"Brix. I can write and you just tell me the answer. The nurse needs this to help Reign."
"No, that's fine. I can do it."
Dexter shakes his head lightly, agreeing with me. I'm filling out the paper when Nick sprints so fast to us that he almost falls on his face. He holds his chest completely out of breath. Dexter rolls his eyes.
"You didn't have to run here, babe."
"Are you kidding? My favorite girl in the whole entire world is hurt, and you think I wouldn't run? You're crazy."
Nick turns to me, obviously disgruntled and all over the place.
"How the fuck did she wind up hurt?"
Dexter slaps Nick in the arm, scolding him.
"What?"
"It's not his fault, jackass. Let him be. He just watched her get hit by a car. Sit your ass down and shut up, unless you have something nice to say. We can argue later."
"I'm sorry, Brix. I'm just worried."
"I know. I am too, but I'm hoping she's going to be okay."
"She will be. I know it.
Quickly I finish off the paperwork, and I hand it to the nurse.
"I'm Brixton Summers. I wanted to apologize for being an asshole when meeting you."
The nurse, who's name is Alfie, grins at me.
"It's okay. You were having an emotional moment, which is completely okay, and I totally understand. It's a scary time and that usually results in anger."
"Do you have news on her?"
"Give me a moment, and I'll see if I can find anything out."
"Thank you. I'll wait with the other two boys."
"I'll be there as soon as I have something."
The wait seems to take forever, but Dexter informs me it was only twenty minutes. Danny was also called, and he showed up as soon as possible. He stayed for a couple of minutes but couldn't handle being in the hospital without causing a temper tantrum, so he had to take a walk. The nurse comes over, another clipboard in hand.
I rub my palms together, feeling anxious about what he's going to say. My anger has (not completely but enough to function) dissipated, and now I'm worried. So fucking worried. A million what ifs run through my head. I know what ifs are bad, but I can't stop them. I want Reign to be okay. She doesn't even have to like me, but I want her to be okay.
"Ms. Henderson is in her surgery. She has a concussion, a few broken ribs, and has a piece of metal lodged in her leg."
"Is that what the surgery is for?"
"Yes, it is. It's lodged too far deep into her muscle to be able to pull it out. The metal is under her skin."
"How long will it take? How long can we see her?"
"The surgery should take about forty five minutes. Does she have any family?"
"We're her family."
"Well then, you'll probably be able to see her in about an hour, hour and a half. Once we allow to go in, only one at a time for now."
"Thank you. Is there anything we should be concerned about? Besides everything you already said."
"She might have amnesia about the incident or farther back from that. We won't know anything about it until she wakes up, and we can examine her. Until then, she looks really good for a girl of her size after being in a car accident."
"Thank you."
"No problem, Mr. Summers."
Alfie walks away, giving Dexter, Nick, and me a moment to let the information soak in. I breathe out a sigh of relief. She's not going to die. At least, Alfie seems certain she isn't. I can breathe a little knowing that she has a small chance of dying.
That makes me feel like a thousand times better. Okay, now she has to get through this surgery, and she'll be fine. Amnesia. God, if she has amnesia, I have no idea what's going to happen. One step at a time. No one even knows if she has it. I don't know how long the three of us sit there in silence until Nick speaks up.
"Does anyone know why her parents aren't here?"
"She cut off contact with them, remember? I don't even think they know she's in the hospital."
"What about her grandpa?"
"He can't travel because he gets sick. But her parents aren't going to show. Remember when they came here last time."
Nick slaps his head, remembering the whole thing that went down with her parents when they came up to visit. I never want anything like that to occur to her ever again. I know I'm not even Reign's boyfriend or anything like that at the moment, but I never want to see her hurt.
I'm not the most possessive guy in the world either, but I want nothing more than to be able to call Reign mine. I want to be hers. I'm not afraid of a lot of things either, but living a lifetime without the chance to be Reign's and Reign not being mine, scares the living shit out of me.
Everyone wants the chance to be able to treat someone right. She's the only one that I want that with. I understand that she's not dying, but when she wakes up, she most likely won't want anything to do with me. And Reign's right. I do lie. I lie a lot, but it's only because I'm afraid that if I let someone too far in, they will go.
They will get scared. I'm supposed to be this masculine man. I'm supposed to not be afraid, say 'I love you' first, not cry, and yet sometimes all I want to die is cry. Sometimes I can't be brave. It's not that my parents (father especially), taught me that I wasn't allowed to cry, it's that all my male peers seem to be something I'm not.
They all seem to be these terribly toxic, tough figures. I'm scared that someone will see that vulnerability and deem that I'm not manly enough. That's why I lie to Reign. I want her to see the real me, but I'm afraid that it's someone she's not going to want to know.
I'm shocked back into the present when yelling comes through the emergency room. I chew on my bottom lip as I watch another person, covered in blood, get wheeled into the hospital. Nothing happens as I play with the ends of my fingers.
Time ticks by so fucking slow as we sit there on the gray, plastic chairs.
Reign P.O.V.
Fucking hell. Where am I? What's going on?
I blink my eyes open to only be met with bright white lights. I see a tube placed in my arm. I grab at it, trying to rip it out of my arm. I scream as fear fills my body. I can't breathe. I can't fucking breathe. I scream again, the smell of antiseptic filling my nose. Nurses run in, and I see one holding a needle in their hands.
I thrust my body around, not wanting another needle being stuck in my arm. Voices travel around the room as the nurses try to calm me down, but nothing seems to be working for them. I feel a slight pierce on the side of my neck. Darkness falls back over me. My next scream dying in my throat before anything comes out.
I wake up startled. The lights hit me again, but I'm not as scared now. I feel something heavy and warm in my hand. I turn my head and jump in shock. The most handsome man I have ever seen is laying on the couch, his large, calloused hand sitting in mine. His brown hair is the color of chocolate and has slight waves.
His eyes are closed but I bet they are the most dazzling things on the planet. His shoulders, even though he's laying down, are wide. His black t-shirt is slightly raised, his smooth, bronze, muscular skin makes butterflies fill my stomach. His eyebrows perfectly brown arches. His jawline is sharper than a blade on a knife, though it's covered with a slight beard. His lips are a beautiful light pink, full color.
Stop, Reign. You're checking out a stranger. Gosh, what would your mother say about you? Well, the dude's asleep. I shamelessly stare at him until I see him shift. I close my eyes, hoping that he didn't catch me staring at him. I wonder who this guy is because he's absolutely enticing.
I smile slightly, thinking of all the things he could possibly do with those hands. My dirty mind is getting the better of me, and I don't even know the guys name, but who fucking cares? I want him now, and I want him bad. If that makes me a horrible person, so be it. I want to run my hands through those thick locks of his.