Chapter Fifty-Four
ADAM
She was sleeping again at last. I wasn’t sure she was having a good dream, but she didn’t scream this time, nor was she doing that gasping thing she did before, so I let her be.
A hand on my shoulder made me jump, and I barely avoided waking her up.
“They want to take me home, but I didn’t want to go without seeing her. Is that okay?” Cass whispered, staring at Julie, a hand coming up over her mouth. I saw tears in her eyes.
I grabbed her free hand with mine, and squeezed it gently.
“She had a nightmare earlier, but she seems to be resting now.”
She wiped at her eyes, still letting me squeeze her hand.
“I don’t want to leave her, but Seb and Sammy are getting cranky with me. You know how overprotective they are.”
I nodded. “I’m surprised they didn’t come in with you.”
She smiled a little. “Seems their respect for Julie, and her situation, trumps their need to protect me. For a minute or so, probably. I need to get back out there, before they worry.”
“It’s okay, Cass. I’m staying with her. I’ll tell her you’ll be back… you will, right?”
She nodded rapidly. “Absolutely. In the morning. Trust me, I’m here for her. For both of you.”
We heard a soft noise at the door. “That’s gonna be them, right?”
She smiled. “Yeah, that’s my overprotective men. I kind of love them for that, though. You going to be okay?”
I nodded, releasing her hand before a Bennett could walk in, and crucify me for touching her.
She patted my arm, and headed for the door, which started to open just as she reached it.
A Bennett head peeked in, the quietest, most unobtrusive behaviour I’d ever seen from one of them.
He guided Cass out of the room, and came back, crouching beside me for a moment.
“We’re just a phone call away, bruv. We’ll be back tomorrow. Call if you need anything, yeah?” Wow. I thought these were the bad guys. I got it so wrong.
“Thanks, man, really.”
He nodded, getting up again and leaving, again, more quietly than I’d ever seen a Bennett behave.
“Adam?” I turned to Julie, who was watching me, through sleepy eyes.
“Oh shit, did we wake you?”
She shook her head. “If you need to go home…”
“I’m home. Right here is home, Julie. And when you get out of here, home is wherever the fuck you want it to be, okay?”
She smiled, slowly drifting back to sleep.
We were both woken a few hours later, by the nurse coming in to check on Julie, and she offered me a guest room to stay in, but I didn’t want to leave Julie, so she left us alone, and then we couldn’t fall asleep again.
“Maybe you should go rest in a bed.” She said finally, and I shrugged.
“I’m rested. I’m comfy. What’s comfier than a chair like this, eh?” I stood up, hoping to demonstrate my point, stretching, and then wincing, when we both heard my back crunch. She giggled.