Needing You #2 - Wanting Him (17 page)

“I know,” he says as he wraps his arm around my shoulder pulling me into his side.  I can’t help but fall into him.

About two hours later, the doctor comes out.  He informs us that he was able to get both tumors out and that Tuck’s been moved to recovery.  He should have a room shortly.  He did say the passing out and headaches should stop now.

It feels like the entire room lets out a
sigh of relief.

I can’t help but wish my mom would have had the same outcome.

“You okay?” Parker asks from beside me.

“Yeah.”

“He’s alright,” he says with a smile.

“I know, I’m glad,
” I say with a half-smile.

“Just wish your mom had the same outcome?” he says
, reading my mind.

“Yeah,” I tell him as I stare at the floor.

“She’s still with you every day.”

“I know
, it’s just not the same.”

“No it’s not
, but she is still with you every day.”

About twenty minutes later
, Tuck’s moved into a room and two people at a time are allowed to go see him.  Harp and Tessa go first.  Bianca looks pissed, but what does she expect?  Stupid girl.

Tessa comes out about ten minutes later telling Parker he can go back.  He grabs my hand and pulls me along.

“Only two people are allowed in at a time,” I say reminding him.

“Harp’s not
gonna leave.  It’ll be fine,” he says showing me that sexy dimpled smile.

We go into the room and see all the wires and machines that are hooked up to him.  He’s awake
, but looks groggy.

“How
ya feeling?” Parker asks, as he walks to the side of Tuck’s bed.

“Like my head got cut open.”

“Ha, I bet it does.  But are you alright?”

“
Yeah, just a little nervous to leave in a few days,” he says.

“Why?” I ask confused.

“I think this one will probably kill me in my sleep,” he says with a weak smile.

“You’re lucky I don’t try to kill you here.  At least then they could try to save your ass,” she announces with a glare.

I can’t help but laugh.  “You could just cut his balls off; they could sew him up here.”

“That sounds like a great idea,” she says with a big smile.

“Hey now, ladies, ladies no torture of any kind.  I think he’s gone through enough pain,” Parker says, sticking up for Tuck.

“You better hope I don’t kick your ass when you’re back to normal,” Harp says, “I can’t believe you wouldn’t tell me what was going on.”

“I know, I’m sorry.  I should have told you,” he says with sad eyes.

“Yes
, you should have. Don’t ever pull that shit again or you will lose your balls,” she says with a determined look.

“Okay
okay,” he says trying to laugh.  You can tell it hurts though.  “I thought you’re still on tour,” he says, turning and asking Park.

“I am.  We left when Eddie called
and told me what happened to you.  Took the first flight out.”

“Why?  You didn’t have to do that,” Tuck says.

“I know I didn’t have to, but I needed to make sure you were alright.  Only way to do that is to see you in person.”

“Yeah
, but shit…” Tuck starts to say.

“The past is the past.  We’re fine.  I needed to make sure you were okay.”

“Thanks.  So you ready to be a dad…times coming soon,” Tuck says with a smile.

“Actually yeah,
kinda looking forward to it now,” he says with a smile.  I can see the look in his eyes; he is excited for this next chapter in his life.  I just wish it would have been with me.

“I can’t believe
you’re going to be a dad.  Wow,” Tuck says.

“Me either, I figured you’d be the first one to knock a girl up,” he says laughing then looking over to Harper.

“Haha, not happening,” she says in a mocking voice.

“You never know,” he says still laughing.

I want to fade into the wall feeling completely uncomfortable with this conversation.

Tuck gives me a sympathetic smile, he knows how I feel about Parker
, but that ship has sailed.  Now it’s time to let it go and move on.  I walk out of the room, telling Tucker I’ll be back later to check on him.

Parker goes to say something, but I disappear out of the door quickly
, so he doesn’t get the chance.  Rowan goes in next.  I text Harper letting her know I’m going to head home and will be back tomorrow to check on her.

I also inform her that she’s off work for the weekend
, so she can be here with Tuck through his recovery.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next few months pass by quickly.  Tucker’s doing much better.  He’s back at home and school and feeling and doing great.

Harper’s been keeping a close eye on him, but he seems to be
back to normal.  Their relationship is also a lot better and stronger now.  Especially that he’s not keeping things from her.

Since
that day in the hospital, I haven’t seen Parker.  I just can’t handle seeing him.  He’s having a family with someone else.  As much as it hurts, it’s for the best if I stay away.

He has sent me random messages though.  They don’t say much just checking in really and also seeing how Nora’s doing.  Other than that, life is pretty much back to normal.

Cameron keeps text messaging me.  I’ve run into him once and we grabbed coffee and talked.  He keeps asking to hang out again, I’m just not so sure I want anything more.

I worked an early shift today at PowerTrips and get home
a little after 7:00 p.m.  I find a note from Nora that says she went to a friend’s house to study tonight and will be back around 8:00 p.m.

This gives me time to get showered and fix something for dinner before she gets here.

Chapter Seventeen

Shortly before 8:00 p.m.
, Nora walks through the door looking like hell.

“What the h
ell happened to you?” I ask as she comes in covered in blood.

“I…I…I,” she starts and bursts into tears.

I rush over to her and wrap her in my arms having no idea what the hell happened to her.

“I got you,” I tell her, comforting her.

She continues to sob for a good five minutes before she’s able to speak.

“I…I’m so sorry,” she says through new tears.

“Sshhh, you don’t need to apologize, but let’s get you cleaned up,” I tell her.

We stand and make our way into the bathroom where I get warm washcloths to wipe the wet and dry blood from her forehead, down her cheek to her lip.

“I need you to tell me who did this to you,” I tell her calmly.

“I shouldn’t have gone. It’s my fault,” she says crying.

“Nor, I need you to tell me what happened,”

She shakes her head up and down.  “At school today Liz apologized for how she acted and wanted to fix things between us.”

“Okay, so you were with Liz tonight,” I state, not ask.

“Yeah, when I got here and you weren’t home, I tried your cell but you didn’t answer. She kept bugging me to come with her to this party, saying we wouldn’t get into trouble; she just wanted to hang out.  So I said I’d go,” she says
, looking sadly at me.

“So you got in a fight with Liz?” I ask slightly confused.

She starts shaking her head no.  “No, we ended up at some college party.  I told her we should just leave, but she insisted it would be fun. For a while it was.  The people were nice, I talked to a couple girls who were really nice and said they knew you,” she says eyeing me.

“What happened?” I ask, wanting her to get to the point.

“After a while I couldn’t find Liz.  I went looking for her.  I found her in one of the bedrooms.  She looked messed up.”

“Like drunk messed up
, or beaten up, messed up?” I ask to clarify.

“Drunk messed up.  She told me to come in and join the party
, but I shook my head no and tried to walk out the door.  That’s when a guy bumped into me when he was trying to get into the room.  Once he came in, he shut the door and stood in front of it.  I told him to let me out but he wouldn’t move,” she tells me as fresh tears roll down her cheek.

“Nor, I need you to tell me if someone physically hurt you.  I see the bruises and the blood
, but I need to know if someone forced you to do something you weren’t ready for?” I ask, not able to say the word.

“No, I got away, but Nat he ripped my clothes and pinned me down,” she says
, as she’s crying hysterically.

I hug her tightly to me, continuing to tell her it will be okay.

“You’re positive he didn’t…” I trail off.

“No, he didn’t rape me.  The girls I was talking to earlier must have heard me screaming, which is how I ended up with the blood and bruises because he slapped me and I think he even punched me a time or two.  But those girls, they busted in the door
with some guy, I’m not sure who he was, but he ripped the guy off of me.  The girls helped me up and brought me home.”

“What about Liz? Why didn’t she help you?” I ask angrily.  She was in the same damn room.

“She told me to stop fighting and just enjoy it,” she says with tear filled eyes.

“No Nor, you did the right thing.  I will take care of this.  Do you remember the name of the guy who hurt you?”

“I think his name was Brad, I’m not really sure.”

“Alright.  I’m thinking I need to take you to the hospital just to get you checked out,” I tell her.

“Please Nat, I just want to get a shower and go to bed,” she says with pleading eyes.

“Fine
, but you need to let me take pictures first.”

“Why?” she asks nervously.

“Because someone’s going to pay for laying their fucking hands on you,” I scold.

“I’ll be fine.  I’m done with Liz. Please Nat, I just want to forget about this,” she says as she runs her hand up and down her face and body.

“No we can’t.  He did this to you, that means he will or has done this to someone else.  He needs to be stopped before he goes too far.”

Her
shoulders sink, “Fine.”

I run down the hall to my room to grab my digital camera before entering back into the bathroom.

I take a couple pictures of her face from straight on and side angles.  She also has a few bruises on her arms.

“Anywhere else?” I ask.

“I think that’s it,” she says, “Now can I get a shower?”

“Yeah,” I tell her and leave the bathroom.

I hear the water turn on and hear her yell, “Can you bring me my towel?”

Her towel
is hanging on the bedroom door, I grab it and enter the bathroom. “Holy shit Nora.”

She stops and looks over her should
er before getting into the shower, “What?” she says sounding confused.

“Don’t move,” I grab my camera and go to take pictures of her back.

“What’s wrong?”

“You’re entire back has bruises.  Did he push you into something?”

“Yeah, the wall, then the dresser.”

“Do you have any bruises on your ribs or legs?”

She checks herself out, “No.”

“Okay, go ahead and take a shower,” I tell her before leaving the room.

As soon as I make it out to the living room, I call Harp. 

“Hey, what’s up?”

“I need your help.  Are you with Tuck?”

“No, he should be here soon, why what’s up?”

“Someone attacked Nora.  I need his help to track the bastard down.”

“WHAT?  Is she alright?” Harp asks flipping out.

“She’s bruised and upset, but she’ll be okay.  Can you have Tuck call me as soon as he gets there?”

“Sure.  Do you know the
guy’s name or anything?”

“Nor said she thinks it was Brad, but she’s not quite sure.”

“Okay. I’ll have him call you as soon as he gets here.”

“Thanks.”

“No problem and Nat?”

“Yeah?”

“That fucker’s dead,” she deadpans.

“I know,” I say be
fore hanging up.

After Nora gets showered and dressed
, she comes into the living room to where I’m sitting on the couch contemplating what to do.

“Hey, would it be alright if I didn’t go to school tomorrow?” she asks softly.

“You’re not going.  I’m skipping classes tomorrow too.  I’m gonna figure some shit out tonight and tomorrow we’ll do what we need to.”

“Thanks.”

“Come here,” I tell her as I pat the spot on the couch beside me.

She sits down and leans her head on my shoulder. “I’m sorry I let you down,” she says sadly.

“Hey,” I say moving, she has no choice but to look at me in the face, “You didn’t let me down.  You did the right thing and you opened up and told me.  I could never be mad or upset with you,” I tell her before pulling her into a hug.

She starts to cry again.

“You’re going to be alright.  Tomorrow I’m going to take you to the police station; you need to file a report.”

“Okay.”

“Do you feel dizzy or anything?  I’m nervous, I don’t know if you have a concussion or not and if you do, you can’t go to sleep.”

“No, I
felt dizzy earlier but I feel okay, just sore.”

“Do you want a pain reliever?  We got ibuprofen in the cabinet.”

“That’s alright, I want to try to not take anything,” she says.

“Alright, well try to get some rest.  I’ll check on you.  If you need me I’m right here,” I tell her before giving her another hug before she heads to her room.

I talk to Tuck a little after Nora goes to bed and I tell him what I know.  He said he will find out who the little fucker is.  I made sure to tell him not to do anything, this is my problem.

A little after midnight I hear a soft knock on the door.  I’m surprised to see anyone here at this time.  I look out the door and am surprised to see Parker standing there.  I open the door.

“Hey,” I say surprised.

“Hey Nat, I heard about Nora I wanted to come and see how she’s doing,” he says looking nervous.

“Come in.”

“She sleeping?” he asks.

“Yeah, it is after midnight,” I say with a small laugh.

“Oh shit, yeah it is. Sorry.  I don’t really have a sense of time on this tour.  I can come back tomorrow if that’s alright?”

“You’re fine. I’m not getting sleep anytime soon.  Have a seat.”

“Thanks.”

“Did Tucker tell you?”

“Yeah
.  How are you doing?” he says, as he watches me closely.

“I’ll be better once I take care of this asshole.”

“We’re getting it taken care of,” he informs me.

“No.  This is something I need to take care of.  I don’t need you or Tuck stepping in.  I just need help to figure out who he is.”

“Umm Nat, that’s not gonna happen.  Declan, Luke, and Nate were ready to hunt down every guy on campus to beat the shit out of them.”

“Where are they?  Wait, shouldn’t you still be on tour?”

“Yeah, we’re missing tomorrow’s show.  We told the manager we had an emergency.”

“You guys didn’t have to do that.  This tour is huge for you.  I’m sorry, you guys can head back out tomorrow morning
, that way you can make your show tomorrow,” I say hopeful.

“We aren’t leaving until this punk’s taken care of, and we know you and Nora are alright,” he says sweetly.

“I’m fine.  It’s her that I’m worried about.”

As I say that I hear her screaming, I rush to her bedroom with Parker right behind.

I flip on her light and softly shake her to wake her up; apparently she’s having a nightmare.

“Hey, Nor wake up,” I say trying to wake her up.

She doesn’t wake up just continues to struggle in her sheets thrashing from side to side.

“Nora wake up,” I say louder.

Her eyes snap open and she sees me and she’s instantly crying.

I pull her into a hug, “
It’s okay, I got you,” I tell her as I rub her back hoping to calm her down.

Parker sits on the other side of Nora’s bed, causing the bed to sink down a little.  She must have felt the dip because I feel her slowly pull back to see who else is here.

“Parker?” she asks in confusion.

“Hey pretty girl,” he says with a smile.

“Oh my gosh you’re here,” she says as she wraps her arms around him.

“There nowhere else I’d rather be,” he says as he hugs her.

“I missed you,” she tells him.

“I missed you too pretty girl.”

“Are you here because of me?” she asks as she pulls back to sit on her bed.

“Yes I
am.  I needed to make sure you’re alright.”

“I’m okay,” she says softly.

Parker now has a clear sight of seeing her face and arms full of bruises. Her eye is a little swollen, but she iced it for a while, so it’s not as bad as earlier.

Her lip is puffy too from where he apparently slapped her and her right side of her cheek is also bruised.

“Pretty girl, you don’t need to lie to me.  I know you’re not okay, but just know the guy who did this to you is going to pay,” he says in a serious tone.

“Thanks Parker.”

And this is why I can’t get over him.  Prince Charming showing up after midnight to make sure my little sister is okay.  As much as I appreciate him showing up, it also brings all my feelings for him to the forefront.  I’m so screwed.

“Do you want to try to get some more sleep?” Parker asks her.

“No,” she says quickly.

“Alright, why don’t we go hang out in the living room,” he says sweetly.

“Sure,” she says as she gets off the bed after Parker and follows him out her bedroom door.

Nora gives me a concerned look. I know she wants to know if I’m okay that he’s here, I nod and smile letting her know its fine.  Because it is.  He’s here for her and my heart swells even more.

When we sit in the living room, Parker’s sitting on the couch with Nora sitting beside him talking about his tour.

“Do you miss home?” she asks.

“Of course.  The guys even miss just playing in the small bars.  It’s different,” he says truthfully.

“So why don’t you guys just come home if you miss it?” she asks confused.

He lets out a small laugh, “Because we signed a contract.  Plus it’s helping us to get our name and music out there.  The fans are great, well some of them.”