Page 76 of Quake
Oh, God. I stared at Caleb, latching onto him. If he was here, then he was okay, right?
He was sitting in a wheelchair, his elbow positioned on the armrest, his chin propped in his palm. He was wearing his usual Beat T-shirt with a hoodie flung over the top, and a blanket was draped over his legs.
His eyes were closed, and I wondered if he was sleeping.
“Caleb?” I whispered.
His eyes cracked open, and when he saw me looking at him, he smiled lazily. “There she is.”
“What…” My tongue felt like sandpaper.
“What happened?” he asked, straightening up. His eyes were hooded, and he looked as if he’d been there a while.
I nodded, feeling groggy myself. Attempting to shift, I winced, my side pinching as I moved.
“Don’t move too much,” he said gently, wheeling his chair closer. “You had surgery. That’s why you probably feel like shit warmed up right now.”
“Surgery?” I frowned. I didn’t remember…
“The doc told me you passed out not long after they brought you in. The knife nicked some important shit inside you, so they had to fix it.” He smiled and glanced at the door. “I told them we were married. They wouldn’t let me in otherwise. Some stupid family only rule.”
“Oh…” Being married to Caleb sounded nice but not for a while. I still wasn’t sure he wanted to be with me. If it could work.
“You’re going to be right as rain, you know,” he said.
I stared at him, wanting to ask more questions, but the energy was eluding me.
“I can see your mind ticking over,” Caleb said gently. “Do you want me to tell you what happened?”
I nodded. “I need to know. Tommy… He said things to me… He said he…” I closed my eyes, tears threatening for like the millionth time that week. “He… Melanie…”
“He was the one?” Caleb cursed under his breath. “Well, after you ran, we fought. I didn’t know it was him until… He fell on his knife.”
My eyes flew open. Did that mean…
“He’s dead, Jules. He can’t hurt you anymore.”
I sucked in a deep breath, my entire body trembling. I didn’t know if it was from shock or relief, but I didn’t have to fear him for another second. He was dead.
“Not long after, a bunch of cops showed up,” Caleb went on. “By then, I could hardly move.”
“What?” I stared at him and began to understand he was in a wheelchair.He was in a wheelchair.
“I’m okay,” he said, reading my panicked expression. “I can still feel everything, but the fight inflamed my injury. I have to stay off my feet for a while. I cracked a rib or two, and I’ve got some bruises that’ll look pretty black for a while, but that’s all.”
“You could’ve ended up in a bed beside me,” I murmured.
“He tried,” he replied. “He knew where to hit, but I was…” He shook his head. “It was all dumb luck.”
I studied him, hardly daring to believe this was real. Caleb saved me. He’d been there when I’d needed him the most despite all the shit I’d done. He didn’t blame me.
I took in his features, noting the yellowing bruise over his cheek and below his eye and the new cuts on his face. He hadn’t shaved in a few days, and his jaw was covered in a thick layer of scruff, the messy beard making him even more handsome. Caleb was always so clean-cut, but I liked this look on him. It was a little bad boy.
“This looks old,” I whispered, gently brushing my fingers over his cheek.
“That was Dad’s handiwork.” He shrugged. “He and I had a very passionate discussion the night you… Ah, well, you know.”
“Your dad punched you?” My mouth fell open.
