by Golden Angel
"Hey! Stop!" Leigh glared at him, grabbing his hand with her uninjured one, and still wincing as the sudden movement reminded her that it wasn't just her head and hand that were sore. Dammit, she needed to be more careful, especially because Jared winced right along with her and the bruised look in his eyes strengthened. "You stop it right there! Nothing she does is your fault. Her actions are hers and hers alone, and you are not responsible for them. This is not your fault, it's hers and only hers and - if you want the truth - I'm pretty sure that what happened tonight was an accident."
"It didn't sound like it from what Maria said." Now Jared was frowning down at her, as if he actually thought she was defending her ex.
Leigh sighed. "Yes, Marissa approached us. Yes, she ended up on top of me when we went down, but Sharon thinks that she was just trying to grab my shoulder to stop me from walking away and that she lost her balance. She was pretty wasted. And you know Sharon's not going to sugarcoat anything, so I believe her that Marissa didn't actually mean to lunge at me and knock me over." She made a face. "I'm actually a little worried, I have no idea if she's okay too, but I know she was put into the other ambulance."
"She's fine," Jared reassured her quickly, without thinking. Now it was Leigh's turn to raise her eyebrows at him. "I, um, apparently I'm still her emergency contact number, so the hospital called me. I texted one of her friends to come take care of her. Don't worry, I'll tell her she needs to change it, asap."
The worried expression on his face made Leigh confused, until she realized that he thought she’d be mad that Marissa still had him listed as her emergency contact. As if he could do anything about that. Besides...
"Oh um..." Leigh coughed, as she suddenly realized something she'd neglected to do. "Actually-"
The voices outside the closed door of her room suddenly rose in volume and Leigh groaned, recognizing one of them immediately. Loud enough to be heard through the thick door, she could hear her own ex demanding that he be allowed past. Oops. Guiltily, she looked up at Jared. What? It wasn't like she constantly thought about who her emergency contact was; it usually only mattered once a year when she was renewing her insurance. Since her parents lived over an hour away, Michael was her first emergency contact and Angel was her second. Of course, since she'd been awake by the time she'd arrived at the hospital, she'd been able to give the nurse her parents' information but she hadn't even thought about the fact that they still automatically call her emergency contact.
Head swiveling back and forth between her and the closed door, sudden understanding bloomed on Jared's face. He gave her a wry smile. "So I guess I'm not in trouble for being Marissa' emergency contact, huh?"
"Not even a little. Am I in trouble?"
"Of course not, sweetheart. Although, I hope that after today you'll change it. It doesn't have to be me, since we haven't been together that long, so I'd understand if you wanted to choose someone else for now," he said, getting up and moving to the door. He glanced over his shoulder and winked at her before turning the handle. "Eventually, though, I plan on being your person in case of emergency."
Happy warmth filled her as Jared opened the door. Maybe it was silly to start feeling all melty inside just because Jared wanted to be her emergency contact number, but that didn't stop her from melting.
"Hey," Jared said sternly, interrupting the argument that was going on. Leigh was amused to see a blockade of male flesh just outside her door. Overprotective alpha males. "Don't be assholes, let him in."
Reluctantly they parted, and her ex shoved past them before they'd finished moving, plowing his way into her room with an almost panicked look on his face. Seeing her, awake and sitting up, fully clothed, relief made Michael slump as he slowed his pace, coming over to her. Giving her a smile, Jared nodded his head at her and, to her surprise, stepped outside to give her a minute alone with Michael. Which, with all the curious faces peering in, she was glad for. She didn't really want an audience, although she wouldn't have minded Jared's presence... still, she supposed it could make things kind of awkward.
"Geezus Leigh..." Michael said as he approached. Gently he cupped her face in his hands, tilting her head back so that he could see her head injury. "That looks like it hurts."
"It does," she said, with a small smile as she reached up to remove his hands. Hands that no longer gave her the same thrill when they touched her. It was nice to see that he was concerned though, that he cared. Somehow that helped soothe some small part of the hurt that had lingered after they'd broken up, the part of her that wondered if he really had any strong feelings for her at all or if she'd just been a convenience for him. Going by the worried expression on his face, he definitely cared, and that made her feel a little bit less like she'd wasted her time with someone who didn't. "I'm okay though. Nothing a few Ibuprofen can't fix."
"I'm glad you're alright," he said, concern lingering although he was relaxing a little now that he was in the room. His dark eyes, even darker than Jared's, carefully inspected her, his mouth tightening when he came to the bandage on her hand. "They said you were knocked unconscious."
Oh goodness, they must have called him immediately, even before she'd been able to give the nurse her parents' info, and never called back to give him an update.
"I'm fine," she said gently, reassuring him. "I've just got a concussion, and, you know, the hand," she waved it at him, cracking the first smile on his face even if it wasn't entirely genuine, "but I've got lots of caretakers, as you've seen."
A quick glance over his shoulder at the closed door had Michael grunting. He sighed as he sat down on the bed next to her, close enough that if she leaned over just a little, they'd be touching. "The big guy that opened the door..."
"That's Jared. My boyfriend." Which felt weird to say to Michael, but also kind of nice. Not that she was rubbing it in his face. Just... nice to know that now he knew that someone wanted her and found her desirable. "He's really great."
"I can see that," Michael said, sounding just a touch reluctant to acknowledge Jared's greatness. The half-grin that accompanied that statement made her smile back. This was the Michael she remembered from college, half his face lit up with a grin as he had to compliment someone he didn't want to like, but was too honest to do otherwise. The concern, the sweetness, the understanding. "I guess I should go then..."
"I'm sorry I forgot to change my emergency contact information," she said. "But thank you for coming."
"Hey, of course I came." He patted her knee. "And honestly, I don't mind being your emergency contact. I still want to know if you're ever hurt badly enough to require hospital care. I still want to know that you're okay, that you're doing well, or if you're not." He coughed and gave her a guilty look. "I haven't changed my emergency contact information either."
"So I guess we both need to do that," she said with a gentle smile.
"Yeah." Michael looked down at his lap and then back up at her. After so many months of being apart, it was so weird to feel like he was so familiar and yet so much a stranger. She had no idea what he'd been doing. What projects he was working on. If he'd gone on any trips. If he was seeing anyone. That last thought sent a weird swooping through her stomach - not jealousy, just another acknowledgement of how strange it would be to know he was with someone else. How strange it must be for him to know she was with Jared. "I'm glad you're okay Leigh."
There was a weight to his words, a deeper meaning that went beyond the physical, beyond her injuries in this moment.
Leigh smiled at him. "I really am." She cleared her throat. "So um, actually, I think I'm ready to blow this joint."
His mouth tightened for just a moment, as if he wanted to reprimand her for using such immature phrasing, but then his lips relaxed again. Yeah... he didn't get to tell her how to talk anymore. Jared would have found it funny. In the past, Michael would have too. But they'd both grown, and Leigh didn't particularly like the person that Michael had grown into. She wished they'd grown together, but at the same time, she was glad she'
d never become like him... always censoring himself, always mindful of what people thought, always worrying that something she said or did might reflect badly on him in the business world. They just weren't compatible anymore.
Hopping up from the bed, he held out his hand to help her stand, which she took with appreciation. Her knees creaked and she winced at the pain as they straightened. Those were going to hurt for more than a couple days, she predicted. Michael looked like he was about to say something, when another flurry of noise from the hallway caught both of their attentions.
********
Closing the door behind him, Jared faced the firing squad.
"You're going to leave him in there with her?" Patrick asked, scowling harshly.
"They'll be fine," Jared said, even though his stomach churned. But he knew he wouldn't want an audience when he finally had to talk to Marissa about tonight and he doubted Leigh did either. He glanced at the open door just a little further down the hallway. "Have you been in to see Angel yet?"
"Yeah, but that room's already crowded with her parents, one of her brothers, and Adam," said Lexie. "We're just hanging out until the doctors can figure out why she passed out. Do you think she might be pre-diabetic like Leigh?"
"I don't think that would explain it," Ellie said, from where she was standing between Sharon and Kate, as far away from Michael as she could get. Jared frowned, realizing why Angel and Leigh had always made the point of calling Michael, Mike. Must have been confusing for a while. "We all had plenty to eat. Maybe she just had too much to drink and got overheated... it was really hot in there."
"Dehydration?" Rick pondered. "That wouldn't surprise me." He frowned at his girlfriend, pulling Maria in tighter. "You ladies need to take better care of yourselves while you're out."
"Yes, Dad," Maria said, rolling her eyes. She squealed and blushed a second later, although Jared hadn't been able to see what Rick had done to cause that reaction.
Chuckling, he looked around, feeling like someone was watching him as his friends kept talking. There... down at the end of the hall. His own ex. She flitted into view, stared at him for a moment, and then took a step back towards where she had come, and then stopped again. Waiting. Not wanting to approach when he was surrounded by his friends. Which was fine. Jared had quite a few things he wanted to say to her, and if she came to him while his friends was there, it was unlikely he'd get a word in edgewise.
"I'm going to go get some waters," he said, to no one in particular, as the group continued to theorize about why Angel might have collapsed. Patrick and Michael both gave him a nod to indicate that they'd heard him and then Patrick went back to talking to Lexie and Jake, and Michael went back to pretending he wasn't watching Ellie out of the corner of his eye.
As quickly as he could, Jared strode down the hallway, unsurprised when Marissa slid back out of sight. He doubted she'd go far, just enough around the corner that his friends wouldn't be able to see her.
Reaching the end of the hallway, he saw that he was right. Marissa was standing ten feet away, with her back against the wall, staring off into the distance. Letting a stoic mask fall over his expression, he walked to her, stopping two feet away and crossed his arms over his chest.
"I'm sorry," she said, before he even managed to get a word out. To his shock, she even sounded sincere. Her amber eyes flicked up to his and away. Like she was actually ashamed. There was even pink in her cheeks. "I didn't... I'm sorry. I was just so hurt when I found out that you wanted to collar her... I just wanted to face her. Make her see how much the two of you are hurting me. I didn't mean... I didn't mean to hurt her."
He believed her. Not because Marissa would really care that Leigh was hurt, but because it would make it impossible for her to play the victim. Which was something she was trying to do even now. Trying to switch the blame to Leigh.
"Then you shouldn't have been there in the first place," he told her, some of his anger rising back up in his chest. "What happens between Leigh and me is none of your business. We're over, Marissa, and we're never getting back together."
"No, we're not," she said, her eyes blazing as she straightened. She sneered at him. "You really think I'd take you back again after you treat me like this? When you're tired of your little plaything, when you realize that she can't give you what you need, or when she leaves you because you demand too much, you just remember that. I'm never taking you back again. I've begged, I've pleaded, I've debased myself... and I hope one day you find out what that feels like. I'm done. You can tell your little princess that you're all hers. I'm going to take the first job that gets me away from here. I won't be coming to Stronghold anymore, I won't ever message her again, you're all hers, at least until you break her heart by cheating on her too." Marissa sniffed derisively. "Once a cheater, always a cheater."
And with that, she turned on her heel and stalked off, leaving Jared gaping at her, his mind still trying to comprehend exactly what delusion she was living in. He couldn't even fathom where she'd come up with half of that. Part of him wanted to run after her and make her acknowledge all the years that he'd spent begging her, pleading with her, debasing himself for her. He wanted to force her to see how badly she'd treated him. To make her admit that she'd been the one who hadn't given him what he'd needed, who'd constantly left him alone, and he'd never, ever fucking cheated on her.
He even took one step in her direction, one step to follow her, before he jerked himself back. There was no point. Marissa was Marissa. She'd never really changed and she probably never would; she was too wrapped up in her own little world where she could never do any wrong and was always the victim. Even if he did make her acknowledge it, what would it change?
She wasn't worth it.
So instead he turned around, back toward where he'd seen a vending machine, and bought five bottles of water. He took them back to his group of friends and gave them to the ladies. The door to Leigh's room was still closed. He felt strange. Numb. But angry at the same time. Something Marissa had said was niggling at the back of his brain. There was something wrong. Something more wrong than the lies she'd been spouting.
But...
A doctor came down the hall and gave their group a nod, smiling encouragingly at Maria when she met her eyes. The woman was friendly and had a confident demeanor, Jared guess her age to probably be in her mid-fifties, and she seemed completely relaxed as she entered Angel's room, making the rest of them relax. Whatever it was, it must not be that bad. Still, all of them leaned towards the doorway, their ears straining.
******
"I'm WHAT?" Angel stared at the doctor in a state of complete shock. Her mother let out a small cry, her hands flying to her mouth as they all stared at the woman.
"Pregnant!" said the beaming doctor. "Congratulations!"
Angel's mother threw herself into Adam's arms, hugging him tightly, while Angel's dad patted Angel's shoulder. She was lying in the bed, propped upright, but she still felt like she was about to fall over. At the foot of her bed, her brother Percy looked torn between joy at the news that he was going to be an uncle, and like he wanted to beat the crap about of Adam for defiling his baby sister. There was a sudden, silent crowd of friends at the door, shocked expressions on all of their faces.
"But I'm on the pill," Angel argued, clinging to the last shreds of sanity she could muster. "I can't be pregnant... I've..." Her eyes went wide in horror. "I've been drinking..."
"It's okay, sweetheart," Adam said, managing to loosen her mother's grip, his blue eyes alight as he reached for her hand. "It must be early, it'll be okay-"
"Don't you tell me it will be okay!" she shrieked at him, snatching the pillow from behind her back with a firm grip and swinging it at him. It hit him full in his stupid face. "You got me pregnant and let me go drinking!"
"Oh shit," she heard her brother mutter. Lucky for him, her ire was all for the blond haired, blue eyed Viking in front of her.
"What the hell kind of super sperm do you have?!" She w
hacked him again with the pillow, fully aware that she was becoming hysterical and not giving one good, goddamned shit. "I can't be pregnant!" She hit him again as he threw up his hands to block it, snatching it from her and tossing it to the ground. To her surprise, he wasn't even scowling at her. He was grinning.
The bastard.
Angel burst into tears.
"Hey, hey, it's okay, sweetheart," he said, his voice filled with alarm. Strong arms wrapped around her, rocking her. "Everything's going to be fine. We'll get married and-"
"Excuse me?!" The hysteria and fury rose again, and she pushed at the iron bars he called arms, trying to get away. "We're not getting married!"
"Why not?" Now he sounded angry, for the first time. Good! Asshole! Finally he loosened his grip on her, so that he could pull back and scowl at her.
"You haven't even asked me!" She glared right back at him.
"Fine. Angel, will you marry me?"
"NO!"
******
Choking on laughter, Leigh leaned into Jared, tears actually starting to run down her cheeks. The look on Adam's face...
He should know better than to try and reason with Angel when she was like this. Maybe it was mean to be laughing while her friend was panicking, but Leigh couldn't help it. This was one of the funniest things she'd seen in a long time. Angel was in full on wrath mode, Percy and the doctor had both moved as far away from her as possible, while her dad shifted his weight back and forth uncomfortably and her mom...
"Adam," said Angel's mom, putting her hand on his arm and interrupting the glaring contest that was going on. "Why don't we step outside for just a minute so you can have a chance to process." Glancing around, her eyes lit on Leigh and she smiled broad. "Leigh, dear, can you sit with Angel for a minute?"
"Yes of course, Momma," she said immediately. She gave Jared's hand a squeeze and stepped into the room while everyone else streamed out behind her. Adam gave her a pleading look, one that said, "Please talk some sense into your crazy friend." She patted him on the shoulder as he went past; Angel's mom had a firm grip on his other arm, keeping him from dragging his feet.