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“Okay. You have a broken arm and leg. The doctors were worried about a possible brain or spine injury. You had slight swelling in your brain, but it went down. You had massive internal bleeding and a ruptured spleen. They were able to repair the spleen and not remove it. There were a lot of cuts and scrapes from the broken glass and air bags, but those will heal. You’re doing much better. You had a slight infection after the surgery, but you recovered by the next day.”
My head lowers as I try to understand everything he says. My brain’s trying to connect the dots, but everything’s so fuzzy.
“What happened? I don’t remember.” I’m still trying to take everything in, but I want my memory of what happened back. My fists clench angrily. I squeeze my eyes shut in frustration.
“What’s the last thing you remember?” Bryce laces his fingers through mine.
“Well, I remember having breakfast with you and then getting dressed.” I pause and look up at Bryce, frowning. “I left to go to my therapist appointment.” My mind replays the events. I was driving, singing, and then … “Red car. There was a red car coming at me!” My eyes go wide in shock, and he cups my face.
“Drunk driver. He t-boned you. You’ve been in the hospital for a couple of days. The doctors put you in an induced coma so your brain could heal and you could rest. You’re doing much better, which is why they woke you up. You still need to rest, but everything will be okay, baby.” Bryce runs his knuckles over my cheek, soothing me as I take all this in.
He stays with me while nurses and doctors come in. They poke and prod me more and run more tests to make sure I’m all right. It becomes a flurry of people coming and going. But throughout it all, Bryce sticks to my side like glue. The only time he leaves is when my parents come in to see me.
Once I’m moved out of ICU and into a regular hospital room, I have even more people that come to see me. Some of Bryce’s officer buddies and their wives. Vicki and Austin . My parents. Everyone wants to know how I’m doing, what I remember, and if I still hurt. It’s a little overwhelming. Eventually, everyone leaves.
Bryce leaves the room for a bit to go grab some food. He brings it back, of course. From what my parents have told me, Bryce has been by my side through everything. The exception being when my parents and Austin staged an intervention and made him go home and sleep. I’m glad they did that, it hurts to know he was sitting here not taking care of himself.
“How are you feeling?” Bryce turns his head to look at me while he leans back in his chair, eating.
The smell of the cheeseburger is a welcome change from the stale bleach smell of the room. Bryce bites down into the cheeseburger, and I lick my lips like it’s some Pavlovian response. I clear my throat and turn my head to look forward towards the TV.
“Um, not sure. I hurt. Like I’m sore. And I hate these casts. I hate feeling stuck here and that these nurses keep coming in here. I hate that you have been sitting here by my side and I didn’t even know it. Even more so that you had to worry about me, and I hate that I made you worry at all. I just hate everything right now. Really, I just want to go home. I just want to lie in bed with you next to me. And if I didn’t have these fucking casts, I would make you get in bed with me right now.” I take a deep breath and wipe the tears that escape from my eye with my good hand..
Bryce gets up from his chair and moves it out the way, setting his food down on a nearby table. He pushes the safety bar of the bed down and lays next to me. His hands hold my face, and he brings his lips to mine.
Bryce pulls back just an inch and looks at me. “Kat, I’m happy you’re in this bed. Happy that all you broke was your arm and leg. I’m so happy there were no injuries beyond what you had. Fucking ecstatic that you’re still breathing, too. Sweetheart, Austin and I responded to the accident. Obviously, we both had no idea it was you until I pulled up and saw your car. When I saw … saw you, pale, white as a ghost and not moving, fuck. Scariest moment in my life, Kat. It was killing me to see you like that. A witness said that you were calling for me after the accident. And I hate I couldn’t get there sooner. It tore my heart up. I wasn’t there to tell you to your face that I love you and that everything was going to be okay.” Bryce wiped the silent tears from his eyes. “I wasn’t there to comfort you, Kat. To hold your hand and be there for you.”
I reach out and touch his cheek with my hand, encouraging him to continue.
He cleared his throat, adding, “I get you hate being here, but this is better than what could’ve been. Your car was in bad shape, Kat. They had to extract you and cut your car up just to get you out. It was the most helpless I’ve ever felt in my life. I’m supposed to protect you, and there was nothing I could’ve done to change those events. Nothing I could’ve done to shield you. I almost lost you, Kat. I can’t live without you. My life doesn’t go on unless you’re in it. My heart doesn’t beat without you.”
Bryce bends down and puts his head in the crook of my neck. His body’s shaking, and I feel the moisture from his tears on my skin. As he lays there, I move my good arm to wrap around him and cry with him. Our bodies and hearts give into the pain we’ve both gone through.
While most parts are still fuzzy, I remember calling out for Bryce after the accident. I needed him, and I was out of my mind not being able to see him. That he wouldn’t know what happened to me. It seems the universe wasn’t letting that happen and sent him to me when he answered that call. I wasn’t awake to know, but I now know in that moment, he was there for me.
We say little for the rest of the night. We simply hold each other. Even when the nurses come in to do what they need to do, he never moves. Bryce simply lays next to me, gazing into my eyes as I stare right back into his.
Eventually, sleep takes over the both of us.
Chapter 32
Katrina
4 Months Later
“Is the kitchen all packed up?”Bryce calls from the bedroom.
“Yes! For the millionth time. You do you. Don’t worry about me.”
As soon as the words leave my lips, I know I’m going to get a look. Yup, there it is. Bryce stands in the doorway, brows furrowed and lips in a thin line.
“Okay, Bryce. You can worry about me, but not about the packingandme. You know what I mean!” I throw the roll of tape at him. Of course, he catches it and laughs while he walks away.
“Why did we think it was a good idea to move now? August has to be like the hottest month out here.” Bryce shouts.
“It’s a dry heat. Suck it up, princess.” My back is turned, so I don’t hear him sneak up behind me.
“Suck it up, huh?” His hands find my ticklish areas, and he goes to town.