Bright lights flashed in my eyes and hands gripped me all over. Everyone spoke at once, yet no one spoke to me. Only every once in a while, did a nurse let me know that I would be pricked or prodded.
Why didn't I listen to him? I could've stayed at that beautiful, albeit tacky, house. I could be in that king-sized bed, held firmly by a man with which I felt safe. Reaffirmed. Comfortable.
"Starla Dietz?" A male voice questioned.
"Is she in there?" Star's voice shook from beyond the curtain that separated us. "Is she okay?"
"Are you Starla Dietz?" He repeated with annoyance.
"Yes, I'm Star. Is Tess in there?" She barked back.
"Tess is fine. She was in a car accident earlier this morning."
I barely made it to town. Maybe a half-mile from the Welcome sign, I suddenly spun out.
"She's got some bruising and few small lacerations, but she will be just fine. She'll need someone to be with her for the next couple of days. Has Tess expressed any stressful situations recently?"
"We're adults, of course she's stressed." Star replied sarcastically.
"She'll need to step away from those things while she's in your care."
"My care?" Star asked, taken aback. I knew she couldn't afford to take the time off to watch me.
"You are her emergency contact."
Star remained silent for a moment, then said, "I'll do you one better." Her shadow shifted behind the curtain. "Can I see her now? Please?"
He drew back the curtain and revealed her disheveled appearance. Star hustled toward me for a hug, then stopped short. "There's no room for me in there." She lamented, taking one of my hands and a seat on the rolling stool behind her. "How are you feeling?"
"I don't think it's hit me yet." I admitted. "All I've been thinking about is how I'm going to afford that car. I was supposed to put gas in and maintain it, but here's the funny thing, it's electric." A laugh escaped me and echoed off the walls back at me. "I didn't even have a chance to put gas in it and now I have to buy it." I glanced at her, tears obscuring my vision. "And school, happy I got my homework done, but for what? Why? I'll have to drop out. I can't pay him and for school. I—"
"Tess." Star's hand smoothed the gown sleeve that hung down to my elbow. "You're still shaken up. We don't have to worry about that right now, okay? We only need to think about your recovery."
"I'm scared, Star. He's going to be so pissed."
She let out a calming breath and patted my arm.
I hissed at the bruise she disturbed.
Star drew her hand back quickly, then cupped both her hands around mine. "I know what you're used to, 'cause I am too. Nicky's not the type of guy that you think he is. Sure, he was a troublemaker, but he's not Hannibal and he's definitely not Nate."
Usually, the sound of his name struck a chord in my heart. A pitiful, sorrow-filled version of myself would come to the surface and I was unable to cope. Now I felt that string plucked, yet it didn't reverberate inside me. It held no weight.
"He's not going to raise his voice, he's not going to blame you and he, sure as shit, wouldn't intentionally hurt you. Nicky's just as worried as I was."
I tried to furrow my brows in confusion, only to be caught off guard by the stitches in my brow. "How do you know he's scared?" I wondered.
"I might have—look, the doctor said you need someone to take care of you, and who's been trying to do that all week?"
"Star, no." I breathed. The last thing I needed was to be a sobbing mess in front of him, again. This time, I was covered in dirt and blood and probably my own piss. The memory of how easily the car flipped over still gave me butterflies.
"I—"
"Tess Bowen." Nicky's low voice was unmistakable.
"You are?" A nurse addressed him.
"Dominic De La Cruz."
His voice dropped. "You're back in town? Holy sh—I mean, welcome back. Yeah, she's uh, you said Tess Bowen? This way." Brisk footsteps halted outside the privacy curtain. "She has a visitor. I'll need her to step out before you go in."
A fiery breath of disapproval had Star on her feet. "I'm going to be right outside." She informed.
"Wait."
Her hands slipped from mine, and she disappeared.
Now knowing that I could hear, I watched her shadow lean up to Nicky's as his sank to meet hers. She said something short and sweet, clapped him on the shoulder and moved toward the wall.
His tattooed fingers shifted the heavy material. Those pale green eyes settled on me. He wore fear in his turned brow and worry in his pressed lips.
"I'm sorry." I spoke immediately. "I didn't mean to wreck. I was taking the curve, you know the one right before the Welcome sign and I—"
Nicky's hand on my cheek silenced me. His thumb brushed the swell of my cheek. His eyes leapt around as they inspected every bit of damage.
"You bonk your head?" A silly word coming from his lips forced an unexpected chuckle.
I winced at the soreness in my stomach and back. "Excuse me?"
"You have a..." He drew a curved line across his own forehead with his free hand. "It does look pretty bad ass, though. You should keep it."
"You're not mad?" My throat closed and my chest seized asking.
"Why would I be mad?" His thumb continued to soothe me.
"The car."
"Fuck the car, Tess. I can replace that. I can't replace you." Instinctively, his tongue wetted his lips. He closed in to kiss me. I was used to the firm control he held when his lips closed over mine. I was surprised by the gentle, barely-there tap on the corner of my mouth. He pulled back but didn't straighten up. "When can I take you home?"
"I haven't signed any paperwork yet. I don't know if they're going to keep me."
Nicky pulled up the stool that Star sat on. He kept my hand in his. Green eyes glued to my face.
"Stop staring." I turned my head, fighting the pain I felt as I did so.
"I saw the car before I saw you." Nicky informed quietly. "The car looked awful, Tess." His throat tightened. "I'm glad you won." He did his best to chuckle at his own joke, but his discomfort was ever present.
"Tess Bowen?" The doctor who spoke to Star called from outside to curtain.
"You can come in." I answered.
He stepped around the curtain and stood at the foot of my bed. "Miss Bowen, your scans look excellent. We're not seeing anything to cause concern. However, you have a pretty severe concussion. If you experience any dizziness or nausea, I need you to come back in and see me. I've written a note to excuse you from work for the next few days and any heavy lifting or strenuous physical activity for the next couple of weeks."
