Looking between the two of us, the doctor shook his head. “I’m beginning to see that you’re both made for each other. Tell you what.” When he didn’t continue, both of us raised our eyebrows at him.
“I’ll allow you to go home tonight if your next scan comes back clear, you don’t continue to vomit, you can drink at least three of those pitchers, and you walk to the nurses' station outside this door and back again. You might think that’s being cruel, but your balance could be affected by it, and if I allow you home and you fall, you risk doing greater damage to yourself.”
Fuck, that did sound reasonable. With new determination, I said, “Done deal. I’ll do it.”
As he gave some instructions to the nurse, I smiled at Sasha, who thankfully looked as happy as I was that I could go home.
“And, Mr. Townsend-Rossi?” When I looked at him again, he saluted me. “It’s been an educational experience and an honor being your physician during this. Please try not to get into any more fights with steroid-fueled men. I’m sure your girlfriend would like your face and brain to remain the way they are.”
Then, looking at her, he chuckled, “And I wish you the best of luck with him, Miss Adams-DeWitt.”
“I’ll just go and look at what times are available for the scan and get you another pitcher of water,” the nurse said as she made her way to the door.
“We’ll get the catheter removed once we can get you sitting up and moving a bit. I’ll be right back.” And with that, she was gone, and the door was slowly closing behind her.
That left me with something I really needed to do.
“I’m so fucking sorry, baby,” I groaned, closing my eyes. “I was in a shitty mood because I wanted you to stay at my apartment and not go back to yours. I should have just said it instead of acting like a dickhead.”
Squeezing my hand, I felt her breasts skim over my forearm as she leaned in close to me. “I shouldn’t have stormed off the way I did. The thing is, Jackson, couples argue and fall out. My actions were immature and impulsive, and I realized it quickly, which was why I turned back. I’m sorry I reacted how I did, too.”
Opening my eyes, I squinted at her. “I love you. I know I look like roadkill, and my breath smells like Milkshake’s litter tray right now, but I love you more than the breath in my lungs.”
Smiling gently, she leaned in and kissed me softly. “Your breath is worse than the litter tray. But I’ll take that declaration and raise you that I love you more than the tide loves the moon.”
It’d taken us a ridiculous and fucked up way to get here, but sometimes the best things come from the worst ones.
Like having a tube up your penis that was going to hurt like a bitch coming back out again.
Chapter Fourteen
Sasha
“Are you sure you packed all the gifts?” I asked for the tenth time as we turned onto the AZ-288.
It’d been two weeks since Jackson had what we called the ‘incident, part deux,’ and on the whole, he was healing well.
He got headaches when he tried to do too much, though, which was why I was driving for the first five hours. Then, if he was doing okay, he wanted to try for an hour and take it from there.
Yes, it’d be easier if we flew, but I just couldn’t do it. I’d tried everything, but the second they closed the doors on the plane, I’d hyperventilate to the point of passing out. I’d been like that since I was two, and it was just so irrational. I knew more people died in car accidents every year than in planes. I also knew that more people died riding bicycles or motorcycles than planes. I just had a glitch in my brain matrix that refused to comply with my demands.
“Yes, I packed all the gifts. I also packed Milkshake’s shit. Well, not his shit, but his shit box and the rest of his stuff.” Jackson went quiet, and I heard rustling and something snapping, then he burst out laughing. “Sasha, check this out. How awesome does the dude look?”
Glancing over, the car swerved as I burst out laughing.
He’d gotten a pair of sunglasses that somehow fit Milkshake and a crash helmet, and the damn cat was wearing them as he sat on Jackson’s lap with his nose in the air.
“Where the hell did you find those?”
“Amazon. I thought it’d be funny as a gag gift for Christmas, but he was getting agitated with the sun in his cyclops eye, so I gave them to him early.”
I couldn’t stop looking at the sight he made and laughing. “Why’d you get a crash helmet?”