Page 96 of Hearts of Fairlake

"I'm pretty sure the guys can manage," I said. "While you're recovering from getting speared by a random piece of metal."

Chase sighed heavily. “This night is gonna suck, isn't it?"

"At least we're alive," I said with a smile. "And still have each other."

Equippedwith a steaming cup of questionable coffee, I returned to Chase's hospital room. He had gotten through his surgery with minimal issues...on the physical end, anyway. True to form, he’d bitched and complained when he'd been told he needed surgery. I had just rolled my eyes and told the doctor that wasn't Chase saying no to the surgery, he was just ornery by nature and would probablyimplode if he wasn't allowed to bitch. That earned me the filthiest look from Chase, so I patted him soothingly, which did nothing to ease his glare.

But sadly for him, no amount of bitching was going to spare him the reality of needing the surgery if he wanted to survive. A sliced kidney and punctured bowel were no joke, and he had only managed to survive as long as he had without serious issues because minimal damage had been done and the metal hadn't been removed. A nurse commented that he had to have been in a great deal of pain and shouldn't have been able to communicate. While I outwardly repeated thatnothingwas going to stop Chase from bitching, inwardly, I had to remind myself just how tough Chase could be, feeling both love and fear about that.

It had been late last night when he'd been wheeled into the ER, and the doctors had quickly determined he needed surgery. It had thankfully been successful without any complications, but the drugs they'd had him on made him groggy for several hours. We were nearing twenty-four hours since he'd been put under, and it was only in the past few hours he’d been staying awake with any real consistency, though he still sometimes dozed off for a few minutes.

Which was a relief, as I’d been worried about how the drugs might affect him. Amusingly, when he was groggy, he had been absurdly sweet and even a little needy. For his more sober self's sake, it was a good thing no one had been around to see him like that, especially because Bennett would have never let him live it down. Now the effects of the drugs were leaving his system, he’d become grumpy once more and was constantly wondering when he was going to be able to leave.

His last quick nap spurred me to get some caffeine. I had managed a few power naps, but a little help from the caffeine wouldn't go amiss. Now things had settled down, and Chase was safe, I didn't think the caffeine would make me too tense.

I stopped outside the room when I heard Chase talking to someone. Listening closely, I realized the second voice was Ayla.

"I'm surprised you were able to get away," Chase said with a snort. "Last I knew, Kyle wasn't letting you out of his sight."

"Eh, I let him have his way for a bit. If there's anything I learned watching Dad deal with him, it's that when Kyle is in his feelings, it's best just to let him run his course so he runs out of steam. He's dramatic like that."

"Yeah, well, from what I heard, you were this close to dying, right there with your dad. Maybe Kyle has a right to be a little dramatic."

There was a pause, and Ayla sighed. “Is this how you thank someone for doing you a favor?"

"Don't change the subject, kid. Just tell me you didn't take off on them and turn your phone off."

There was another pause, and she grunted a 'no' before grumbling something under her breath. Whatever it was, Chase heard because he laughed. "Yeah, I know. I get told that a lot. But I've told you before, you've got two parents who love the crap out of you and are always going to be there for you."

"I know, I know," Ayla groaned. "And not everyone is as lucky as me. I get it."

"Nah, you don't. You're still seventeen, and I know your mom fucked you up, but you've had a damn good life for a while. And it can be hard to see that even when you're an adult, let alone some kid who's going to be trying out their grown-up feet in a couple of months."

"Wow, thanks, Chase. You really know how to make someone feel better."

"You're talking to the wrong half of the relationship if you're wanting the one who makes you feel better. I'm justreminding you not to take them for granted because that shit can be easy to do when you've had it for so long."

"Well, maybe seeinghertoday was a good reminder."

"Good, always thought you might have some sense in that head of yours. Nice to see it's true."

"Fuck you too, Chase."

At that moment, I decided I should step into the room before they talked about something else I probably shouldn't have overheard. It was rare nowadays to get anything from Ayla that wasn't sarcastic or dismissive. I wasn't surprised, though. Chase had always had an effect on Ayla since she met him years ago. No one bothered to question it except Chase. For quite some time, he’d been perplexed as to why Ayla gravitated toward him, treating him somewhere between an older brother and a respected uncle.

I had kept my mouth shut, mostly because, in the beginning, I’d found out that she'd met him right around puberty, and I suspected there had been somewhat of a schoolgirl crush. It had grown from there, though, into a genuine love and respect for Chase. In truth, there were some strong similarities between them, hardheadedness, a snarky mouth, a somewhat dour attitude about life, and an intense dislike of showing their softer emotions to the world while simultaneously keeping a tight grip on their internal sense of compassion and fairness.

"I'm going to guess from the loving words I just heard that you two are getting along as usual," I said dryly as I entered. Ayla was sitting in the chair beside his bed but hopped up immediately, her eyes flashing to the storage closet before flashing a smile at me. "And...that's not suspicious at all."

"Just came up to make sure Chase wasn't going to make himself the only person who didn't survive," she said with ashrug. "I didn't want to have to go to his grave and mock him regularly."

"I'm sure," I said, knowing she’d be as devastated as Bennett and I if Chase died. "If I'd known you'd be stopping by, I would've grabbed two cups."

"No need. I only came to check up on him. If I have to sit around and listen to him whine and complain that they're keeping him another night, I might smother him in his sleep," she said, reaching down to grab her bag and hoist it onto her shoulder. "Honestly? I don't know how you've known him since you two were kids without wanting to strangle him."

"Who said I haven't?" I asked with a grin. "Just because I haven't done it doesn't mean the temptation hasn't been there...several times."

"I'll alert the Vatican so you can be canonized," she said as she walked out with one last glance over her shoulder toward Chase.

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