Kiss My Sass [Books 1 & 2]

[book 1] chapter thirty-four: stitches & broken hearts

    "Two weeks," he answered solemnly.

    My face paled and I shot up in my seat, which immediately resulted in my head getting fuzzy. Brenton extended his arm and slowly pushed me back. "We're just messing with you. It's been about a day, now stop moving."

    Niko nodded as he grimaced. "You got some pretty bad injuries so try not to move."

    "What do you mean? I feel perfectly fine."

    Niko cocked an eyebrow. "You got a concussion and you were shot in the leg."

    "But I feel fine," I pressed.

    "It's called the magic of drugs," Brenton sang out.

    Drugs. That word triggered a tsunami of memories that came flooding back at warp speed. Everything returned like missing pieces of a puzzle. The drug delivery, Scrawny and Goon, the guns, the motorcycle, James. James kept swirling through my mind and a part of me wanted to ask if he was here, but if he was he would have come in by now to see that I was awake. I didn't miss the confused looks on Brenton and Niko's faces as they eyed me weirdly but neither of them prodded.

    "I'm guessing you remember," Niko said slowly.

    I gulped. "Yeah."

    I knew they were dying to ask me a million questions but before they could the door opened and a nurse walked in. She beamed brightly when she saw I was awake. "Hiya, sleepyhead! How was dreamland?"

    Niko and Brenton bit back smiles and I glared at them. God, how I hated paediatric hospitals. "I'm fine."

    "Is it okie dokie if I take a peek-a-boo at your boo boo?" she asked with a larger than life smile.

    "Sure," I answered through gritted teeth.

    She held a little light in front of me and told me to follow it with my eyes before asking some basic math questions. I didn't miss the taunts from my brothers when I messed up a simple question even Alex could answer with ease. When she was done she pulled down my blanket and lifted up my hospital gown, earning a gasp from the room.

    "Is it that bad?" I asked, peering around at everyone's concerned expressions.

    "I've never seen that many stitches in one place," Niko murmured.

    Brenton grimaced. "That looks so fu—"

    The nurse shot a dirty look at him.

    "Funky?" he amended with a weak smile.

    Alex was the only one with a genuine grin on his face. "I think it looks cool!"

    I smiled at him. "You think so?"

    He nodded. "It's gonna make such a cool scar!"

    My smile instantly melted. "Scar?"

    "I'm sorry, pumpkin," the nurse said, her excessively perky aura diminishing. "It's a pretty nasty injury so you're going to have some scarring."

    "Great." It seemed like shorts were a thing of the past for me now.

    "Is she free to go now?" Niko asked, changing the topic.

    The nurse shook her head. "The doctor wants to keep Daniella here for one more night to run some tests and monitor her concussion. Other than that you'll be perfectly fine, so long as you're resting and not putting extra stress on yourself." She handed me a tray I hadn't noticed she brought in with her before leaving the room. The tray consisted of jello, a sandwich, an apple, and my dearly beloved...good old chocolate milk.