I force myself not to cry as I get the whiskey for him. Cole needs me now, and I can’t help him if I break down just because I’m worried. When I open the bottle, the sharp smell of alcohol immediately hits my nose, but I ignore that, too. I kneel on the bed next to Cole, being careful not to touch him.
"You need to sit up," I say quietly, but he just shakes his head slightly.
"I’m fine. Just bring the bottle to my lips."
With a tight throat and a painful stinging in my chest, I obey while holding back the rising tears with all my might.
"Fuck," he breathes out after taking a few sips. "That’s better."
He remains silent and motionless for a few minutes, but his expression relaxes a little as his breath steadies.
"You need to pop my shoulder back in," he eventually explains tonelessly.
I have no idea what it means to have a dislocated shoulder, which is why fear wants to rise in me again. Still, I know I have no choice, so I set the bottle of Jack Daniel’s down on the shabby nightstand.
"What do I have to do?"
"Stand next to the bed," Cole says, opening his eyes before lifting his left arm with his right hand. The sound that escapes his lips pierces my heart, but I don’t dare move as he places his arm on the mattress.
"Take my wrist in both hands and move my arm so it points in your direction."
"Is it going to hurt?" I whisper while I can’t stop the tears from welling up in my eyes any longer.
He makes a strange sound; something between a laugh, a curse, and a groan. "Yeah. But there’s no avoiding it."
I can think of a lot of things I’d rather be doing right now than touching Cole. The tears almost take away my vision as Icarefully wrap my fingers around his wrist and move his arm, causing him to inhale deeply.
"Stop. Yes… that’s good. Get on the bed beside me and place one foot against my rib cage. You have to apply pressure with it when you pull."
I do that, too, while the fear inside me wants to become sheer panic and threatens to strangle me, but I try to focus solely on Cole.
"You need to pull on my arm. Slowly, but firmly. Do you understand?"
I nod. "Can something go wrong?"
Once again, that joyless, agonized sound escapes him before he answers. "Don’t think about it. You’ve got this." He turns his head to look at me. "Ready?"
How could I be ready for that? Even Cole doesn’t seem comfortable with what’s about to happen, but no one can do it but me. The man from the reception is definitely not going to help us, even I know that.
"Yes," I say quietly and take a deep breath.
"Okay. Then pull."
FORTY
COLE
Countless curses lay on the tip of my tongue as Sophie pulls on my arm, but I swallow every single one of them. As the horrific sound of my shoulder popping back in echoes through the room, the pain subsides instantly, signaling to me that everything is back where it belongs.
"You can let go now," I say, and Sophie gently lowers my arm onto the mattress. As she removes her foot from my rib cage, I suppress a relieved sigh, as the pressure from it was almost unbearable. The chances are high that Steve’s goons also broke two or three of my ribs.
After carefully moving my arm a little, I open my eyes and turn my head.
The sight of Sophie tears my insides apart. She looks at me with tears in her eyes while she wraps her arms around her body and trembles.
Fuck. She must be scared shitless.
"Come here," I murmur, sitting up carefully.
