Page 54 of A Little Crush
“Okay,” he mutters. “On the count of three?—”
“Wait.” Rory turns her watery gaze back to me and reaches for me with her good hand. It shouldn’t surprise me, her request, but it does. Fuck me, it shocks me with the force of a live wire, and I stride toward them without hesitation.
The couch dips as I sit beside her. “I’m here, Squeaks. You got this. I’m here.”
Burrowing her head into the crook of my neck, she squeezes my fingers as hard as she can, and her head moves up and down against my skin as if to say she’s ready.
“One. Two.” Macklin snaps the joint back into place.
With a sharp gasp, Rory’s body tenses against me, and a cry wracks through her. I wrap my arms around her back, holding onto her waist and keeping her pressed against me as wetness seeps through the collar of my shirt, making my heart crack in response. I’ve never liked seeing her hurt. Never liked seeing anyone hurt, but especially Rory. Outside of my baby girl, Rory’s the last person I want to witness go through something like this. She’s too sweet. Too perfect. Too vulnerable. I pull her closer, rubbing my hand up and down her spine as her fingers twist in my T-shirt and she silently cries against me, though I’m not sure if her tears are from relief or if she’s still feeling the aftereffects. Probably both.
“Gonna need some painkillers,” Macklin adds. “I’m also gonna insist you wear the sling I brought after Jax told me what happened on the phone.” He digs through his bag and helps fit it into place before handing her some pills to take. “Here. Take these. They’ll help with the pain.” Once she swallows them, he nods in satisfaction and turns to me. “Jax, you good doing neuro checks every hour tonight?”
“Yeah, I got it,” I say, way too familiar with what to look out for thanks to my profession.
“Good.” He hesitates. “I’m also gonna walk you through some PT exercises in the morning.”
“Okay,” she whispers before dropping her head back to my chest as if it weighs a thousand pounds.
“Gonna need you to promise me something,” he adds. “If you have any complications, no matter how slight, you gotta promise you’ll let Jaxon take you to the hospital. We clear?”
She gives him a jerky nod but doesn’t lift her head to look at him.
Holding my stare, I read Macklin’s unspoken question.Do you need anything else?
I shake my head. “I’ll keep an eye on her. Thanks.”
“Anytime.” He pats her back gently. “Glad you’re okay, Squeaks.”
“Mm-hmm,” she squeaks, earning the nickname for the thousandth time. “Yup. Thanks.” Her words are broken and forced, proving that, despite her tears, this is her best attempt to keep her shit together. It’s endearing as hell.
Realizing the same thing, Macklin’s mouth lifts in a tender smile. “Love you, Rore. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“See you,” I call. “Thanks again.”
He stands and heads toward the door. Once it’s closed, I kiss the top of Rory’s head again, refusing to overthink shit. “Let me see you,” I urge so I can examine her expression and make sure she’s okay.
Her bottom lip wobbles, but she lifts her head, letting me have my fill of her pathetically adorable expression. Grasping either side of her face, I brush my fingers along the trail of tears in hopes of erasing them. She leans into my grasp.
Fuck, she’s beautiful. Even like this. Her eyes swollen and bloodshot. Her hair in a lopsided messy bun with half the strands sticking out in every direction. Messy and unkempt and natural and…gorgeous.
“Sorry,” she whispers.
“For what?”
She juts out her bottom lip even more. “For being a big baby.”
“Not a baby,” I rasp, though my amusement gets the best of me as I’m reminded of how cute the girl looks when she pouts. Shoving the thought aside, I remind her, “You just had your shoulder dislocated. Pretty sure it’s a solid excuse to shed a few tears.”
She sniffles but gives me a watery smile. “And what’s my excuse for all the other times?”
“Nothing wrong with crying, Rory.” I go to kiss herforehead again but stop myself at the last second. No need to create a bad habit. “We’ll, uh, we’ll make sure you’ll be okay. You should get some rest.”
Her head bobs on another nod. “You’re right.” Pulling away from me, she glances down at my T-shirt swallowing her body whole. “And, uh, thanks. For taking care of me and…everything.”
“Anytime, Squeaks.”
And fuck, do I mean it.
