Hux and Shannon rush in, and I look up and watch them head straight to Dee’s bed.
“She was awake,” Hux says, questioning himself. “Where’s Colt?”
“I’m here. Dee was frantic, but somehow I managed to calm her down,” I mumble from my seat on the floor. They both turn to me, and Hux is by my side in an instant.
“You look like shit, bro,” he says as he sits next to me while Shannon checks Dee’s vitals.
“She didn’t know who I was, but then she remembered. I just… I can’t stand this,” I admit, and Hux turns to me, concerned.
“I know that look. You’ve worked too damn hard to throw in the towel now,” Hux says, referring to the copious amounts of smack I want to inhale right now.
“I know. I’m not coping, you know?” I reply honestly to my brother.
He nods, wrapping his arm around my shoulder, and pulls me to him. “Yeah, but that’s what you have me for. And Johnny, Anna, Sia, and even Dingo, we’re all here to help you.”
“It’s hard. You know me. I’m always in control. I always have things the way I want them, and with Dee like this, it’s completely out of my control and my comfort zone. There’s absolutely nothing I can do. I don’t know how to handle it.”
He nods in understanding. “Trust me, I know how much of a control freak you are, but sometimes, when life gets a bit too much, you need to have a minute, just one minute, to clear your head and get yourself back together. I know how hard this is, but you’ve got to be strong for Dee when she wakes up,” Hux explains, and I take a deep breath.
I know he’s right.
I need to stop letting this overwhelm the fuck out of me.
I have to be strong for Dee.
God only knows what she’s going to wake up like next time, so I have to prepare myself for that.
Chapter Three
Alarms blare, screaming in their frantic tone, waking me suddenly.
Immediately, I think Dee’s flat-lining. I stand quickly while my heart races dramatically in my chest, but I look around her room, and she’s sleeping peacefully. I release the breath I was holding, relief flooding me.
The alarms are coming from another room.
Fuck! I’m so on edge!
At this rate, I’m going to give myself a heart attack if I don’t calm the fuck down.
I run my hand through my hair and exhale, returning to my chair beside Dee. I feel like I haven’t slept properly since we arrived, and every noise and buzzer makes my heart thud in my chest. My blood pressure is probably sky-high, and my nerves are wrecked. Hux tried to get me to go back to the hotel with him for a decent sleep and a meal, but I’m one hundred percent adamant that I’m not leaving Dee. Even if it means I’m losing it by being here.
I take Dee’s hand and rest back in my chair, closing my eyes. Not ten seconds later, her hand moves in mine, and she groans again. My eyes shoot wide open, and I stand waiting for her to say something or open her eyes. But her eyes remain firmly closed, shifting from side to side, and the movement is noticeable under her eyelids.
I can’t stop the worry from overtaking me. “Dee?” I whisper so I don’t startle her. “Are you with me?” Her eyes shoot open, and she appears panicked, so I take her hands in mine, looking at her in her beautiful, tormented eyes. “It’s okay, baby. I’m here. You’re safe,” I say, and she screams before her hands cover her face.
I take a step back because I don’t want to frighten her any more than she already is.
The night nurse runs in, straight to Dee. “Dee, I’m Julie. Do you know where you are?” she asks, and Dee shakes her head like she’s trying to fight something off. Her hands are flailing around, and she’s screaming. I back away from her until my back hits the wall.
“That man, he’s going to hurt me,” she yells, and I swear my heart sinks to my gut.
Is she talking about me?
She doesn’t recognize me again?
“Dee, honey, there is no man,” the nurse says as she holds on to Dee’s flailing arms.
“No, he’s right there. He’s hiding in the shadows. He has a camera and wants to take photos of me. Make him go away,” Dee screams out, and I scrunch my brows, shaking my head in confusion.
