“It's weird. I never thought I'd miss it as much as I have recently.”
I pinch his arm and he yelps. “I tickled you, I didn't abuse you.”
“Really? Cause I'm pretty sure making someone laugh against their will is just as torturous.”
He snorts and ruffles my hair with his hand. “After she comes back with your meds, we are going straight back to sleep. I could close my eyes for days and I'm not sure it'll be enough.”
“You have any visitors today?” I ask, twisting his gown between my fingers.
“Yeah, my brother. At least he was the only one here when I was awake. I think my parents are coming tomorrow and maybe even my boss.”
“I bet you'll have one of those rooms drowning in flowers, cards, and stick figure drawings soon.”
He huffs, lifting his arm behind his head. “I'm not as popular as you think I am.”
“You're this big federal agent. I bet everyone sees you as a real hero.”
He sighs, shifting beneath me. “Everyone but you.”
“I didn't before but it might be up for debate now.”
The door pushes open and we both glance toward the entering figure. I wish everyone would leave us the fuck alone. I no longer care about my pain or inability to sleep. The only one I need in here is lying beneath me.
I promised myself I wouldn't get attached again but watching everything he did for me made it difficult not to look at him with a new set of eyes. Maybe I was wrong and we could one day get back what we once had or even more.
I can't stop lying in bed awake thinking about him holding me, offering himself in exchange and doing whatever it took to break me out of there. He could have left me and saved himself. It would have been easier and was also what I had expected.
I painted this image in my head of him as some monster and now I don't know what to think anymore. He's messing with me. He has to be. I wanted to bring him down and make him pay for everything I went through but now all I want to do is be where he is. I'm suffering right along with him. He's supposed to be the one who’s losing this time but instead we both are, and it's becoming a new reason to hate him.
“Here's your meds, dear,” a different woman says, flipping on the light. My head aches and my eyes close, unable to handle the brightness.
“I'm sorry, hun, I forgot.” She flips the switch down and walks up to the bed, turning on a smaller light.
“Better?”
“Do I have a choice?' I ask.
Everett groans underneath me. “Iggy.”
“Yeah, yeah I'll behave.”
The nurse chuckles. “It's okay. I don't blame you for being irritable. We keep bothering you with all these machines and bright lights. I'd be annoyed too.”
“See, she gets it.” I lift my head toward Everett, glaring at him.
He smirks and points to the curious nurse. She tilts her head. “I noticed you switched rooms on me. I was about to call security when I didn't see you in your bed.”
“Really?”
“No. Your boyfriend's nurse told me you were in here when she came to check on him earlier.”
“He's not my boyfriend,” I say before Everett can.
“Oh, well, your friend then.”
“More like my ex-stepdad.”
Her brows bunch together and Everett huffs out a breath. “He's being funny.”