Wait. He just said he’s mine. Fuck yeah. Look at me scoring a hot boyfriend.
“Are you in pain?” the voice not belonging to Hugo asks.
I nod. Definitely. It’s my head. How do I tell them that?
“Can you tell me where?”
I stare at Hugo, desperately needing him to understand.
“Where, baby?” he asks, leaning forward. “Here?”
There’s pressure on my hand. I shake my head and then cringe. Ow.
“Here?” he asks, and gently touches the side of my head.
I sigh in relief that he figured it out relatively quickly.
“His head hurts,” Hugo says. “Why does his head hurt? I thought he was recovering?”
“Calm down. Headaches aren’t uncommon with head injuries. We’ll take care of it.”
Hugo stares at him. There’s something that looks like panic in his eyes. How do I tell him it’s okay? I can talk, can’t I? When I try, nothing comes out. Why can’t I talk? Does my mouth move?
“There you go,” the second person in the room sooths. “You should be feeling some relief soon.”
I already do. The tension in my body releases as my head stops throbbing. Thank fuck for that. Now I can stare at my hot boyfriend in peace. I love that he doesn’t look away, but I wish I could take away the pain in his eyes like he just helped take away the pain in my head.
There arequiet voices all around me. Hushed. Muted. Just beyond my consciousness where I can’t quite make out the words. It’s frustrating. Maddening. They’re right there, but so far out of reach. I canhearthem, but not what they’re saying.
Why won’t they talk louder? It’s rude to talk right in front of someone like they’re not there and purposefully be too quiet to hear.
As I slowly wake up, the world around me becomes a little more vivid, even from behind my closed eyes. My first thought is that my body aches. Not even in a good way. I just… hurt. My muscles feel stiff. There’s a dull pounding in my head. With every beat of my heart, a pulse of pain shoots through my left leg.
Scowling, I try to blink my eyes open, but it’s so fucking bright. It takes me several tries to make the room come into focus. I… don’t know where I am but it suspiciously looks like a hospital room. Panic races through me.
“What’s wrong?”
Startled that I heard a voice clearly, I turn my head and instantly wince at the pain that shoots through it. Fucking hell. Was I hit by a bus?
“Look at me, Torin.” A gentle hand cups my face. It takes me several attempts before I can squint. Ohmigod. Is that… Hugo! “Do you hurt?”
I nod and try to ignore the way I wince.
“I hit the button for the nurse. Hold on a minute.” He softly kisses my nose. “I’m Hugo. Your boyfriend.”
Amusement makes me smile. It’s weird that he’s reminding me. It’s a struggle because every muscle I have hurts, but I raise my hand and cover his over my cheek. Hugo’s eyes widen. For a second, he stares in awe. Then a smile breaks out across his face.
“You moved your whole arm, Torin!”
My eyebrows knit together. I didn’t know that’s a reason to celebrate.
“I’m so proud of you. You’re so strong.”
Okay, is that mocking?
“Torin.”
Grudgingly, I turn my attention to the new voice. Clearly a doctor of some kind, or a nurse. How do I tell the difference?
