a voice said behind me. I looked over my shoulder to find a guy about my age standing there—in a tuxedo, of all things—with an older lady.
“It’s all right, Mack, let the girl through. We’re so slow tonight; the other nurses haven’t come back from break,” the nurse said then grumbled under her breath, “Wenches, just wait till I go on my break. Knowing my luck, we’ll have more patients come in and I’ll have to come back.”
The security guy grumbled, but opened the door anyway. I said a thank you to the tuxedo guy and went to walk through the door, but stopped and looked back over to Tristan.
“I’ll be here when you come out,” he said. I gave him a small smile and kept going. The hospital, for once, seemed dead quiet, which was really creepy because from what I had heard, hospitals were usually busy at night because of drunks, drug users, and people in fights.
I was told where his room was, and the walk down the hall seemed long. I opened the door to room 424 and gasped at the sight of my dad hooked up to so many machines.
As I took the few steps to his bedside, I fought back the tears wanting to escape.
“Dad? Oh, Daddy, I love you. Please don’t ever scare me like this again. I can’t lose you too. I don’t know what I would do if I did. And what in God’s name were you doing at the grocery store so late at night?”
I giggled, bent, and kissed him on the cheek. “She must have been good-looking for you to want to risk your life. I’ll see you in the morning; be a good man and stay safe. Love you.” I gave him one last hand squeeze and kiss on the cheek, then left.
I went back down the hall, wanting to ask the nurse some questions. The security guy must have seen me approaching because the door opened, and I walked back out into the quiet waiting room. A room that had always made me uncomfortable. At least this wasn’t the hospital I had lost my mother in, because if it was, I honestly didn’t think I would have been able to set one foot in here.
Tristan stood up as I came out; I gave him a reassuring smile as he walked over to me.
“Are you okay?”
“Better. Thank you for…for being here, helping me get to see him. I don’t think I would have calmed down if I hadn’t.”
“I figured that, and I have to say, you look better now that you have seen him. Before, you were ghostly white.”
“I just want to ask a few questions and then we can go. If you could just drop me off at home, then you can get back to Sarah. I wonder if she’s still…” My voice travelled off because I had a sudden urge to go outside.
“Alex? Alexandra, what is it?” Tristan caught my arm. I hadn’t realised I had already started to walk off until I was no longer standing in front of him. “Alex?”
“I…I don’t know, Tristan. Just…”
“Alex, didn’t you want to ask some questions?”
I looked back at him and then to the door again; through them, I could see a girl in a long black dress and her hair pulled up, and the same guy I had seen before in a tuxedo. I shook my head and looked back at Tristan’s worried expression. “Yes, yes, I do have questions. But…wait one minute.” This time, he let go and followed me out the front doors.
I was wa
lking down the front path; the girl was heading right for me, with tuxedo guy behind her. Where had they come from to be dressed like that?
My head went to the side, trying to figure out what I was feeling inside of myself, but then she spoke, “It was your dad who tried to save my Momma.”
I nodded; she held out her hand to me, “I’m Skylar.”
I smiled at her. “I’m Alexandra.”
“I’m sorry about your dad,” I said, not knowing what else to say.
She nodded. “And I’m sorry about your mom. Is she going to be okay?” she asked with true concern showing in her eyes.
“Yeah. And your dad?”
“Yes. He’s going to be fine.” She smiled.
I grinned. “I guess they’ll both be getting a serious talk from the both of us tomorrow.”
Alexandra giggled. “Yes, that will be in the cards.”
Shivering when the wind picked up, I hugged Kane’s jacket tighter.
Kane stepped forward and placed his hand on the small of my back. “We better get going.”
Nodding, I met Alexandra’s eyes once again. “I’ll probably see you tomorrow, right?”
“I’ll be here as soon as visiting hours start,” she said, and pushed her glasses higher on her nose. I couldn’t help but smile. She seemed like a nerd, but somehow I knew our lives would be joined from this night on, and I was looking forward to getting to know her.
I gave a chin lift to her fella, a quick hug to Alexandra, and whispered in her ear, “Are you going to be okay tonight?”
“I think so…and you?”
Pulling back, I grinned. “Yeah. See you tomorrow.”
“Till then.”
Yep. Nerd. But in a cute way.
Kane took my hand and led me back to the car. Once I was in, he closed the door, and quickly went around and jumped in. We drove silently to my house while I fought back the emotions that wanted out.
My momma was going to be okay. That was all I had to think of.
Kane stopped the car in my driveway. I got out and realised then that I didn’t have my keys. Thank God, for the spare key Momma had hidden under the front door mat.
“You need a better hiding place,” Kane said. I jumped because I thought he was still in the car and was going to drive away…back to Donna.
“What are you doing? You should go. I’m fine; you’ve done your knightly duty.” I needed time alone to cry the shock and fright from the night out of my system.
I turned back to the door and went to unlock it, but my hands shook so much it made it hard. Kane leaned over, placed his hand on mine to steady it, and unlocked the door.
“I’m not leaving, Skylar.” His whisper sent a shiver down my spine.
But he had to leave.
There was no way I was going to cry in front of him.
I didn’t move to enter the house. Looking down at the mat at the front door, I uttered, “You have to. Donna’s waiting.”
“I don’t care.”
Why?
With a hand at the small of my back, he gently pushed me forward into the house. I turned on the light and made my way to the kitchen, busying myself with putting on the kettle for a coffee. When I reached up into the cupboard to grab the mugs, I felt him walk up behind me. He put his hands on my waist.
My movement paused for a second, and then I placed the mugs on the bench. “What are you doing, Kane?” I whispered to the bench.
“It’s okay to let it out, Sky,” he said, with his chin on my shoulder and his hands still at my waist.
“No.” I shook my head.
“Sky.”
I shook my head again. “No. No, Kane, you have to leave. Just leave me alone.”
“Never gonna happen.”
A sob caught in my throat. “You have to.”
“No.”
He turned me in his arms and wrapped them around my waist tightly, bringing me to the front of his body. I tried to push him away, but he wouldn’t have it.
“It’s okay, baby.”
My struggling stopped at his words. I gripped his shirt and broke the dam down. I cried for nearly losing my momma. For the thought of being left alone if anything had happened to her. For the pain she must have felt. For the hurt that sliced through me with that one phone call. For seeing my brave, strong Momma lying silently after being through hell.
I also cried for something I would never have. Kane.
After some time, Kane picked me up in his arms and carried me to my bedroom. He laid me out on my bed and left, but only to come back seconds later.
“I’ve turned everything off and locked up,” he said.
I mumbled a thanks through my crying. Seconds later, I felt the bed shift behind me.
“Scoot over. It’s not really big enough for the two of us, but we’ll make it work.”
When I didn’t move and he realised I wasn’t going to, he somehow moved me across, flipped me over, and cradled me to his body.
“You’re even stubborn when you’re like this. Unbelievable,” he muttered to the top of my head, where it was resting against his chest.
I wasn’t the stubborn one. I wasn’t the one who wouldn’t leave when someone had repeatedly asked them to. Even though I was more than grateful for having him here—something I would never tell him. I placed my arms around his waist and pulled him closer to me. I fell asleep, once I was all cried out.
On the drive home, I kept thinking of ways to show Tristan my appreciation. He didn’t have to come—Corbet or Sarah could have taken me—but he took control of the whole situation. Maybe I could cook for him one night? I could offer to do his homework for a week. Still, I felt nothing would be enough. I also doubted he would want me to do anything for him in return for taking care of me when I needed it.
“Alexandra?” Tristan said.
“Hmm?”
He chuckled. “We’re here.” He unbuckled his seat belt and climbed out of the car. Before he had a chance to come around my side, I quickly got out.
I walked up to the front door, unlocked it, and then turned on the lounge light. Without stopping, I made my way into the kitchen. To do what, I wasn’t sure.
I stopped at the kitchen bench and gripped it.
My dad was going to be okay.
That was good.
No, that was more than good.
I felt that I should have been crying, but I’d done enough on the way to the hospital, and now the relief of knowing that he was going to be fine overrode anything.
I felt happy.
Exhausted, but content.
“Alexandra?”
“Hmm?”
This felt familiar.
Another chuckle. “I think it’d be good if you got some sleep.”
“Hmm.”
His heat hit my back. I felt his hands at my shoulders, turning me and gently ushering me out of the kitchen, down the hall, and up the stairs to my room. We stopped at the threshold.
“Tristan,” I said.
“Yeah, baby?”
Oh, my. That sounded good.
“T—thank you,” I stuttered. He wrapped his arms around my chest and brought my back flush with his front. “I—I want to thank you for everything you’ve done for me tonight.”
“You don’t need to. I’m glad I was there.”
I nodded.
“Baby, go and get ready for bed. You must be tired.”
“Yes.”
His lips touched my neck, right near my shoulder. Before I could react, he gently shoved me forward.
“I’ll go turn everything off.”
Turning, I called, “Tristan.”
He poked his head around the corner. “Yeah?”
“A—are you going? I mean, is Sarah waiting for you? Or Aaron, for his car?”
“Nah, none of the above. I’ll be back in a second,” he said and disappeared.
I quickly got out of my clothes and into my pyjamas, which consisted of guy boxers and tee. My heart was in overdrive.
He was coming back.
Here in my room?
With me?
Pulling back my covers of my queen bed, I climbed in and brought the covers up to my chin.
Tristan walked in seconds later, and without looking at me, he pulled his tee over his head in one smooth move. He had his jeans off in the next second, and I had another moment to admire his body before he flung back the covers and climbed in.
He rolled to his side facing me, and said, “The house is all locked up and everything is turned off. Time for some sleep, babe.”
As I lay on my back with my head turned towards him, I thought how lucky I was to have him as a friend. What also crossed my mind was how the temperature in the room seemed to be at a boiling point. Or it could have had something to do with the fact that Tristan was in my bed.
With me.
“You all right?” Tristan asked.
“Mm-hm.”
I was all right. I was more than all right. My dad was healing; he was going to get better.
The covers were moving. They were tugged from my tight grip and Tristan lifted them and moved closer to me. His arm wrapped around my waist, and he moved me so I was facing the window and he was at my back, hugging me to him.
It was so sweet that it made me want to cry.
I think my stupid crush just escalated to a full-blown one.
Deep, heart-wrenching feelings flew through my veins.
“Alexandra?”
“Hmm?”
He chuckled. “Babe, do you usually sleep with your glasses on?”
I was such a nerd.
“No,” I said, but made no move to remove them. I was way too warm, comfortable, and content.
“I can see in these types of situations you turn into a zombie.” He laughed. His breath fanned the back of my neck. He reached over and slowly took my glasses from my face. I felt him roll onto his back and heard him place them onto my bedside table. The bed dipped as he rolled back and brought me tightly against him once again with his arm around my waist.
“Tristan?” I whispered to the room.
“Yeah?”
“Thank you for staying. You can be really sweet…um, I mean, ah…nice.”