I hiss in pain as I let go of my injured hand to grab my shorts from the floor, awkwardly stepping into them and pulling them up my legs with my one good hand before rushing into the bathroom and practically falling onto the toilet, desperate to finally relieve myself.
Once I'm dressed again and my bladder is empty, I open my bedroom door, allowing Jellybean inside. I scan my eyes across the surfaces in the room, looking for my phone.
When I come up empty, I walk out to the landing and to the top of the stairs, glancing over the glass banister down into the living room to make sure I'm alone.
After a moment, I decide it's safe, and I hurry down the stairs, groaning at the pain jolting through my hand.
Spotting my phone on the coffee table, I grab it and scroll through my contacts.
My thumb hovers over Sophia's name for a moment before I shake my head and scroll up.
I would call Sophia, but I don't want to hassle her with my problems again.
She's pregnant, and Rory mentioned she's been having some issues while in her last trimester. Apparently, she's been having togo to the hospital multiple times a week for regular foetal ECG monitoring—whatever that is.
I'm positive because of that, Kaleb would refuse to bring her here anyway.
My thumb stops on Rory's name next. With her being a nurse, I decide to call her instead as I make my way into the kitchen and search through the freezer for an ice pack.
When I don't find one, I grab the next best thing—a bag of frozen peas.
As I sit on one of the stools surrounding the island, the phone connects, and Rory's cheery voice filters through the phone.
"Hey, Lissa. What's up?"
"Uh, I need you to come over to Dom's apartment as soon as you possibly can," I tell her, wrapping a tea towel around the pack of frozen peas and then pressing it against my hand, teeth clenched as I breathe through the pain.
"Okay, sure. I can be there in about ten minutes… Is everything okay?"
I let out a humourless laugh and shake my head, despite the fact she can't currently see me.
"Yeah, everything's fine. Just had to get out of handcuffs, so I dislocated my thumb, and now I'm in a whole heap of fucking pain."
The line goes silent for a moment. I hear rustling around, and then a door slam.
"We're on our way," she mutters. "And Jaylen wants an explanation as soon as we get there."
Roughly ten minutes later, the elevator whirs to life, the sound echoing through the apartment, and I wipe at the tears streaking my face and readjust the blanket I've thrown over myself.
Jellybean's ears perk up from where she's seated beside me, and her head tilts to the side as we listen to the doors of the elevator open and footsteps enter the apartment.
A moment later, Rory rushes in, her wild brown curls piled on the top of her head in a messy bun, and a harried look on her face as her warm, chestnut eyes connect with mine. Jaylen follows behind her, a frown marring his face.
Rory moves towards me while Jaylen stands in the doorway, his eyes assessing me as I sit here, cradling my injured hand against my chest.
"Are you okay?" he asks softly,
Rory takes a seat beside me, stroking Jellybean a couple of times before gently reaching for my hand, removing the icepack I've been holding on it.
Grimacing from the dull throbbing pain that starts up again at the feel of her touch, I nod my head and tear my eyes away from his.
"I'm fine," I say, watching as Rory twists my hand around, prodding her fingers against certain parts of my skin. "Just in a lot more pain than I thought I'd be."
"I'm not surprised," Rory says, capturing my attention. "They always make this shit look simple and painless in movies, but realistically, it hurts like a bitch."
Staring down at my crooked thumb, I huff out a laugh, silently agreeing with her.
"I can pop it back into place for you, immobilize it with a makeshift splint, and then give you some painkillers."
