Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 73153 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 366(@200wpm)___ 293(@250wpm)___ 244(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73153 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 366(@200wpm)___ 293(@250wpm)___ 244(@300wpm)
Lucas had been begging to come see Tracey, but I told Dale and Glenda I would flip my shit if they allowed him in here to see her. My little brother was traumatized enough. I didn't need him seeing the one girl he looked up to laying in a fucking hospital bed; fuck, practically her death bed.
I knew visiting hours were only from eight AM to eight PM, but after fighting with me for a couple of days about leaving, the doctors, nurses, and security realized that it was no use to try to get me to leave her side. If this was as close as I could get to her while she was like this, I was fucking staying.
"Trev!" my little brother shouted, running into the room.
My head snapped up so fucking fast, I almost gave myself whiplash. His enthusiastic face instantly fell when he looked at Tracey, and tears filled his dark eyes. His bottom lip quivered when he looked up at me. "Trev, what's wrong with Trace?" he asked, his voice wobbly, his eyes drawn back to Tracey.
I glared at Dale and Glenda when they entered the room and jumped up from my chair, grabbing Lucas off of his feet and holding him on my hip. "Didn't I fucking tell you two not to let him in here?!" I roared at them, making Lucas jump in my arms. I tightened my arms around him, rubbing his back soothingly. "I didn't want him to fucking see her like this!"
"He got away from us, Trevor," Glenda told me, her tone gentle as she spoke to me.
"Fucking keep him at home,” I snarled at her. "He doesn't need to see her—"
A soft groan came from Tracey's hospital bed, and I thrust Lucas at Dale, rushing back over to her. She whimpered in pain when she tried to move, her eyes blinking open slowly.
"Tracey,” I breathed, gripping her hand, blinking rapidly. I was so fucking stunned that she was awake. The doctor didn’t think she would wake up for another few weeks, if she ever did at all.
She slowly turned her head to look at me. "Trevor . . ." she whispered, the sound of my name barely making it past her dry, chapped lips.
"Get me her fucking doctor,” I barked at Glenda. Dale rushed over to her bed. I ran my fingertips down her face, finding it hard to believe that she was awake and looking at me with those beautiful green eyes again that I had missed so fucking much. "Fuck, baby, I can't believe you're awake," I whispered.
"My back . . ." she said hoarsely, wincing as she did so.
Dale put a glass of water to her lips. "Drink some of this. It will help your sore throat."
She drank the water slowly, finishing the glass off right as her doctor came into the room. "Ah, it's so good to finally see you awake, Tracey." The only surprise at her wakeful state was a slight raise of his eyebrows.
He pulled a metal mallet-looking thing out of his pocket and lifted the blanket off of her feet. She watched him with cautious eyes. I squeezed her hand in reassurance, knowing he was just checking to see if she had feeling in her legs and feet. "Tracey, I'm going to run this along the bottom of your feet. Tell me if you can feel it, okay?"
He ran the metal tool along the bottom of her foot, and she jerked her leg back, instantly wincing in pain when she did. I rubbed soothing circles on her hand as she closed her eyes, breathing shallowly. "Fuck,” she choked out, her grip on my hand tight as she waited for the pain to subside some.
The doctor nodded his head. "Good. I'm sorry if you're ticklish,” he apologized. “I have to do this to make sure you didn't lose feeling in either of your legs due to the gunshot wound being so close to your spine."
She nodded, gripping my hand as he ran it along her other foot. I clamped my hand on her thigh before she could jerk that leg up and hurt her back again. She shot me a grateful smile before she looked back at the doctor. The doctor nodded, a smile tilting his lips. "Good. This is really good, Tracey. It means you're not paralyzed, though it may be a while before you can walk properly seeing as the bullet almost hit your spine. You're going to feel a lot of pain every time you try to walk, move your legs, or use anything that requires using that part of your spine, but you were incredibly lucky, young lady."
She nodded, looking up at me. I sighed at the look on her face. I knew she was worried that she wouldn’t be able to walk again on her own. Leaning down, I kissed her softly, forcing myself not to deepen it. Three weeks without feeling her lips on mine had been way too fucking long.