Page 3 of Volatile King (The Kings of Wayward Academy #6)

R en

What the hell was happening? When the guys walked out, they looked back and smiled, but I could see the worry in their eyes. The door closed, and I was suddenly alone with my racing thoughts and matching heart rate.

“Mys. Mys.” I sucked in a deep breath. “Nnn…nnn…Naa.”

I slammed my fist down on the bed. What was going on? Why was I in a hospital? Why was Vicky’s father here? Why was he in a wheelchair?

Pinching the bridge of my nose, I tried to sort through my memories.

It was Halloween, my birthday. Nash came to my dorm room and gave me my mother’s paintings.

My guys looked so sexy in their suits and masks.

We got in a…a…it was a black car. Why couldn’t I think of the name of it?

I could picture it perfectly in my mind.

Moving on from trying to think of the word, I thought about the ride to Nash’s new…place. He had a grand opening, and…shit. The rest was hazy, like an out-of-focus photo.

A frustrated sound passed through my lips as I tried to remember anything else. Ugh.

Reaching up, I touched my head and found a bandage. The doctor said that I hit it hard. A new thread of panic began to form. Did I fall? How did I hit my head hard enough that I couldn’t remember what happened?

The door opened again, and only the doctor entered. He pulled a chair over to sit beside me. This couldn’t be good.

“I’m a pretty good judge of character, and you seem like the type who would want to know all the facts,” he said.

I nodded my head. He wasn’t wrong.

“Okay, first of all, as I said before I’m Dr. Boyd, and I’m the surgeon who operated on you.” My mouth dropped open as I pointed to my head. “Yes, on your head.” I grabbed the blanket in both hands as my body trembled, and I closed my eyes.

Oh my god. I had brain surgery.

Doctor Boyd placed his hand on my arm, and I slowly opened my eyes to look at him. I didn’t realize I was crying until he held out some tissues. Taking them, I dabbed at my eyes.

“I’m going to be as honest as I can, but there are some things that I can’t tell you because we need to let you remember on your own.

Okay?” I nodded. “As I said, you hit your head hard and it caused a brain bleed. We needed to operate to relieve the pressure. The surgery was a success. I have no doubt that you will make a full recovery.”

I locked eyes with him, and he gave me a small smile.

“Yes, I’m telling you the truth. Your prognosis is very good, but you do have something called Broca’s aphasia. Have you ever heard of it?”

I shook my head, not liking the sound of it.

“Like many things, it has different levels of severity. I feel confident that you’re on the less severe end. We’ll run more tests to confirm. I’d like to get you up walking and make sure there are no motor function issues. You’ve also been lying in bed for a few days, and it will do you good.”

“Wa….” I licked my lips. “Wa…whh…aat.” I dropped my head back, ordering my mouth to work properly. “Whaa…ttt.”

“Don’t strain, you just woke up. A top speech therapist is arriving tomorrow to begin working with you.”

I grabbed his arm and squeezed, trying to communicate. At my wits’ end, I motioned for something to write with. Doctor Boyd pulled a prescription pad and a pen from his pocket and handed them to me.

I cant why

My hand stilled as I recognized the sentence was wrong, but my mind had gone blank. What was I trying to ask? Was I asking something? I blinked at the notepad in my hand.

“Why can’t you speak? And why are things jumbled?”

Looking up at Doctor Boyd and then at the paper, the question came back to me. I nodded but forced myself to write the word speak to complete my sentence.

“Your mind knows what it wants to say, but is struggling to find the right word to explain. You’ll find that you can’t remember what something is called, but you know how it is used.

” He held up the pen. “You may know that this is something you write with, but can’t remember that it is called a pen.

You may also struggle with anything repetitive in nature, but Ren…

you’re going to get the best care. Don’t be hard on yourself if you don’t progress as fast as you would like. Your brain needs time to heal.”

Long how sleep?

I slowly scribbled out the question, hating that it was also wrong.

“We kept you in a coma for four days. I’m going to have one of the nurses who will be working with you while you’re here come in to explain more thoroughly what you’ll experience in therapy. This will be a battle, but stay positive. Your prognosis for a full recovery is very good. Okay?”

Stay positive? How was I supposed to stay positive? My entire life had been a fight, and now the one thing that I had coveted most in this world, my mind, was broken. I was like a wind-up toy, walking in a circle because a piece of me didn’t want to work. How do I get through…

I pinched the bridge of my nose as I pictured the place I was living. It had all the people, food, and classes.

School? Yes, school. Wayward. What if I could never talk properly again?

Doctor Boyd presented me with information that at any other time I would’ve found fascinating, but right now…it was useless. When he was done, he gave me another reassuring smile before leaving me alone with my thoughts.

My mind swirled around trying to make sense of how this had happened. The door opened a few minutes later, and a nurse entered.

“Hi there, Ren, my name is Rosie. I’ll be one of your nurses until you go home.

” Her smile was warm and, unlike Doctor Boyd, unworried.

“I know this must be overwhelming, but I promise it’s going to be alright.

You have the most dedicated group of friends.

Those boys have been here since the moment you were admitted, and they refuse to leave the hospital.

They’re all pretty darn hot, too. Way to go, girl,” she said, smiling as she jotted down notes from the beeping monitors.

My mouth curved up. They were pretty hot.

As if thinking about the Kings had magically conjured them, the door opened.

Myles was in front with his warm and loving smile.

Next was Theo, who looked as perfectly put together and unfazed as ever.

Blake was third, and even with the concern in his eyes, he smiled wide.

Liam brought up the rear, his stare filled with as much challenge as usual.

I waited to see Nash, but Liam closed the door.

Normally, I wouldn’t be disappointed about not seeing Nash, but a part of me couldn’t help looking for him.

“Hhii,” I managed, and Myles cupped my cheeks as he leaned in and kissed my forehead. His enthusiasm was completely unbridled and exactly what I needed.

“God, we’ve been so worried, Snowflake. Just to see those beautiful eyes of yours again feels like a miracle.” I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him tight. One at a time, they each took a moment to hug and kiss me.

“So, I was thinking that while you’re working on your therapy, this would be a good time to teach you more sign language,” Blake offered, grabbing my hand.

I perked up immediately. The more I thought about it, the happier I became. I could still communicate. Of course, I could.

I signed, yes , making Blake smile.

They chatted to me and around me for a few minutes until my eyes began to feel heavy. I blinked, trying to keep myself awake, but the reassuring tone of their voices was too much, and I soon found myself being pulled under by sleep.

I’d been through worse. When I woke up, I’d tackle this, proving to everyone that I’d be the fastest healing…healing…person…human…woman. Shit.

Patient.