Page 74 of Breaking Bristol
A masculine throat cleared. “Okay, darlin’. You want something to eat? I’ll bring it to you.”
“I’m not hungry.” I was warm, and if I wasn’t mistaken, her lips brushed against my neck when she said that. I tried to bring my hand up but couldn’t even feel where it was.
“It’s been three days, Bristol. You need to—”
“I don’t need to do anything, Mother.”
It was quiet save for the beeping of machines and some sniffling.
“Charles, why don’t you take Margret to the cafeteria? Get a cup of coffee. His parents are arriving tonight, so if you want to meet them, you might need some caffeine to stay awake.”
“That sounds good, Beau. Margie, love, come on.”
Why was Beau here?
The sound of chatter filled the room, and a second later, a whoosh of air swept over me, and the noise was gone.
The warmth on my body squirmed, and I felt something wet on my neck… like a pipe dripping or hair wet from a shower. “I’m okay,” Bristol whispered, and the agony and coarseness in her usually smooth, soft voice made me realize I was feeling her tears.
Why was she crying?
“He wouldn’t want this for you,” Beau said softly.
“Well, he’s not awake to tell me that now, is he?”
“Bristol, honey, you need to talk to someone.”
“I’m fine.”
He sighed, and I heard a couple of footsteps. I tried to wiggle my toes and felt a small pull. “I can have them come here,” he offered.
“I don’t need to talk to a therapist. I need the man I love who got shot in the back protecting me to wake up.” Beau’s voice released a syllable before she cut him off. “His truck rolled nearly four hundred yards, flipped at least half a dozen times. From what the doctors tell me, he dislocated his shoulder and had to have popped it back into place himself because he’s got nerve damage that might never heal. Four broken ribs, seventeen stitches in his arm, a torn muscle in his neck, and a fucking concussion. He woke up from that and came for me. He beat the shit out of Shane and got me untied before he got shot in the back. Twice!”
“Okay, Bristol—”
“I think talking to someone about how that makes me feel can fucking wait.”
“I said okay, Bristol. Calm down. Take a breath.”
Her foot slid under my leg, and I realized I could feel that. When I tried to open my eyes this time, the light was so bright I had to squint. My fingers twitched, and I opened my eyes again. They slowly adjusted to the light and traveled down to see Bristol curled up tight against me, wearing a pair of scrubs. I glanced to my right and found Beau staring at me with an expression I couldn’t quite understand.
The hands on his hips fell to his sides, and his shoulders slumped over like a boulder had just rolled off them. “Bristol,” he said gently.
“I’m calm, Beau. Leave me alone. Why can’t everyone just leave me the hell alone?”
My focus swept back to her and landed on scrapes and bruises all over her beautiful face. “I don’t need this right now,” she continued fiercely. “Not from you or my parents or Cheyenne or anyone else. I’m fine. I promised him I’d stay with him until he woke up, and I’m not—” My right arm was in a sling, so when I brought it up to touch her face, she didn’t notice the movement until my fingers brushed against her cheek.
Her body jerked violently, and she vaulted out of bed. I couldn’t help the wince that came with it, but I still tried to sit up to get to her, but Beau put his hand on my chest. “Easy.”
“B…” I coughed and felt nothing but sandpaper. I wanted to say so many things and beg her to come back to my bed. I wanted to demand she take care of herself. I wanted to know what the fuck had happened. But none of that came out. The only thing I was able to say was, “Baby.”
Her hands were covering her mouth, and her eyes were glued to me, but it was like she couldn’t see me. “Beau,” I warned as her legs gave out, and she collapsed to the floor. Thankfully, he caught her before her head collided with the floor. I grabbed the bedsheet and tried to pull them down, but it felt like a million pounds. I needed her to be in my arms. The sounds she was making and the way her body was trembling was excruciating. I’d never heard anything like it in my life.
I tried again to move, but I was either strapped down or filled with sand because I didn’t fucking budge. The monitors started beeping, and a second later, the door swung open, and Debbie walked in. Why was she here? She pressed some buttons and looked down at me, then grabbed my hand and squeezed. Her mouth was pressed into a flat line, then she gave her head a little shake and gave me attitude. “Took you long enough.”
* * *
“Tell me.”