Page 118 of All I Have Left

My breath catches at the golden brown looking back at me, looking for answers. I can’t help as the tears once again fall from my eyes.

“What’s the last thing you remember?” I gently rub his hand. Part of me doesn’t want to ask, but then again, I do. I want to see what he remembers of the night.

I watch his chest, the rise and fall, the warmth of his hand. It all reminds me of that day in his truck.

He clears his throat, shifting in the bed in obvious pain. “Being at the lake.”

“That’s your last memory?” My bottom lip trembles in anticipation as to what might follow. “You don’t remember anything after leaving the lake?”

He nods, swallowing hard, the blood in his left eye so evident now. I watch his face. The muscles in his jaw pulse and the cords in his neck strain as he works his throat. He’s been struggling to swallow lately, the swelling in his throat from the intubation tube causing irritation. But it’s more than that. He shows the first real emotion I’ve seen yet. Tears.

My heart flips as the glazed-over bloodshot eyes stare back at me, so lost, so confused as to what happens now. That’s when I know he told me a lie.

And I let him.

55

GRAYSON

“Do you want to take a shower?”

“Are you asking to take one with me?” I snort, adjusting my gown and clicking the remote obsessively through the channels. It’s my only source of entertainment. “Stop trying to peek.”

“Ha. No.” Leigha rolls her eyes at the television flickering from one show to the next. “I’m not that kind of nurse either. I have better things to do than bath you. And stop doing that with the channels. You’re going to give yourself a seizure with all that movement.”

“Uh huh. I saw you checking out my ass earlier.” I keep clicking the remote to annoy her.

“Bull crap you did.” She winks. We both know she did. “I can have Lorain come by. She seems to like you.”

Now it’s my turn to roll my eyes. “No thanks.”

Leigha rips the remote from my hand and glares. “You need to shower.”

I narrow my eyes at her, trying to take the remote back but it’s a weak attempt. “Are you saying I stink?”

“Yeah, I am.”

I reach for the remote once more only to regretit when a wave of dizziness hits me. “I’m not having a nurse help me. I can do it.”

“No you can’t.” Leigha’s shoulders lift as she slowly shakes her head, taking pity on me once more for being helpless. “Yesterday you got dizzy going to the bathroom and fell into the wall. And now again.” She gestures to me staring at the ceiling. I scowl deeper but it does nothing. She’s used to my attitude these days. Everyone is. “You either let Lorain help you take one, or Evie can.”

“That sounds like a better plan. Do not call that lady again.”

Leigha points a finger at me. “No funny business in there.”

Craning my neck, I turn to stare at her. “Where’s the fun in that?”

Laughter falls from her lips. “You’re in no shape to be using your rocket ship.”

I hate being in here. Absolutely despise every minute spent in this bed for reasons like this. You say shit when you’re high and these fucking nurses remember all the details. I lay my head back down on the pillow, relieving the tension in my head at the movement. “Forget everything I’ve told you while under the influence.”

She grins, too wide, too amused. “I can’t. Some things are burned into my brain forever.”

“What’s with you and Dr. Nehls?” I ask, wanting to change the subject away from me.

“Don’t change the subject.”

“I’m just saying, you’re awfully flirty with him.” I don’t actually care if she’s with him, or whatever they are but the more I distract her, the closer I get to the remote. The mention of Dr. Nehls always puts her guard down.

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