Fighting To Stay (7 page)

“It went down that fast?” I ask, completely astonished.

“Ma’am, it’s been about twenty-eight hours,” he replies filled with concern.

“Twenty-eight hours,” I mumble.

The doctor turns his attention to Josh’s chart as my mind conjured up the period in which this must have happened. Setting the chart back in the slot, he looks at us questioningly.

“Do you have any other questions for me?”

I shake my head and slowly turn my head to my sister who has sank in her chair considerably. Out of the corner of my eye, I see the doctor leave.

“This happened shortly after he left from the hospital, didn’t it?”

When my sister is nervous about something, her leg always shakes. It is bouncing rapidly. This is a trait that her and Josh share. Anger, betrayal, disappointment fill me as I stand up and scream at her in anger.

“How could you do that?”

“You… You didn’t need to worry about this. You’ve got plenty on your plate,” she stutters her reply.

“This is my fucking brother too,” I yell. “I deserve to know when something happens to either of you. You promised. You promised you wouldn’t coddle me and the first bad thing to happen and you coddle. I would have
never
done anything like this to you. Ever!”

Hailey starts crying again. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry Dee, but I just didn’t want to lose both of you,” she takes a shuddered breath.

That statement slices right through my anger, I’m immediately brought down from the pissed off pedestal that I’d inhabited there for a moment. It brings me back to earth very quickly.

“I’m sorry, Hay. You are not losing me. You are not losing Josh either. Everything will all be okay. I promise.”

We talk for a few more minutes each of us calming. Hailey and I start talking about Garrett and I mention what Pollyanna had said at the end of her phone call. She sat back thinking about it and I know she is thinking the same thing I am.

Where are you Garrett?

“Oh, I have a whopping headache,” Josh moans and my eyes fill with tears.

“Hey Joshy,” I greet him with a shaking voice.

“Why are you here? Why are you crying?” His head slowly looks around the room and his eyes go wide. “What the hell?”

“You’re in the hospital. Do you remember what happened?”

He closes his eyes and I can see his eyes darting around behind his eyelids. His hand tightens in the sheets and his face contorts in anger. Just then, his eyes fly open and the anger I see in them scares me.

“Vince came to my house looking for you. He was pissed that you kicked him out. I told him to get the fuck off my property or he’d regret it. He had a fucking bat. That man is bad news, Sis. You need to stay away from him.”

Shaking my head, my heart drops. “So this is my entire fault?” I choke out.

“This is in no way shape or form your fault. Vince did this, not you. I never liked the guy, but I thought he was getting you over your broken heart when Garrett left. You did the right thing by kicking him out.”

“He was at my house this morning pounding on my door,” I mumble. “We ignored the knocking and went upstairs. If I had known he’d done this to you, I would have opened that door and beat the shit out of him. I’m so sorry.”

Lifting his hand, he places it on my arm. “You did nothing wrong. Do you hear me? So are you and Garrett together?” He grins at me and I know he is trying to change the subject.

“He wants us to be, but I’m not sure that…” I break off worrying my lip between my teeth.

“Not sure of what? Him? You?”

“I worry that he’s only interested now because I’ve got cancer,” I whisper.

“Well, I can tell you right now, that’s not true. He’s been in love with you since he was in the eighth grade. He just didn’t know you returned the feelings. That’s a tough line to cross, Dee. To go from being a friend to confessing your feelings for them. He didn’t want to risk losing you completely or the dynamic of your friendship to change because his heart wanted only you.” Josh scrunches his nose up. “Those were his words not mine.”

Unable to stop it, I laugh at his sappy speech. “So you believe him? He tells me he loves me, but then I think about all the years I’ve wanted him to return my feelings…” I shake my head. “Then there’s the part of me that fears getting involved with him now would be a mistake especially if I
can’t
beat this. Then I’d leave him behind heartbroken.”

He raises the head of his bed slightly. Taking a breath before wincing a bit in pain, he talks slowly. “I promise you, that man will be left behind broken-hearted no matter what. At least he can love you now and have those happy memories of your time together to heal his heart and make him smile.”

Nodding my head, I stare off blankly. “You want your phone? Pollyanna is really worried about you.”

His face pales. “I was on the phone with her. Is she… Is she okay?”

“Yeah I talked to her. We exchanged numbers and I’ve been giving her updates as we have been finding them out. Hailey was here. She went to take a shower and get some fresh air. She’ll be happy to see you awake.”

“Thank you, Dee. You have no idea how much that means to me that you did that. That girl is my world, sight unseen.”

“I know and you are hers,” I say as I walk over to the side table and grab his phone. “I love you brother. Remember to take it easy. Hay won’t let me take you to my house so it looks like you’re going to hers. She said I’ve got too much on my plate right now,” I roll my eyes.

“She’s right. Now shut up and let me call my woman,” he smiles at me.

Kissing him on the forehead, I tell him I’m going to go check on where Garrett is. It wasn’t until Josh mentioned Pollyanna that I realized how much time has passed and he still wasn’t back yet. Checking at the nurses’ station, they hadn’t seen him come back up. Heading downstairs, I check the front waiting area and the parking lot, his truck wasn’t where we parked earlier.

Sitting down on a nearby chair, I drop my head to my hands and let the tears fall.
He’s gone.
Garrett must have realized what it’d be like dating me. He couldn’t handle the pain that would be my life. My heart was breaking with the loss of losing him so soon. Never fully knowing what it was like to be loved so completely as he’d shown me the past couple of days.

“Donna? What are you doing down here? Is Josh okay?”

My head snaps up and I lock eyes with my heart. Jumping up, I run to him, throwing my arms around him. He stumbles backwards a little bit and lets out a huff of breath as he catches me. The rustling of a bag fills my ears a moment before both his arms wrap around me tightly.

We stand there for a long moment. Garrett just holds me as I cry into his neck. Thinking that he left, really makes me see that there was no hiding from this, Garrett owns me in a way that I never thought imaginable.

“Hey,” he pulls back, brushing the hair from my face. “What’s wrong?”

Holding his gaze steadily, I take a deep breath. “I love you, Garrett. I know I shouldn’t right now, but I do. You deserve someone better than me, someone whose life is not up in the air. But I can’t let you go,” my voice breaks off in a sob. “I love you, Garrett.”

His hands quickly push into my hair and he’s kissing me like there’s no tomorrow. My heart races as a tingling sensation runs through my body. His tongue pushes into my mouth for a brief moment our teeth connect. It is hunger and lust unlike I’ve ever felt before and I’m loving it.

“Geez!” We jerk apart. “Get a room guys,” Hailey huffs as she grabs the bag off the floor next to Garrett and starts toward the elevator.

We look at each other. “Wow,” we say in unison.

Blushing brightly, I look down as I head back into the elevator with my sister. Garrett follows wordlessly behind me. Once we climb on the elevator, Hailey steps back off.

“I think y’all need these few minutes alone,” she smirks as the doors close.

The elevator floors tick past and soon we arrive on my brother’s floor. Walking out, we start down the hall to my brother’s room when Garrett suddenly pulls me into an empty room of some sort. Shutting the door, I hear the lock click into place. Turning around, he practically stalks toward me.

“Did you mean it?” His voice is deep and raspy.

Swallowing hard, I try to keep from backing up. “I… I did.”

“Say it again,” he growls.

“Uh-huh,” I smirk, biting my lip.

“Say it,” he demands again.

Playfully stepping back, trying not to giggle, until my back hits the wall, I gasp. Unable to speak, I shake my head keeping my eyes on his. His hands rest on my waist as he pulls me into him. Garrett vigorously claims my mouth filled with lust. Moving his hands from my waist to my face, he leans into me, pressing me against the wall.

Grabbing his butt in my hands, I pull him tighter against me. Lifting my leg up to his waist, much needed friction greets me as I grind against him. His growl vibrates through me before pooling between my legs.

Breaking from the kiss, he slowly and carefully removes my shirt taking handfuls of my breasts. My moan fills the silence and he growls against my chest. His touch is gentle, but firm. No one has ever touched me this way. He’s touching me as if it’s his last time or something he has dreamt of doing for years—just like I have done.

Reaching behind him, I pull his shirt from his pants and pull it up his glorious body. I saw it many times last night. Knowing what awaits me beneath his clothing has me quickly yanking it the rest of the way off. I cannot get to him fast enough.

The minute his shirt clears his head, his mouth is back on my breasts cherishing me as no other. Moaning loudly, I continue to grind against him. Lowering my hand down to his pants, I massage his erection through his jeans.

“I can’t… God, baby, I need you now,” he breathes looking into my eyes.

“Yes, please, now,” I pant.

Quickly, we remove what remains of our clothes. In the next breath, he is deep inside me. Gripping hands full of his hair, I wrap both legs around his waist as he thrusts in and out of me. When his eyes meet mine, something changes. It is as if he is memorizing everything about this moment. His movements slow and he leans in for a kiss.

The kiss is so tender, so… wonderful that my heart squeezes tightly in my chest. Sweat is glistening on our bodies making it harder to stay wrapped around him. As if sensing my struggle, he shifts me to one of the beds, never breaking our connection.

Resting on his elbows on either side of me, he brushes my cheeks with his thumb. His eyes bounce between mine before lowering his handsome face to devour my mouth. The kiss is slow. The thrusts of his tongue match the same rhythm that his hips have now resumed.

With each thrust, his grunts of pleasure fills my ears. I never thought I’d like to hear a man make noise, but Garrett is sexy as hell and his noises heighten my pleasure. Breaking from the kiss, I push my head further back into the pillows.

“Aww,” I moan. “Oh, yes,” I gasp.

“Baby, Open your eyes,” he whispers.

Opening my eyes, I tilt my head down to look him in his. The burning passion illuminates his eyes, but what steals my breath away is the fiery passion I see behind them.

“I am complete,” he whispers.

My orgasm starts to build. There is a slow rumble in my belly before moving out through my veins. Cupping his face in my hands, I pull him to me. When our lips are barely touching, I pause.

“I love you, Garrett,” I breathe out as tears run down my temples, overwhelmed with emotion.

His eyes widen with shock and something else fills them. Something I can’t explain, but almost resembles worry. Rising up on his knees, he lifts my legs to his shoulder, holding my butt in his hands. His thrusts turn harder and faster. My moans grow louder as do his. I’m sure anyone walking past this room could hear us, but at this point I didn’t care.

Smacking me like a freight train, I call out from my intense orgasm. My hands tighten on his biceps as it continues to wrack my body. A few thrusts later and his body stiffens as he moans out several curses before collapsing on top of me.

Silence surrounds us and it’s welcoming. For the first time in my life, I feel like I can conquer anything. And I will. Just wait and see.

Garrett tightens his hold on me as he rolls to his side. Shifting, I curl up into his side and rest my head on his chest. Gently, he strokes his hand through my hair.

“This is not how I pictured this happening.”

“What?”

“Making love to you for the first time, I didn’t picture it here in an on-call room, not being able to cuddle you all night. But hearing you say you love me, seeing it in your eyes and knowing you feel it as deep as I do,” he shakes his head. “I have never been more turned on in my life.”

Lifting my head from his chest, I smile. “Well, I, for one, loved this and can’t wait until we get back home and can repeat it.”

Brushing the hair from my face, he pulls me down for a kiss. “I’m glad because I’ve had a taste of you now, I’m addicted,” he jokes. “We should get dressed and go see your brother though.”