Neil sighed irritably, but before he could say anything in return, the doctor breezed in, clipboard in hand.
“Good morning, everyone,” he said politely, glancing around at Neil and all his relatives. He gave them a reassuring smile before glancing down at his paperwork. “You, sir, are one lucky young man. As you already know, the surgery was a success. We’ve kept you here since then for observation and to ensure that no complications arose, but, fortunately, the bullet did not pass through any vital organs, not even the heart, which we had feared. But,” and he lifted one finger, and I couldn’t help but flinch. “It was a very close thing. Someone up there must really like you. We’re going to discharge you today, and I’ve prescribed a course of painkillers for you to take home with you.” The doctor smiled warmly as Neil’s brow furrowed. John got up immediately to clasp the man’s hand.
“Thank you so much for everything, doctor. Are you sure he’s going to be okay?” he asked, looking every inch the father worried about his son. Mia also approached the doctor, flanked by Logan and Chloe.
“Yes, he will. Obviously, he’ll need to be careful with physical activity and keep a close eye on the surgical site, and he should take his prescribed medication whenever he experiences pain, but he’ll have a follow-up officevisit next week,” he explained. Then he shook hands with Neil, wished him a swift recovery, and excused himself.
John was grinning, but his son still looked angry despite the positive news.
“Great. Now I can get back to my fucking life where I get to have some say over which of you I see,” Neil muttered to himself, and his words sparked a strange anxiety in me.
What if I was one of those people he planned not to see anymore?
“Oh, I plan to come bother you no matter where you end up. Including Chicago, in case you were wondering,” John shot back at him. “I’m going to get a coffee,” he continued, tousling Neil’s hair affectionately while Neil grumbled out a low “fuck off” that went totally unacknowledged by his father. Mia followed John out of the room, and Logan took Janel and Chloe along with them. As he left, he shot me a meaningful glance, and I knew that he was giving me an opportunity to talk to his brother one-on-one, just like he’d advised.
But the moment we were alone, I began to feel antsy. I’d been waiting so long to have this conversation, but now that the moment had arrived, I was scared. I was scared of what he’d say, scared he’d push me away again.
“Could you grab me a cigarette?” he asked, and I jumped, like it was the first time I’d ever heard his voice before. Neil tilted his head to one side, undoubtedly wondering why I was reacting so oddly, but he didn’t say anything. I scrambled around for the pack of Winstons before spotting it on the roll-away table. I couldn’t help but sigh as I reached for it: I would much rather he asked me to stay with him, to start all over again and begin our journey together. Instead, he asked me for a pack of smokes.
“Here,” a voice broke in. Before I could even fulfill Neil’s request, Megan scooped up the cigarettes and tossed them carelessly at him. My mouth dropped open at her presence—she looked amazing as usual in a pair of skinny jeans and a simple red sweater that only highlighted her incredible body. She wore her dark hair up in a high ponytail, her lips were appealingly pouty, and her eyes seemed especially green.
“What are you doing here, Head Case?” Neil looked her up and down, his eyes narrowing slightly at the shape of her breasts, barely concealed by the leather jacket she wore.
Seeing his eyes on her like that was a punch to the gut, especially now that I knew for sure what had happened between them.
I didn’t breathe again until Neil looked away from her. He pulled a cigarette from the pack and stuck it between his lips. He knew he couldn’t smoke in the hospital, but he liked to hold there it, unlit. It was soothing for him.
“I came to see you,” she answered, not acknowledging me. Was she seriously just going to pretend I wasn’t there? This bitch…
“Have you been tracking the papers?” she continued, moving closer like she had every right to push herself right up into his space. “Bryan Nelson, that Britney chick, and all the basketball players were arrested, and they’re in jail. That prick Ryan, though, he offed himself in his cell the first night. Guess he couldn’t face the idea of spending the rest of his life in jail. The cops think he launched another dark website selling child porn videos. They’re doing this big investigation trying to trace all the people who bought his videos and get their identities. Apparently it’s going to be a huge bust. The scope of the whole thing is still blowing my mind…” she told him incredulously, while Neil stared at her like he had no interest at all in what she was telling him.
But I knew that was just a front. The things that happened to him hurt him so deeply that he couldn’t even bring himself to talk about it. He had yet to express himself about any of it, but I strongly suspected that, inside, he was being rocked by strong emotions.
“Fucker should have lived so he could suffer, rotting in prison,” he answered darkly. “How are you feeling, knowing that he’s dead?” he asked Megan. She stood next to his bed, her arms folded tightly and her shoulders tense.
“He’s been dead to me for years,” she answered, cold and sharp. Then, very unexpectedly, she reached out to brush back a curl that had fallen down over his forehead. Neil’s eyes immediately shot to me, and he could see the hurt expression on my face. He blinked and cleared his throat before sitting back stiffly to duck Megan’s touch.
“I didn’t say you could touch me,” he scolded her firmly, and my heart leaped. I was well aware that Megan surely found Neil’s particular amalgamation of beauty and charm to be irresistible, but I was the one who foughtso hard to know him, to dig down into his soul and show him that he wasn’t a monster. I was the one who had my pride trampled over as I struggled to support him without judging.
I was the one who accepted him. I was the one who loved him.
She couldn’t take that away from me.
“Dr. Keller told me the doctor was going to discharge you,” Megan went on, and my rage only grew sharper. For a second, I imagined stalking over to her and grabbing her by the hair. I could have exposed the jealous, possessive creature that I was inside, but I didn’t want to give her the satisfaction. If I showed her my insecurities, that would only bolster her own opinion of herself, and I didn’t want that. So, despite the fact that my blood was boiling, I fought to keep myself under control and think rationally about what to do.
“Yeah, I’m heading back to Chicago,” Neil answered, and my breath caught. My mind got stuck on that one single word:Chicago.
“Okay…I think I’ll probably head back soon too. Let me know what your plans are. You can come with me if you want,” she offered, and that was when I snapped like a wild animal. I couldn’t take one more second of her presence.
“Excuse me, Wayne,” I called out to her and finally she turned to look at me. “Are you going to give us a minute alone, or do I need to kick your ass out of here? Because, believe me, I can do it.” I gave her an insouciant half-smile, and Megan’s eyebrows flew up in surprise.
I had dedicated a year of my life to Neil.
I had given him all of me; he couldn’t just walk away like nothing had happened.
I needed explanations, and this chick had to get out of here. Immediately.
“Oh, hey Selene. Guess you finally grew a pair, huh? Congrats. I’ll give you two some privacy,” she answered with a combative air before leaving the room—and Neil—to me.
