Quinn
There was a loud ringing in my ears that was fueling the headache forming.
" . . . in? Quinn?"
Daniel? Was that Daniel?
"Quinn!"
I tried to reach for him, but a wave of pain washed over my body. I wanted to scream, I was in so much pain.
Someone was pulling my body somewhere and I really wish they hadn't. It was like every fiber of my being was on fire.
"Don't worry. I've got you. I'm not going to let anything bad happen to you. Can you just wake up, please?"
Wake up? What was Daniel talking about? And for the love of all that is good, would someone please turn off that ringing?
"Come on, Quinn. Don't do this to me. Stop scaring me,"
I blinked my heavy eyelids open and Daniel's worried expression morphed into happiness.
"Oh thank god," his hands were squishing my face as his tears hit my cheeks. He leaned down and kissed my forehead.
"Hey, Hey. How do you feel?"
There was another wave of excruciating pain and I could sense alarm bells go off in my head as my vision faded and Daniel's face changed into horror.
"No. No, Quinn. You need to stay awake."
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"He's going to have to be moved as soon as the chopper gets here. Sir? Sir, can you hear me? He's still unresponsive,"
I opened my eyes as much as possible with the strobing lights.
Had I passed out in the club? No, that's not possible. I wasn't at the club today. Where had I been?
"Quinn, it's going to be all right. The paramedics are going to help you. You just have to stay with us,"
Whoever was talking sounded upset and I moved my arm towards the sound, but I was already losing consciousness again.
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Voices were echoing around my head and it wasn't helping the headache I had. I wish they would shut up and leave me in peace.
There was a steady beeping and I tried to move my arm to shut it off, but only my finger moved. What was going on?
"Get some more anesthetic; he's starting to come to,"
Anesthetic? The fuck did that mean? I tried to move my hand again, but it was still very unresponsive.
"Don't worry, honey. You aren't going to feel a thing. We're gonna get you all fixed up, I promise," I wish that person would have kept talking. Her voice was nice and motherly—something I sorely missed. If she had said anything, however, I missed it as I passed out again.
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"—fine, Mr. Knight. The stitches will eventually dissolve, but he will have scars. The damage to his ribs wasn't severe, but the bruising will affect his breathing for a while. There definitely shouldn't be any strenuous activity within at least the next month, as well. He probably won't remember a lot of what happened a few days ago and I would take it slow introducing him to the idea that he's missed a few days; he may not take kindly to it. That's normal with the head injury he suffered, plus the amount of morphine and anesthetic he's been given. If he has any symptoms of a TBI or confusion, he could have a worse injury or possible swelling of the brain and he will need immediate medical attention,"
"Thank you, Sir,"
A warm hand gripped my arm and rubbed it slightly.
"Doctor said you're gonna be fine. I just need you to wake up. Not sure if you can hear me or not, but in case you can, I'll keep talking. I called the club and everything is running smoothly. Ken is trained to keep things together so I told him I was going to stay with you until you got better,"
The person kept talking, lulling me back to sleep.
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I groaned as I opened my eyes. My head was still throbbing, though it wasn't as bad as it had been. Thankfully, the lights were dimmed so I wasn't blinded and the bed was elevated.
"Hey, Kuma. Nice to see your pretty brown eyes, finally,"
"Did you just quote Cody Simpson?" I went to rub my aching head, but Daniel's hand gripped my wrist and he shook his head.
"Stitches are still fresh, you're gonna wanna hold off from that," Daniel didn't release my wrist as he pulled it down towards the bed.
"How are you feeling?"
"I feel like I was hit by a truck," I noticed Daniel wince and grip my hand a little tighter, "Can I ask you a question?" Daniel nodded and rubbed my arm again, "How come there's two of everyone out the window and only one of you,"
Daniel's worried face broke into a grin and he laughed.
"Um, well, I'm not the doctor but I'm sure it's because you're heavily medicated. He says it'll wear off and you'll have headaches for a while. Part of the head injury after effects. You had a nasty cut on your temple, but they stitched it up. You've also got a brace for your leg. You're probably going to have to go to physical therapy. The nurse is going to come and check your vitals and make sure you're okay. Listen, um, when we were in the accident, your side was hit pretty badly—" he took a shaky breath and I grabbed his hand tightly.
"It's fine. I'm fine," he kissed my hand and buried his face in our intertwined hands.
"Quinn . . ." his tone caught me by surprise.
"I'm not fine, am I?"
"I'm not sure I can explain it all. The doctor explained that you were very lucky to have not suffered worse damage. Bruised rib, a fractured tibia, and some head trauma. There is one thing they are worried about, though. When we were hit, your head slammed into the window. When you arrived here, they took a couple of CT scans and there was some mild damage to the front of your brain and the doctors aren't sure of what's been affected—"
"Stop," I breathed out and Daniel was standing up.
"Okay. Okay, shh. Shh. Deep breaths, you're going to be just fine. Look at me. I am going to be here the entire time. I will help you adjust and we will get through this together. I am not leaving your side until you tell me to and even then I might stay," he started crying, which was rare. Daniel didn't cry over just anything and it made me terrified.
What was going to happen to me?
To distract him and myself, I asked, "What happened to your car?" It probably wasn't useable now, especially if my side was so damaged.
"Ah, well. I've been slapped with a towing fee for having it towed to the junkyard. I've got a mechanic friend looking for a new one for me. I'm sorry I couldn't be there with you the whole time. The paramedics wouldn't let me ride with you and the police needed to talk to me because it was my car. The other people were fine. The driver had a concussion when I left, but nothing too serious. He's being charged with reckless driving and driving under the influence. This is his third infraction and they didn't even have insurance on the car.
The police say we might have to go to civil court and give a statement against them. I'm not sure though, but I'll talk to Cale about it. I got everything out of my car, so your phone and wallet are ready whenever you want them. They had to cut away your clothes though. I've got Cale and Owen coming by with some of my things. They were here this morning before Cale went to work,"
People had been here to see me? Usually, when I was at a hospital, no one was next to me. No one saw me but a nurse and a doctor. I signed my discharge papers and that was that.
I went to mess with my hair as I usually did when I was nervous, but it wasn't there. Daniel frowned and said, "They had to cut it,"
"Wha—Why?" I felt along the side of my head, by my ear, and felt a line of bumps on the right side, "Daniel?"
"It was part of the procedure. They had to cut your hair short to reach the damaged area. It's fine, you can grow it back and I can teach you how to braid," my hands stayed above my ear, wishing my hair would magically reappear.
"I'm sorry I scared you," I whispered.
Daniel seemed to release whatever he had been feeling because his head dropped onto the sheets and his body shook. I ran my fingers through his hair while he cried. I knew nothing I said would make him feel any better, so it was just easier to console him this way.
"What's going to happen?" I asked softly and he looked up at me and shrugged his shoulders.
"I don't know. I wish I could tell you it will all be fine, but I don't know,"
"Hello! How are— oh," I looked up and a nurse was standing in the door, her smile melting, "I can come back in a few if you want,"
"Wait," I paused for a second and she smiled at me, "Do I know you from somewhere? Your voice sounds so familiar,"
"Well, while you were in the trauma ICU, I talked to you quite a bit and while you were recovering and I had to check your vitals, I talked to Daniel, so it's possible you heard my voice and recognized it subconsciously. I've seen that happen. But you seem to be better now that you're awake,"
Daniel lifted his head and took a deep breath. He glanced at the nurse and smiled before turning back to me, "I'll be right back. I'm just going to go clean up a bit,"
He went to let go of my hand, but I didn't let him, "Don't leave me," I whispered, hoping the nurse hadn't heard me. She was focused on her clipboard, but her sympathetic smile told me she had heard.
"I'll just be right outside,"
"Please, Daniel. I can't be alone right now," he seemed to be fighting with himself, but he did sit back down.
The nurse, whose name I learned was Catherine, checked my vitals and my breathing, which was a little painful, even with the oxygen tubes stuck in my nose. She asked me a few questions; a couple I wasn't able to answer and she frowned but didn't say anything.
"Okay, Quinn. I think that's everything. Listen, I'm sorry this happened to you guys, but I have full faith in you that you'll recover quickly. I'll be back later for another round,"
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I ended up spending ten days nearly bedridden, except when Catherine and Daniel helped me shower or use the bathroom. After the first day, I was allowed to have the oxygen tubes removed. Unfortunately, the heart monitor did have to be attached all the time. I thought that was what was going to drive me insane.
What actually nearly drove me insane was every four or five hours, a nurse would wake me up for blood testing and vital checks. It was the most annoying thing about the entire visit. During the ten days, I learned how to manage a wheelchair and started therapy for my brain. I still didn't fully understand everything but the Doctor explained it as best as he could.
Essentially when my head hit the window, my brain suffered minor damage. When the doctor explained it, I felt sick to my stomach and Daniel had to come in and sit with me until I calmed down.
When Owen, Cale, Ken, Ryan, and Annie came to visit, Annie and Owen burst into tears and hugged me as best as they could with everything attached to me. I wondered what Daniel had told them about what happened or if he explained anything. While we talked, Annie kept brushing her fingers through the left side of my hair as she tried not to cry again.
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"Okay, once you sign these, you are free to go and make sure to call the neurologist and physical therapist and set up appointments," Catherine beamed at me from over the counter and I looked up at her and smiled.
"Thank you for all your help, Catherine. I really appreciate it,"
"I'm just doing my job, sweetie," I handed her my release forms and waved goodbye as Daniel wheeled me out to the car.
"So, I was thinking,"
"Uh-huh?"
"Since your apartment has stairs and everything, maybe we should consider moving you to my house until your leg heals,"
"That's not a bad idea. I'm sure Stella would enjoy having me there all the time. When are you going to move my stuff?"
Daniel was silent as he helped me into his new car. When he got into the driver's seat, he held the steering wheel and stared out the windshield, "We . . . We kind of already moved stuff. Except for the big stuff, of course,"
"You did what?" I exploded and he cleared his throat.
"I just thought that—"
"Well, maybe you should fucking ask next time,"
"You're right. I should have asked, but the damage has been done," He was quiet as he drove out of the parking lot, "I'm sorry, Quinn. I know you are going through a difficult time and I should have taken that into account when I decided this. Next time, I will ask," my shoulders sank and my anger disappeared. I had upset him and now I felt like an ass because of it.
"No, I am sorry for yelling at you. You did the right thing. This will be easier for me in the long run. Thank you for everything,"
Daniel sighed and pulled into an empty parking space. He faced me and said, "Listen, Quinn. You have suffered through something terrible and you have a right to feel angry and upset. But you do not have the right to take it out on me, okay? I am willing to help you, but not if you keep acting like this only affects you,"
I was stunned for a second. Daniel always seemed to know how to be blunt at the right times. He was annoying in that way. But also helpful.
"I know. I'm sorry. I feel helpless right now and out of power and I don't know how to handle it right now,"
"That's okay, Quinn. It's okay to feel helpless after something like this. I'm not going to deny your right to be confused and lost, but I am going to ask you not to be angry with me." He reached for my hand and kissed it lightly.
As we headed out onto the open road, I tried to keep calm. It felt weird to be back in a car, but I felt better knowing Daniel was going to be with me. I was fine. I was going home to recover and relax for a while.
We were only a couple of streets away from home when I watched a car slowly move to our lane and I shouted out to Daniel.
Daniel swerved slightly and swore, "Fucking hell, Quinn. Don't scare me like that,"
His tone scared me and I could feel the tears forming. I had never heard him use that tone before. I scooted a little further to the door and tried to keep my tears from falling.
When we arrived at his house, I was still shaken up, so Daniel set me down on the couch. Stella immediately bounded around the corner and landed on my lap. She whined a little so I shakily reached up to pet her.
"What happened, Quinn? Are you okay?"
"I'm . . . I'm fine,"
"You are most certainly not fine. What happened back there?"
"I—I don't know. I just saw the car move and I got scared," I swallowed a lump in my throat. Why was I reacting like this? I shut my eyes tightly, hoping this had been a dream.
"Kuma? Talk to me," I shook my head slightly, "Tell me what's wrong. I can't help you if you don't tell me,"
I could feel tears welling up again and I gripped his hand. Just to make sure he was actually there.
"It's going to be okay, Kuma. God, you're shaking. Come here," He pulled me close. I pressed myself against him and let out a sob. I tried to contain myself. People were in car accidents every day. This was a normal occurrence. This shouldn't be such a big deal.
Except it was.
It was an extremely big deal and I couldn't seem to get a grip on myself.
"Shh. Shh. I know it's painful right now, but it will get better. We are going to figure this out together. I'm not leaving you. I won't ever leave you,"
Hello! So, as promised, here's chapter nineteen. Chapters 20-23 will resume the normal Monday updates.
Writing this chapter has probably been the hardest part of writing this book. A lot of it is from personal experience and I have a hard time reliving it.
I've had it planned since the beginning and I have been dreading fixing it and then publishing it, but it's done and I feel slightly better.
So, as promised, I did fix my outline and while I am still unsure of a few parts, I've got the rest of this book figured out. It will have twenty-three chapters and that is pretty much final.
As I've mentioned in previous chapters, Saved by the Dominant is going to be published in September to give me August to write the first few chapters. I'm still in the process of writing the outline, so I'm not sure what will happen yet, but it probably won't be as exciting or intense as this book has been.
I do have the cover done so I will add that at the end of this Author's note.
So, I do believe that is the end of my news. I will see you guys next week with chapter twenty!
Have a great day/night and stay safe!