Page 10 of Whiskey Shivers

Addiction ran in my family.

I didn’t want to be my mother.

I would rather be in pain… but my mouth was filled with hard plastic and unpleasantness and there was nothing I could say…

CHAPTERSIX

Hex…

I kissed her forehead and brushed her hair back from her face, wincing that it was crunchy with her dried blood in places.

“Hey, uh, you got anything I can clean her hair up with? Like some baby wipes or something?” I asked softly.

The nurse that was in here punching buttons on her IV machine looked my way.

“Yeah, if you can just hang on and give me a minute, I’ll see if I can’t find something for you.”

“Thanks,” I murmured.

I’d lied my ass off to get in here, claimed I was her brother. Didn’t have to wait long to do it, either. Her piece of shit fiancé had been up and hadn’t lasted five minutes before taking off. The nurses didn’t like him. Told me he’d basically said to call him when she woke up and had bounced.

I didn’t bounce. I stayed right here and gripped her hand lightly in mine, sitting by her bed vigilant. What for? I couldn’t tell you, but I was here.

“Here you go, honey.” The nurse passed me a packet of these hospital-grade wet wipe things that were the size of a paper towel when you unfolded them. I’d seen ‘em used on another patient while I’d lurked in the hallway outside the ICU’s doors.

“Thanks,” I murmured.

“You’re not her brother, are you?” she asked as I got one of the cloths out.

“As far as you know, I am,” I said tersely and the nurse smiled at me.

“Oh, quit it. I like you. You’re much better for her than that other one.”

“Thanks,” I muttered and I wiped at her hair, swallowing hard at the rust-colored tinge it left behind.

“Just… if he comes back… we don’t need any drama, okay?” she asked and I nodded without looking at her.

“You’ll get none from me. I can control myself,” I said.

“Are you the one that put her assailant in the ICU over at—”

“Yes,” I said. “But that was different.”

She nodded.

“Glad to hear it.”

“If there’s anything that she needs…” I said after hesitating and the nurse smiled.

“Eventually, she’ll need clothes and the like to get out of here.”

“How long do you think that will be?” I asked over the shush and beeps of equipment.

“That depends on her,” she said.

“Thanks,” I murmured as she went for the door. She turned back and nodded, her short blonde pixie cut starting to gray, the wrinkles fanning out from her eyes in crows’ feet as she smiled.

I wanted her to leave so I could pick up her chart and see what was what. I didn’t think the nurse would tell me if I asked. She knew I wasn’t family. Probably thought I was too dumb to understand the medical jargon and shit. I was alright with that. I waited and picked up the binder thing off the rolling table and started looking through it.

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