“Oh my god,” Phoebe said, grabbing my arm. “He’s high.”
“Hey!” he exclaimed, his voice bouncing off the walls. Phoebe immediately hopped up on the bed next to him, fixing her face into a starry-eyed expression.
“My hero!”
“I’m broken,” he reported with a grin. “Twice.”
“His arm is broken and his wrist is fractured,” the nurse explained, checking one of the machines Dex was hooked up to. I drifted over to the bed, running my hand up his shoulder and into his hair. He leaned into me at once. “He’ll have the cast for six to eight weeks. All in all, he’s incredibly lucky. People have died falling from that lookout.”
My blood went cold. Dex hummed something that sounded like “Call Me Maybe” into my shoulder.
“But he’s okay?” Phoebe asked. “Nothing permanent? No concussion?”
“He’s fine.” The nurse smiled. “I’ll be back in a few minutes to check the heart monitor. If it’s still normal, you guys will be all set to go.”
“What if it’s not normal?” I asked, eyes wide.
“It’s protocol. I promise you, he is just fine.”
I sank onto the edge of the cot, pressed against Dex, letting his scent overtake everything else. “Are you okay?” I murmured, combing my fingers through his hair. He nodded against me. “Does it hurt?”
“Not anymore.”
“Morphine?” Phoebe guessed. Dex chuckled.
“More like. More please.”
She guffawed. “This is so fun. Let’s ask him personal questions and see if he’s high enough to answer. Hey, Dex, why do you have so much money?”
“Menace,” he muttered, pulling away from me. “You’re a bad person. Taking advantage of someone who just risked their life to save yours.”
“I wouldn’t have died,” she said, waving this off. “Probably.”
I rubbed a hand down my face. “Did you guys know it’s one o’clock? This has been the longest day of my life and it’s nowhere near done.”
“Where’s the closest hotel?” Dex asked. “We’ll check in. I’ll sleep until tomorrow and you guys can grab dinner or something.”
“We can’t leave you alone when you’re this high.”
“I’ve been higher.”
Phoebe’s eyes lit up. I cut in before she could pounce. “I already checked nearby hotels. There’s a Holiday Inn down the road, but you’re not a Holiday Inn guy,” I said, at which he grimaced,confirming this. “There’s a cool lodge not too far from here. I think you’ll like it.”
“You know what I just realized?” Phoebe said. “This was Dex’s detour. Nice one, man!”
“I’ll kill you,” he replied and she fell over laughing. I kept brushing my fingers through Dex’s hair, listening to the sound of Phoebe’s laughter. For the first time in hours, the tidal wave of my mind shrank to ripples.
Three things:Them, them, them.
The nurse returned. As predicted, Dex’s heart rhythm was normal, so he was given the okay to leave. He wobbled on his feet and I held his arm, steadying him. Phoebe snapped a photo.
“Christ,” he muttered. I bit my lip in a small smile. “Can we go? I’m sick of this place.”
“Do you have everything?” I asked.
He rubbed his eyes. “Uh. My shirt and stuff is in that chair.”
I made sure he was steady before grabbing his crumpled shirt from the wooden rocker in the corner. Phoebe bounced on her heels, poking Dex’s elbow. “How long do you think we’re staying? Because there’s a sushi place not far from here—”
