Page 39 of Unchained

“Jon? Jon. Can you hear me?”

He struggled to open his eyes and immediately slammed them shut to avoid the light. Why was his entire body hurting?

“Levi? Why is it so bright in here?”

“Jon, do you know where you are?”

“What? Why the hell would you ask me that?”

“Jon. Open your eyes.”

His eyes flew open. That wasn’t Levi.

“Gus? Why the fuck am I in the hospital? What’s going on?”

“You don’t remember?”

He closed his eyes.

“No. The last thing I remember is… the lake.”

Gus and Levi exchanged glances.

“Why were you out there?”

“You know. You’re the one who told me it was a great place to go when you need to think and clear your mind. I needed to go to think about…”

“What?”

Jon smiled and tried to sit up. The pain was more intense than anything he had felt before. He collapsed onto the bed.

“I’m not telling you right now. I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck and I’m not sure what’s happening.”

Gus laughed.

“You two are so damned perfect for each other.”

The door opened behind him. There was a light knock. Jeff walked in. James trailed behind him.

“Hey! He’s awake.”

“What is happening right now? Is everyone here?”

Levi laughed. “No… just us. You apparently made that perfectly clear.”

“What!?”

Levi sat on the bed beside him.

“Babe. Last night a car ran a stop sign and t-boned you. Gus has a friend who was there to get you out and said you are lucky to be alive, and that it’s a miracle you weren’t hurt worse.”

He collapsed onto the bed and cried.

“How bad?”

“Doc should be back in a few to confirm, but from the looks of everything so far, just some nasty bruises and a hell of a concussion.”

Gus flashed a sly smile.

“What aren’t you saying?”

“That’s Gus’s story to tell.”

The old man smirked. “Damn right Levi. You only got this second-hand from me. So, like he said, I’ve got a buddy who’s a paramedic and was at the scene. You were apparently putting up a hell of a fight about going to the hospital already, and when someone said something about reaching out to your family in case you lost consciousness you started screaming ‘don’t you dare contact anyone in my motherfucking family or I’ll fucking sue your asses. If you have to get anyone, get Levi and Gus. They are my only family.’ You were so agitated they had to sedate you, and as you went out, you were mumbling about the Dragon. That was enough for Justin to put two and two together and get in touch with me.”

“Yeah, I was shocked. He was already halfway here when I called him after that cop came for Levi.” James smiled. “Jeff and I just came by to check on you.” Jeff leaned into him and put his arm around him.

Jon’s eyes narrowed. “What’s going on? Was I in a coma? How long was I out? Are you two a couple now?”

Levi smiled. “No. No coma. When you’re out of here, I’ll fill you in on what happened at the bar last night. Right now, we’re just going to focus on making sure you get better.”

“SHIT! What about work? Do they know what’s going on?”

“I called and told them what happened, and they said not to worry about a damn thing until you’re ready to come back.”

His head fell back onto the pillow. “I have so much going on at work…”

Gus interrupted him. “If they said not to worry, don’t.”

Jon looked at him. Tears started running down his face. “Gus. I’m so sorry. The car. You did so much to…”

Gus exhaled. “Jon. Son. Cars can be replaced. You can’t.”

Before Gus could say more, there was a sharp knock. The door flew open.

“Mr. Doyle. Good to see you awake. How are you feeling this morning?”

“Uh, honestly? A little disoriented. I don’t remember anything after I left the lake.”

He smiled. “I’m guessing your entourage filled you in on the details. It’s not unusual to have some slight memory loss.”

“No, sir.”

“How’s your pain?”

“Pretty bad. I tried to sit up and couldn’t.”

“How long have you been awake?”

“I do not know, honestly.”

Levi cleared his throat. “Just a few minutes.”

The doctor turned to Levi. “Does he seem like himself?”

Jon scowled. Levi smiled at him. “Yeah. He does.”

“He was very belligerent last night, and you all said it was not normal behavior. I’m glad to hear that, but I’d still like to get a second look at his CT scan. Last night was crazy, and we were just making sure he didn’t have any internal bleeding. While a concussion might explain his unusual aggression, it doesn’t hurt to be thorough.” He placed his hand on Jon’s shoulder. “If everything’s fine, we should be able to get you home to your own bed tonight.”

Jon sighed. “No offense, doc, but I like the sound of that. I’m ready to go, and I just found out I was here.”

Levi smiled. James laughed. Jon watched as he took Jeff’s hand in his and nodded towards the door. Levi followed them out the door.

Gus sat in the chair at his bedside. He looked at the doctor.

“So, everything looks good?”

“Yeah. Nothing was broken. He’s incredibly lucky.” Something in his expression troubled Jon.

“What? You look like you wanted to say something else.”

“No. I was very concerned when the paramedics told me about your behavior, especially after the alcohol and drug screen came back clear.”

“The what?”

“The paramedics thought you might have been impaired based on your behavior, so we did a standard drug and alcohol screening.”

Jon thought back to what Gus had told him. He didn’t remember any of it. He sighed. “From what I Gus said, it makes sense.”

“Doc, I know you have your protocols but, from what Justin said, it was pretty clear it wasn’t his fault.”

“I wasn’t implying it was. Just explaining why we had to do the tests.”

“Either way, I’m in the clear for DUI. Considering I don’t do drugs, and I wasn’t drinking, I would expect no less. How worried should I be about the head injury?”

“Since you’re doing better, probably just a mild concussion. We’d know better if they hadn’t sedated you. We’ll know more when I get a better look at your scans from last night.”

He turned and left the room. Jon knew there was something else.

“Gus, what did he mean about how lucky I was?”

Gus avoided eye contact. “You are lucky that your parents or sister aren’t here. That’s for sure. Justin called me based on what you were saying. He wasn’t supposed to, but he did. After telling him how your family has treated you, he argued with the entire staff until we got here. After explaining the situation to them, and thanks to the documents you signed with me when you came to visit, they relented. We will have a few things to sign to make it all official so they don’t get in trouble with their administrators. A lot of people went out on a limb for you. Now Levi is stressed about all of it, so once you’re feeling better, expect lots of powers of attorney, wills, and other ridiculous paperwork so it’s never a question again.” He laughed. “Honestly, I should have thought about it when we were discussing me.”

“Well, I never thought I would be the one needing it before you. No offense. Not trying to imply that you’re old.”

Gus laughed. Levi poked his head through the door.

“We all good?”

Jon smiled. “Get your ass in here. Where did you go?”

“Had to go over some logistics with those two. Then I ran into that cop that rushed me here last night.” His brow furrowed. “Damnit. I still didn’t ask his name. I’m all over the place.”

Gus shook his head. Jon smiled. Levi sat on the bed beside him.

“How’s the lady who hit me?”

Levi’s eyes dropped. He looked over at Gus. He gently took Jon’s hand and sighed.

“That’s what I was talking to the cop about. She was dead at the scene.”

Jon’s eyes were wide. His body went stiff.

“Did I…”

“No!” Levi raised his voice. “You didn’t do a damn thing wrong.” He inhaled. “I’m sorry. Didn’t mean to yell. It looks like she had some kind of medical incident . I couldn’t get any more info. I don’t know if it was a heart attack or what, but what I do know is that it looks like she was already dead when her car flew through the stop sign.”

Jon felt a strange wave of relief. “So a dead woman hit and nearly killed me?”

“Yeah.”

He closed his eyes.

“She was already dead.”

“Yes, babe.”

“Is it bad for that to make me feel better? I mean, when you first said it, I felt bad. Like, I was worried that I’d done something wrong. Now I don’t feel guilty, but I am sad for her.”

Levi smiled and squeezed his hand. A tear dropped from his cheek. “It makes perfect sense. I’d be lying if I said I still wasn’t pissed at her. How dare she die and almost take you with her? Away from me .”

“God, you guys are too much.”

Jon looked over at Gus. “What?”

When their eyes met, something happened. He saw in Gus’s eyes he knew why Jon was at the lake.

The old man smiled.