Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 77009 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 385(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77009 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 385(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
Please. Just make it stop.
The doctor presses on my stomach one last time, getting me right where the stabbing pain is and my body gives in. That’s all I can take as my world promptly turns to darkness and I pass out from the pain.
----------
Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.
I blink awake as the grogginess takes over. What the hell is going on? Why am I laying in a hospital bed? And why the hell do I feel like I’ve been run over by a freight train?
I try to sit up a little but my stomach screams at me not to move, which is when I’m reminded of my night from hell.
I look around the room and find Nate in a chair next to the bed, leaning forward onto his arms, fast asleep. Trish is sitting on the couch with Jesse’s feet in her lap, who’s also fast asleep while Caden sits in a chair across the room, working on his laptop.
My mouth feels funny and I look across at the bedside table, searching for some water.
“Oh, thank god,” Trish gasps from across the room, making us all jump. “You’re awake.”
Nate sits straight up in his chair and continues up to his feet. His eyes come straight to mine before he looks me over, a second later, relief starts to seep into his heavenly eyes. He takes a step towards me and takes my hand in his. “How’re you feeling?” he asks as Jesse appears on the other side of the bed looking just as concerned.
“Not great,” I tell them both. “Sore. I could use some water.”
Nate nods his head as Trish flies to her feet. “I’ll get it, sweetie,” she says. “I’ll let the nurses know you’re awake. They’ll want to check on you.”
I nod as she exits the room and focus back on Nate. “What happened?”
“It was your appendix,” he tells me. “We got you here just in time. Any longer and it would have burst. You had to have emergency surgery.”
My eyes widen in shock. “What?” I gasp as I try to sit up.
His hands shoot out and lock onto my shoulders as he pushes me back to the bed. “You can’t move just yet. You need to heal.”
I reluctantly stay where I am and watch as Nate presses a button on the bed which raises me into more of a sitting position. “So, they just opened me up and took the bastard out?” I question.
“Pretty much,” he says as a softness seeps into his eyes.
“Shit,” I groan. “I have to call Mom.”
“Don’t stress,” he tells me. “She already knows what’s going on. The doctors wanted parental consent before going in for surgery. She’s already spoken to the doctor who performed the surgery and Mom has been giving her hourly updates, so it won’t surprise me if she’s on the phone to her right now.”
I nod my head. “I’ll call her anyway,” I say. “She won’t stop worrying until she’s heard it from me.”
“Ok,” he says as he leans down and takes my hand in his. He lifts it up and presses a kiss to the back of my hand as he sits on the edge of the bed. “You’ve got some nerve scaring me like that.”
A smile crosses my lips for the first time in what feels like forever. “I’m sorry,” I tell him as Trish comes barging back through the door with a nurse hot on her heels. “I promise. I’ll make it up to you.”
A second later, Nate is ushered out of the nurse’s way and once again, the poking and prodding begins.
Chapter 10
“Come on,” I beg with a whisper. “I’ve been stuck in this stupid bed for over a week.”
Jesse shakes his head. “No way. The doctor said you’re on bedrest for another week and you’re supposed to be taking it easy. Besides, Nate would kill me.”
I scoff innocently. “You’re not afraid of Nate, are you? What’s he going to do? Spank you and tell you what a naughty boy you’ve been?”
His face scrunches up in distaste. “That’s wrong on so many levels,” he grunts. “And for the record, when it comes to you, then yes, I’m definitely scared of him. He’d do just about anything to protect you, including ripping my balls off and feeding them to the wolves.”
“Please,” I beg. “I have to get out of here. There’s only so much Netflix I can watch. I need to get out. Please, please, please? I swear Nate will never know.”
His face scrunches up again, but this time it’s filled with indecision before regret takes over. “Sorry, Tor. Can’t risk it. Doctor’s orders.”
“So, you’re just going to go and have the best time ever at the best party of the year without me?”
“First of all,” he grunts as he reaches a few trashy magazines off the floor that I’ve already read a hundred times and dumps them on the side of the bed. “This is not the best party of the year. My party was the best party of the year. And yes, I’m going to leave you right here because you need to get better no matter how boring it is.”