Page 53 of A Little Crush
“Come on, Hades,” I order, only half-surprised he actually listens. Apparently, he really does like me. Once he’s locked on the opposite side of the suite, I return to the bathroom and try to keep my head on straight and my fear in check. There’s something about seeing someone you care about in pain, causing unease to swim in my gut. Rory hasn’t moved an inch, so I crouch beside her. “Let’s take a look, Squeaks.” Gently, I grasp her good arm and help her stand.
A whimper of pain slips out of her, and she digs her teeth into her bottom lip as she gives me her weight, leaning against me. “Ouch.”
“You’ll be all right,” I promise, refusing to acknowledge that my hand slipped beneath the towel when she decided walking without help was a no-go. Now, all I feel is warm skin beneath my palm as I keep my arm around her waist.
“Where’s Poppy?” she asks.
“She’s in her crib. Put her to sleep about ten minutes ago,” I tell her, keeping my voice quiet so she doesn’t wake up, though if she could sleep through practice, I have no doubt she’ll sleep through my conversation with Rory. “Let’s…let’s get you some clothes, then I’ll find someone to hang out in the room with Poppy while I drive you to the hospital.”
Rory’s eyes widen with panic. “The hospital?”
“I mean, yeah.” My mouth lifts. “You’re gonna need an X-ray.”
“I don’t want to go to the hospital.” She shakes her head, another wave of panic rolling through her before she yelps in pain from the sudden movement.
“Careful,” I tell her, tightening my hold on her waist so she doesn’t collapse to the floor.
“Please, Jax,” she begs. “Please don’t take me to the hospital.”
I want to tell her it’ll be fine but stop at the last second when I notice the fear swallowing her pretty gaze. When was the last time Rory was in a hospital? Was it the night Archer died? Maybe. But fuck, I hope not.
I still remember that night like it was yesterday. Still have nightmares over it, too. She only wanted me. Not even her parents could stop her breakdown as she stared at her brother’s broken body in the hospital bed. I’d never felt more helpless in my life as I held her to me, watching her fall apart, knowing there wasn’t anything I could do to stop it. To take away her pain. It reminds me of right now. What I wouldn’t give to trade places. To be clutching my arm to my chest instead of watching the tears stream down her face and drip off her chin. I search my memory for any breadcrumbs of conversation with her family over the years. Conversations where they might’ve mentioned a broken bone or an allergic reaction or…something that might hint Rory’s had another visit to a hospital since her brother’s death, but nothing stands out.
Tearing my attention from her glassy eyes, I look down at her arm still pressed to her chest and frown. “You sure you don’t want me to take you to the hospital?”
“Please no,” she begs.
My chin hits my chest and resignation settles over me. “Let me…let me call Uncle Mack,” I offer, mentioning Everett’s dad and one of the Lions’ medics who travels with the team.
She looks down at her barely covered body. “I can’t let him see me like this.”
With a slow nod, I guide her past my sleeping baby and into the main area, making sure she has her bearings on the couch before I let her go. “I’m gonna grab one of my shirts.You should wear something baggy and easy to slip into,” I clarify. “The less we jostle your arm, the better.”
Her head jerks up and down and she wipes at her damp cheeks with her good hand. “Okay.”
Tiptoeing back into my room, I rummage through my luggage, find a large T-shirt, and return to the family room. After bunching the fabric the best I can, I slip it over Rory’s head, careful not to jostle her too much, just like we planned. Tears well in her eyes as I guide her arms through the sleeves, watching her face twist in agony until her hurt arm is pinned back to her chest. And dammit, I hate it. Seeing her like this. Before I can stop it, my lips brush against her forehead, and she inhales sharply, as surprised as I am at the gesture.
I shouldn’t have done that. Honestly, I’m not sure why I did. I should apologize, but apologizing means addressing the kiss in the first place, and I don’t have it in me. Because I don’t want to take it back.
“It’s, uh, it’s gonna be okay,” I murmur. “I think it’s only dislocated, which is an easy fix compared to the alternative.”
“Easy.” She smirks, her tears slipping freely down her face and already staining my T-shirt. “Right.”
“I’ll, uh…let me call Uncle Mack. If he agrees, we won’t go to the hospital, all right?”
Her head bobs again before her expression constricts in discomfort, and she lets out a slow, controlled breath. My hands clench at my sides as I fight the helplessness raging inside of me. Trying to maintain some semblance of a clear head, I pull my phone out and dial Macklin. He answers on the third ring. After telling him what happened, he promises to meet us in our room, and I find some baggy sweats, helping Rory get a little more covered so she isn’t uncomfortable with someone else around. Or me. So she isn’t uncomfortable with me around, either.
When a knock echoes from the hotel door two minuteslater, Hades barks from behind the closed door, and Rory calls, “Hades, hush.”
He quiets instantly, and I go to let Macklin into the suite. Brows stitched in concern, he examines Rory’s injury while I watch from the edge of the room. This is its own kind of torture. Seeing her discomfort. The stilted breathing. The glassy eyes. When he encourages her to straighten her arm, she hisses under her breath, and I fight the urge to throw Macklin out on his ass, knowing he has no choice but to cause discomfort as he pinpoints the real issue.
“You’re right,” he mutters, barely casting me a glance as he keeps his focus on Rory’s arm. “It’s dislocated.”
“That’s good,” Rory returns. “It means no hospital, right?”
His eyes meet mine again from across the room, coming to the same realization I had when she freaked out the first time I mentioned a hospital. I give him a subtle nod, and he gives Rory his attention. “I don’t think anything’s torn, so technically, no. We don’t need to go to the hospital unless there are any complications with recovery. You want me to reset it?”
I can sense her hesitation as Rory licks her lips then forces out, “Yes. Yes, whatever you have to do so I don’t need to go to the hospital.”
