Page 43 of Petals of Blue: Part Two
"Don't fucking start, Rome," I snarl quietly. I don't want to piss the nurses off even more. "We're here for Blue."
Roman doesn't even look at me, just continues giving my uncle a blank, unimpressed stare. Ignoring my friend, I turn back to Jim. "Are you still a doctor? Blue Bennett's doctor?"
Watching my uncle shift into professional mode, I straighten, awaiting his response. "What is your relation to her?"
"We're her family," I state without hesitation. Will he let us see her? Is Violet her next of kin?
"In what manner?" Jim asks, then sighs. "Confidentiality has my hands tied. If you aren't blood related, married, or—" He's cut off by the device on his hip vibrating. Immediately, my uncle stiffens and says, "Excuse me. I need to go check on her."
He's rushing away before we can say anything else, so our feet do the talking instead. As one, we sprintafter him, but of course, we're stopped by the doors slamming closed behind him.
"What the hell?!" Declan explodes, surprising me. He's been so calm. Spinning around, he grips his dark hair in both hands and yanks.
Just as I reach for him, the door beeps and opens, revealing the male nurse whom I pissed off not twenty minutes ago. Shit, no way I can convince him to let us through.
Glancing down at his clipboard, he says, "Let me guess. Jared, Declan, Roman, and Felix?"
"How do you know our names?" Roman questions the young man, who I just realized has a name on his badge.Ellis, cool name.
"Pulled it out of thin air," Ellis mumbles like a smartass.
Who the hell let this guy be by bedsides? He's got a shit attitude—although so do I.
I'm not surprised when my goddamn boyfriend and his best friend snort behind me. Rolling my eyes, I ignore them even as my heart beats a little harder hearing those sounds. We need some laughter in our lives again, and I might be just alittlethankful to Ellis for being a dick if it makes my friend and partner laugh.
Ellis smirks at Jared and Declan but schools his features when his gaze comes back to me and Roman. "Nah, but that would have been cool. I have a woman by the name of Blue Bennett asking for you."
"She's awake?!" I blurt out, stepping forward. Holding back the urge to grab his clipboard and read everything there is on it is hard, but I do. Barely. I refuseto get kicked out, and something tells me this young man has a short fuse today.
Ellis narrows his eyes at me. "You may be Dr. Morel's nephew, but there are still rules here. Can you be calm and quiet if I bring you to see Ms. Bennett?"
"Of course," Roman answers for me. "Please take us to her."
Swallowing my pride and annoyance, I think of Blue. Lying in a hospital bed all alone with nobody to promise her safety and comfort. The time to argue with the nurse isn't now. She's asking for us. Forme.She said my name.
"Please," I croak.I'm coming, sweetheart.
Thirty-Two
BLUE
Waking up alone isn't new to me. Neither is waking up with a banging headache and sore feet. Everyone knows I like to dance and drink when I have the night off.
Of course, there's the occasional bruise that comes from whooping it up with my girls. Those are always fun to uncover. Maybe it's a female thing—random bruises that make you wonder when the hell it happened.
Like battle wounds. The fun kind.
None of what I'm experiencing isthe fun kind. My ribs, which I know without looking at, are one big bruise. Same with my face. I'm too tired to lift my hands to see if my hands are fucked too, but damn do they burn. Especially my fingertips.
My eyes feel like sandpaper when I peel them open, and my blinks are too slow to do them much good. Thankfully, the white sterile room I'm in has dimmedlights, making me wonder if it's still night.What day is it?
Then there's my throat. My eyes fill with tears as I attempt to twist my head to find a computer or phone, orsomethingto give me some information.
What's wrong with my throat!?I scream inside my head because talking is out of the question. Not when a single pained whimper feels like knives trying to slice me open from the inside.
I've read enough books to know the annoying beeping noise is my heart rate monitor. I can confirm it is just as annoying in real life as they make it out to be in stories. Especially when panic has already set in and it's far too loud for my poor head.
Make it stop.Where are they?!
