I shivered and brought my feet up on the chair.
“Are you cold? I’m sure there’s an extra blanket here somewhere.” Lucah got up but Ryder’s voice stopped him.
“Take one of mine.” There was an extra blanket folded on the bottom of his bed. Lucah unfolded it and draped it over me, tucking the edges in. I pulled off my shoes and let them drop to the floor. I wished I would have thought to bring a change of clothes.
I was trying to get comfortable on the chair with the scratchy blanket when another nurse came in.
“Someone left this for you at the nurses’ station,” she said in that hushed voice. She held up a bag and I realized that my other friends (Chloe and Marisol, judging by the note left on the top) had come through. Sloane must have called them and asked if they would bring us some clothes. I was beyond blessed in the friend department.
“And how are we doing?” She gave Ryder a bright smile. He gave her an icy stare in return.
“Fucking fantastic,” he said in a deadpan voice. The nurse’s sweet demeanor didn’t falter. That probably wasn’t the worst thing someone had ever said to her. Not even close.
“Good to hear,” she said, and went to take his blood pressure and check his meds and ask him a few questions. I headed for the bathroom to change. I’d been given comfortable sweats and a baggy shirt and sweatshirt to go over it, socks and even a pair of slippers. It was the outfit I wore when I was sick, or so exhausted from work I didn’t want to wear real clothes. I took my hair down and put it back up in a messy bun to go with the messy outfit. When I came out, the nurse was gone, Ryder was still looking surly and Lucah was staring at his phone.
“Chloe and Marisol left you a change of clothes too,” I said, handing the bag to Lucah. They’d left him pajamas and a suit for the next day.
“Good women, your friends. Especially Sloane,” Lucah said, taking the bag and going to change in the bathroom. He glanced at Ryder when he said it, but Ryder was staring at the television again. I curled back up in the chair and pulled the blanket over me.
“You don’t have to be here. I know you’re not my biggest fan.” He didn’t look at me when he spoke, so I didn’t when I answered.
“I’m not here for you. You’re my boyfriend’s brother. And he wants me here, so I’m here. Deal with it.” I’d expected a retort, but Lucah came out of the bathroom and stopped Ryder from saying whatever it was that he wanted to say. Lucah would put up with Ryder saying whatever he wanted to him, but saying it to me probably wouldn’t go over well.
“Everything okay?” he said, looking from me to Ryder, who was still concentrating on the television as if he was trying to blow it up through telekinesis.
“Fucking fantastic,” I said, using the same tone Ryder had earlier. I was rewarded by a stifled chuckle from the guy in the hospital bed.
Lucah shook his head and came over to give me a kiss on my forehead.
“You’re pretty fucking fantastic.”
“Same to you.”
He went back to his chair and pulled out his phone again. I watched the television flash from channel to channel. It was probably going to give me a seizure.
“Why don’t you pick something and stay on it?” Lucah said from his corner.
Ryder just kept clicking, and Lucah sighed. I was getting a view of what their childhood had been like. Some things didn’t change, no matter how old you got.
~*~*~
“Sunshine, wake up,” Lucah said, kissing my cheek. I woke slowly, and as soon as I was back in the world of the awake, I wanted to go back to the world of sleep.
The chair I’d gone to bed in had left cricks and kinks and bad spots all over my body. My neck was completely torqued to one side. I moaned as I stretched. I was definitely going to have to make an appointment with my chiropractor.
“Oh my GOD,” I said, opening my eyes and greeting the horrible bitch known as morning. I hated her almost as much as I hated Mother Nature for her little monthly gift.
I tried to stand and my legs wouldn’t support me because they’d been too cramped all night. But Lucah was there to catch me.
“What time is it?” I looked around the room, and finally found a clock on the wall. It was six thirty. Fuck me. That was probably the worst night of sleep I’d ever had in my life and now I had to go work. Without Lucah.
I sat back down in the chair and pulled my hair out and ran my fingers through it. I didn’t want to take a shower here, but there really wasn’t time to go home and bathe before I went to work. This would be one of those days when Lucah’s hair skills were invaluable.
Ryder was asleep, curled on his side with the lines for his IVs all tangled up like balloon strings.
Lucah handed me a cup of coffee.
“You found the nurses’ station,” I whispered, taking it from him. He looked as terrible as I felt. Dark circles etched themselves under his glorious blue eyes and his hair was nearly standing on end. Probably from all the times he’d run his fingers through it with anxiety.