I couldn’t say I loved him but I knew I wanted to. I was at that exciting edge where all is electric and possible. The accident had put us in neutral, but it hadn’t removed the spark. As I watched his still form I held my breath, waiting for him to come alive again and bring me with him.
Chapter 24—Dylan
I felt her next to me. Her warmth pulled me away from the surreal landscape of my dreams and had me fighting to open my eyes. I wanted more than anything to see her face without the fog of drugs or the confusion of fever. I willed my lids to rise and fought with every ounce of strength inside me to shake off the haze.
She was resting her head against my side and the vanilla scent of her hair teased at my senses and brought me a millimeter close to reality. An eternity later, my eyes finally opened. Her hair was spread over my chest and her hand rested delicately over my heart.
“Rene,” I whispered. She sat up quickly and smiled at me. The sun chose that moment to gild her maple-colored mane as she swept it away from her face.
“Oh, Dylan! I’m so glad you’re awake again. How do you feel?”
“A little foggy, but not too bad considering how much dope Nurse ‘Ratched’s’ been pumping into me.”
“She is a mean one, that’s for sure. She booted me out of the room the last time you woke up. I hardly had a chance to talk to you.”
“Just try to keep her from scheduling that lobotomy, will ya?”
Her laughter chased a few more cobwebs from my brain. Beautiful music charmed a bit more of the beast within. “So your sense of humor survived,” she said with a smile. “And your long-term memory. Cuckoo’s Nest is ancient!”
“It scared the shit out of me when I was a kid. I have a long history of hating hospitals.” I pulled myself up against the headboard until I was almost sitting upright. I didn’t let her see how the effort exhausted me. “Where’s Stephen? I need to get sprung from this lock-up,” I said with an exaggerated ‘mobster’ accent and Rene smiled.
“You can’t possibly leave here yet.”
“Watch me.”
“Dylan, you’re dopey with drugs and your body is just starting to rid itself of the infection. You can’t leave now.”
“Darlin’ there are places and times when I will welcome you telling me what to do. But here and now? I don’t think so.”
“You can’t be serious. I won’t let you do it.”
“You won’t let me???” A flash of red lit up behind my eyeballs. I had to focus hard to keep my mother’s voice from coming out of Rene’s mouth. “I’m giving you fair warning, Rene. Don’t even consider telling me what to do. Find Stephen. Find him now.”
She had the sense not to push any further. Without another word, Rene turned abruptly and left the room. Nurse ‘Rached’ was only seconds behind her.
“Well, how are we feeling after our nap?” she asked me. I hated the tone, the attitude and most especially the use of the ‘royal we’. It would have been damn difficult to design a nurse who better embodied all the qualities I despised in the medical profession.
“We are beginning to feel human again. And let me tell you that you can take that medicine cup you’re holding in your hand and take it right back out that door.”
The ugly troll pulled herself up to her full height. She was a big ‘un. I guessed her to be nearly five ten or so and built like a battleship. “Oh, I’m afraid not, Mr. Cruz. You’re going to have to take these pills on schedule.”
“You and what army are going to make me?”
“Now don’t be childish. These pills are going to make you well.”
“Nurse, pills have never, ever made me well. Do yourself a favor and just go on out of here. I’ll be checking out as soon as my buddy gets here.”
“You’re insane. Your doctors will never agree to release you.”
“I’m not going to ask them to.”
“You can’t just walk out!” The pitch of her voice was taking on an annoying nasal whine.
“I’d appreciate it if you’d just leave. We’re not going to agree and you’re getting on my nerves.”
“How dare you speak to me that way? You’re an insufferable and quite rude young man.”
“No one is asking you to ‘suffer’ me, lady. Leave now and put us both out of our misery.”
I’d never actually heard anyone ‘harrumph’ before, but I’d seen the expression written down. Nurse Collins made it come alive and I knew I’d never read the word again without thinking of the pinched up, put upon face. She muttered under her breath as she left. The squeaky sound of her white rubber soles vanished with her down the hall. She didn’t bother to close the door to my room. Apparently my privacy was no longer her concern.
Stephen strode in as soon as the coast was clear. I had no doubt that he had been lurking in the shadows waiting for the old hag to disappear. Among his many talents, avoiding conflict was one of my captain’s carefully honed skills. He did it with me, he did it with everyone. It was second nature to him. Smooth sailing was his mantra whether over the sea or through all of life’s little storms.
Rene was hovering behind him in the background, looking worried. Her concern ticked me off. I wanted to blast the whole caretaker routine out of the picture and I wanted to do it quick. If we were going to build anything out of what I remembered of our time on El Loco before the accident, Florence Nightingale had to go. It was better to confuse her than allow us to be sucked into some sicko fantasy of mine.
“So man, are we ready to blow this joint?” I avoided Rene’s eyes as I began to remove the IV needle from the back of my hand. It stung a little, but I managed to slide it out without much blood. I ripped off a bit of the adhesive tape and put it over the oozing pinprick over my vein. “Have I got any clothes here?”
“I put a bag for you in the closet,” Stephen offered. “I figured as soon as you came to you’d want to get out of that gown.”
I wanted to hug Stephen for knowing me well enough to figure that out. “Thanks, dude. Rene, can you give us a couple minutes?” I knew it was going to be rough getting dressed and I didn’t want her in the room. She gave me a doubtful look and I answered it with a scowl I hoped was fierce enough to send her packing. It worked.
“Okay,” I told Stephen when she had closed the door, “this is going to hurt me more than it hurts you.” With his assistance, I swing my legs over the side of the bed. By the time we had maneuvered me to a sitting position on the edge of the bed, I was exhausted. The pain wasn’t too bad, though. I was still hopped up on plenty of meds from Nurse Narko.
Stephen guided the shorts up over my legs and I had enough strength to support my weight on my good leg so he could pull them up all the way. I felt a lot more in control with my bare butt covered and jewels safely tucked away. I threw the vile hospital gown in the corner and slid the long sleeved t-shirt over my head. Stephen reached into the drawer on the bedside table and fished out my wallet, watch and sunglasses. I stowed the wallet in my pocket, put on my watch and hooked the sunglasses on the shirt pocket. Just having my ‘things’ and my flip-flops in place improved my mood by miles.
Miraculously some angel had thought to put a pair of crutches in the corner of the room. I guessed that they were there waiting for me to eventually wake up and have to get to the head. Stephen handed them to me and I tested my balance. I had to sit down again almost as soon as I got up.
“Sorry, old man. It looks like you’re going to have to go hijack a wheelchair to get me out of here.”
“Will do, Dylan. But, just where are we going?”
“I assume El Loco is still around?”
“Yeah, but your father is too. He’ll have someone watching the docks for sure. I was able to keep him out of your room, but I can’t prevent the man from boarding his own boat.”
“Shit. You’re right. I know I have to face him, but I sure would like a couple of days to pick up some strength.” I knew Rene would be hovering around the door. Sure enough she popped her head in as soo
n as I said her name.
“What is it Dylan?” Rene was gamely trying to act as though she wasn’t convinced I was a danger to myself and needed someone to commit me. She was failing at it, but I appreciated her effort.
Stephen tucked out the door in search of a wheelchair. I hated to even begin to think about being pushed around like an invalid but there was no way I could hot foot it out of the hospital as fast as I needed to on crutches. The doctors couldn’t stop me, but they were sure to make a scene.
“I need you to find me a place to lay low for a couple days. Near the docks. It doesn’t have to be fancy.” I hoped she was going to go along with my plan peacefully.
“You’re going to need someone to care for you.”
“And you do an excellent job.”
“I’m not a nurse. I’m a cook!”
“That’s great. I plan on doing a lot of eating. Possibly even food.” I gave her as suggestive a look as I could. It didn’t work.
“But your leg . . .”
“Rene, I have a cut on my leg. It is not terminal. I don’t have a disease and I’m in no mortal peril. You don’t need to be a drama queen about it.”
“Drama queen? You nearly died from an infection!”
“Which is now under control.”
“What about medicine? What about changing the bandage? Or the stitches?”
“Stephen can get what we need. Much as I hate to say this, I will agree to finish a course of antibiotics. Will that satisfy you? I’m quite interested in satisfying you, you know.” I beamed at her as irresistibly as I could.
The stubborn wench was not going to crack. “What about the pain? You can’t just walk into a pharmacy and get those kinds of meds.”
“Cowboys made do with alcohol. I’m sure there are plenty of liquor stores around the docks.”
“Oh that’s just perfect. Cowboys. That’s how you’d like to think of yourself, isn’t it? A big, strong independent man.”
“And that’s a bad thing? I may not have total recall of our time together on the boat, but I do remember you were pretty pleased with my gender. As a matter of fact, my ‘manhood’ made quite an impression on you.”
“That’s not what I meant.” Finally, she at least had the decency to blush.
“Look, I know what you meant.” I was losing patience. She was either going to help me or not. I was tired of debating it. “You’ve got a choice. I can’t make you aid and abet my getaway and I certainly can’t force you to bring me a few meals while I recover.”
“Why can’t you recover on the boat?”
I couldn’t admit to her that I was hiding from my father. It was easier and safer to lie about it. “I can’t get around on the boat. Too many levels.”
“Your meals can be brought to your room . . .”
“If you want to bail, just say so. I’m through arguing about it.”
She flipped open her laptop with an angry little snap. “Just give me a minute. I’ll find something close to the boat.” She pursed her lips in a stubborn little pout as if to say ‘I’ll do it, but I won’t like it’. She was adorable. Leg or no leg I wanted to feel her close to me again and soon.
“You’re cute when you’re angry.”
“I’m not angry.”
“You’re cute when you’re lying, too.”
“Nothing about this situation is cute. I think you’re being ridiculous. Maybe your father is right.”
My blood ran cold. “You’ve been talking to my father?” The storm raged inside me, dangerous and deadly.
“I could hardly avoid it. He cornered me out in the hall.”
“And just what is dear old dad so right about?” I knew I was snarling at her but with one sentence she had sucked the lightness out of the room. I didn’t feel like flirting with her anymore. Unintentional betrayal stings as sharply as the intended. She’d been poisoned by the asp of my father’s disdain.
Chapter 25—Rene
“I shouldn’t have said that. Please forget it.” I heard something in his voice that frightened me. I had glimpses of how Dylan could suddenly run icy cold, but that was before we had gotten intimate. I wasn’t happy at all to know that he could turn on me that way. His eyes darkened, his nostrils flared and he stared at me under those fierce black brows. I withered.
“No. Absolutely not. You brought it up and you’re going to tell me exactly what my father said to you.” He crossed his arms over his chest, pressed his lips together and stared.
“I need a credit card to book the room.”
He reached into his pocket and drew out his wallet and flung it at me. If I hadn’t had quick reflexes it would have hit me. I nearly tipped my laptop onto the floor as it was. “Use any one in there,” he growled.
“You nearly beaned me on the head!”
“You caught it. Now out with it. What did the old man have to say about his beloved sonny-boy?”
“We didn’t talk long. I was anxious to get back to you.”
“Rene, you’re evading and it’s not going to work. The only thing you are succeeding in doing is making me mad.”
“Apparently that’s pretty easy to do.” I was getting a little ruffled myself. He had no right to demand anything of me and certainly slinging objects across the room at me was uncalled for. But the look on his face told me I better do as I was told.
“He’s very upset that he wasn’t allowed in the room.”
“Yes, I’m sure it was heartbreaking for him not to be able to hold my hand.” He snorted a derisive little laugh. “It just infuriated him that Stephen and I had the foresight to plan for something like this. Nothing ole’ Jackson Cruz hates more than to be outwitted. Especially not by me.”
I took a deep breath and plucked up the courage to go on. It was painful just being a witness to such a dysfunctional relationship. My parents and I had our ups and downs, but nothing as shattered as this situation. “Your father, as you already know, doesn’t have a glowing opinion of you.”
“The feeling is mutual. Go on.”
“He said you were weak . . .feeble. That you become ‘dependent’ easily and that . . .” I was having a terrible time saying such things to Dylan. No one deserves that kind of criticism from a parent.
“Go on, nothing you’re saying comes as a surprise.”
“He welcomed me to your ‘support group’.”
Dylan threw his head back and laughed as if I’d told him the funniest joke he’d ever heard. “When all else fails, throw the old shrinks back into the mix.” I must have looked as puzzled as I felt. Dylan’s face softened. “I’m sorry you had to put up with my father. Very sorry.”
“I gave him a fair ration of shit myself.”
“You gave Jackson a ration of shit? Oh please, please tell me more about that.”
“It really got to me. No one should say those things about his son. So I told him about the fight with the marlin and how I could see that it took not just physical strength but also the strength of will to bring that fish around.”
“Let me guess—he found that amusing.”
“Sort of. He tried to dismiss it as ‘just fishing’ but I argued with him. I told him I thought he was underestimating you in many ways. And he is.”
“Thank you for defending me. I wish it hadn’t been necessary.”
“Don’t apologize. Part of what makes you the person you are is all the baggage and garbage you bring with you. I’d much rather know than be kept in the dark.”
“And I’ve dished out a fair measure of darkness.”
“I trusted that we’d eventually get to that.”
“And we would have. It’s just that those few days . . . all I wanted was sunshine and . . . you—your body, your whispers, the touch of your skin against mine. I wanted to taste the kind of joyful passion I didn’t believe existed until I met you. I didn’t want to break the spell.”
“It was magic like nothing I’ve ever known. You must know that.” I could feel the tug of desire and knew I wanted h
im still—darkness and all. “You remember the morning of the accident now?”
“Yes,” he said quietly. “That’s what I mean by darkness. If the fish hadn’t hit, I owed you an explanation for going all cold on you after we slept together.”
“Technically, we didn’t sleep together. We napped together.” It had only been a couple of afternoon hours and I had had to slip off to get the nightly meal together.
“When I woke up . . . it triggered something deep. I reacted poorly.”
“That’s a polite way of saying you acted like an absolute prick. I felt used.” I hadn’t intended to admit that. I wanted to be cool about it. At least that was my plan before he opened up. But now, not so much. He deserved the truth from me, too. “It hurt.”
“I can understand that.”
“You slunk into the kitchen, grabbed a bottle of vodka and barely kissed me goodnight. This, after . . . what happened. All that happened.”
I closed my eyes and summoned the memory of his body and my body becoming one body. I let the warm sun and sea laced days we spent flood my senses and breathed the salt-scented smell of two human oceans crashing into each other. Wave after wave of dazzling bliss joined us together in that most perfect of moments—that precious eddy where ‘you and I’ spirals into only us reaching for more oneness.
My sigh was half a gasp at the remembrance of how it felt to be so close and half a cry of despair wondering if it had all been a dream. I think he heard it all in that sound. “I never asked you, did I?”
“Asked me?”
“If it was good. If it was all you had hoped it would be. It was important to me to, well, make it right for you.” When he looked at me then, the anger had faded away and all I saw in his face was the man who had brought it all to me. The author of my pleasure and bestower of sacred gifts.
“Yes, Dylan, you made it so right. You made me whole. I didn’t get the chance to tell you all the many ways you made me feel. It just got awkward.”
“I made it awkward. And I’m going to make it up to you.”
“Not here. Not now.” I punched a few numbers in and pressed the buy button for the hotel room. “You’re like a huge complicated jigsaw puzzle. I need the space and time to concentrate on putting the pieces of you together.”
Tempest Tossed: A Love Unexpected Novel Page 15