“You’re fucking going crazy, Sabbath, get the hell off me.” I pushed him one more time and he finally let go. The rage and insanity blinking away from his eyes.
The second my feet touched the floor, I was moving through the hospital waiting room, straight toward the elevator that would take me up to Sandman’s room.
My adrenaline didn’t stop until the door to his room was thrown open, and I saw him sitting up, staring at me like I was a zombie.
“R—R—Ranger,” he stuttered. “Is that…” His voice trailed off as he focused on a spot on the wall.
“Jesse! Oh my god, you’re okay!” I rushed to his side, grabbing his hand before throwing my arms around him.
What seemed like a very delayed reaction followed as his hand lifted up so slowly, and patted my back like a sloth reaching for food.
Something’s wrong.
A nurse walked in a few seconds later, smiling at me as she came to a stop next to his bed. Her long blonde hair was tied back in a cute ponytail, whipping across her back like it was begging to be pulled. She turned toward me, and the brightest blue eyes I’d ever seen hit me right in the gut, and I had to force myself to look away, but not before I noticed the army of freckles lining her porcelain white cheeks.
“Are you family?”
“I’m his brother,” I lied—sort of.
She looked between the two of us, her full lips parting into a pretty smile. “You two look alike.
My eyes moved to Sandman who was attempting to smile, but it was so slow and looked painful. His eyes were scrunched together, and his mouth was pulling into a grimace because of it.
“What’s wrong with him?”
She frowned. “Severe concussions can cause delayed reactions in both motor function and brain activity. The doctors are actually surprised by how cognitive he is. They were expecting for him to be in a more catatonic state. It looks like your brother is a fighter.”
“He’s the strongest man I know,” I agreed, looking toward Jesse.
“Do you need anything else, Jesse?”
“Wa—wa—water?”
“Of course, give me a few minutes. I’m Imogen by the way,” she said sweetly, extending a friendly hand.
“I’m Levi. Thanks for taking care of my brother.”
“Anytime.” She bounced out of the room, and my eyes followed her the whole way.
Damn, I’ve never been that captivated by a woman before. Not even Shasta.
“I—I—I got a l—l—looker for a n—nurse,” he stuttered out.
Snapping back to reality, I moved over to the chair next to his bed and plopped into it. “How are you feeling, man?”
He shrugged.
“Head hurt?”
He nodded, but very slowly.
“Does it hurt to talk?”
Another slow nod.
“We’ll get you back to your old self in no time. I promise you that, Jesse.” I patted his arm as he cautiously rested his head back on the pillow.
A few seconds later, the door opened and in waltzed Sabbath, holding Shasta possessively around the waist.