Challenge: A Contemporary MMA Romance: Oni Fighters Book 3

by Natalie Gayle

  I was fucked up in a big way—my whole body hurt. It was just which bit hurt the most. I’d never taken a beating like this before and I’d had more than my fair share over the years.

  This was going to be as frustrating as hell.

  I hated being in one spot for more than a few minutes if I was awake.

  Time to figure out just how much I could and couldn’t do. Life was all about testing limits, wasn’t it?

  I got daring and decided to move my head. I vaguely recalled even the slightest movement had previously been excruciating. I sensed more than saw someone beside me. From the faint perfume I could pick out over the insidious smell of hospital, I figured it was Sophia.

  And I didn’t quite know how I felt about that. I didn’t want her seeing me like this.

  Broken. Weak, less than the man she knew.

  I managed to move my head a few inches and, for some reason, it felt like a major achievement.

  It was Sophia—sleeping. Her golden blonde hair was half hiding her face which was tucked against her shoulder in search of a substitute pillow. The chair she was sitting in looked so damned uncomfortable—probably about as good as this bed currently felt.

  She’d had to curl her long lithe body up like a cat to try and get some relief and that annoyed me. Why was she doing that? She should be sleeping comfortably at home. I vaguely remember her saying something about staying until I woke up. Ah, her stubborn arse!

  As if she sensed I was awake, her eyelids fluttered open and a jolt ran through her body almost like a shock.

  “You’re awake!”

  “Yeah.” I was pleasantly surprised to discover my throat didn’t hurt anywhere near as much as I uttered the word.

  “We’ve all been so worried about you.”

  “Sorry,” I replied a little sheepishly. I hated people worrying about me. It certainly wasn’t something I’d had a lot of experience with, quite the opposite actually.

  She shrugged a little and fidgeted in her chair. It was easy to tell she was as uncomfortable about this as I was. We knew each other’s bodies on every intimate level, however this just felt so strange. This was different. This was a level we didn’t go to.

  “Don’t be sorry, we’re just all so glad you’ve come around. The doctors had no idea how you’d be when you woke or if in fact you would. It was pretty terrifying.”

  That set me back.

  Fuck!

  Not wake up!

  Was I that bad?

  “So, what exactly is wrong with me? I don’t really remember what you said before.”

  She nodded and took my hand in both of hers. Her skin was very cool to touch and I figured it was from being asleep in the air-conditioning.

  “I’m not surprised, you’re so full of drugs. Early Saturday morning you must have left my place. You took your SUV and went over the edge of the ugly bend on Taylor’s Road.”

  “Christ!”

  Taylor’s Road, that place was one big black spot. More cars went over there or had near-misses than a zebra had stripes. I knew the bend she was referring to. The camber of the road was wrong, the gravel shoulder ridiculously narrow and the drop, well—big! That didn’t even go into account the trees or the terrain.

  Yeah, if I went over there, I was lucky to be here. Probably shouldn’t be here!

  “It was a few hours before they found you and got you out. You’ve fractured your pelvis in three places, I think. One of the breaks put a little puncture in your bladder.” It took a moment for my brain to register what she was saying. Her beautiful eyes were so full of concern and pain at what she was describing for me.

  “What?” I immediately started to raise the blanket that covered me, when I finally took in what she was saying. Straight away, the swift movement of my arms increased the pain, but I had to see.

  What was down there?

  All I saw was white across my lower belly.

  Underneath the blanket, I was naked and there was a big white bandage covering my lower belly and hips.

  “They put a plate in to hold your pelvis together. The swelling was too bad initially to do it when you came in. Apparently, the operation went really well. This way you can heal. They did the bladder repair the day you arrived.”

  Her words were noise and I was back to barely taking them in. Panic was flooding my system as I lifted the blanket slightly higher and saw the mass of tubes that were also coming out of me.

  Fuck!

  There was a tube coming out of my dick! And another from my guts!

  I’d been out of it and people had been handling my junk!

  I felt all kinds of creeped out.

  “What’s the matter?” There was alarm and an urgency in Sophia’s voice.

  “I’d say Seth here has just realised that there’s been a necessary need to invade his privacy.”

  “What?” I pulled my eyes up from the horror below the blanket and dropped it back into place as if it was now too hot to touch.

  “Hi Seth, I’m Nancy. I’m one of the nurses that’s been looking after you.” She patted me on the arm. “Don’t worry, it’s not permanent and it’s standard procedure for the sort of injuries you have.”

  I was still trying to come to terms with the fact there was something in my dick!

  “How long?” I finally managed to croak.

  The middle aged woman shrugged. “Probably a few more days. I know it’s a shock but look at it this way, you won’t need to get out of bed. Which is exactly what your pelvis needs to begin healing.”

  Then, something else dawned on me. Sophia knew all about this! Oh fuck! What else did she know? What else had happened?

  Kill me now!

  I hazarded a glance her way and it was as if she read my discomfort and embarrassment.

  “Stop worrying about it, Seth. You’ve been in a really bad accident.”

  “Listen to her, Seth, she’s exactly right.” Then Nancy turned to Sophia. “It always amuses me how men get all thingy about this stuff. Us women, well, when you go through what we do with routine tests and childbirth there’s soon nothing that’s sacred anymore. Modesty goes out the window. So, stop worrying, seen one, seen ‘em all.”

  A little grin passed across Sophia’s lips.

  If death wouldn’t, then I really hoped sleep would take me right now. I didn’t really mean that. I was just mortified to my very core. I had no problems being naked, in fact, I enjoyed it a lot.

  This was different.

  I felt vulnerable and out of control—that, I hated.

  “Okay, let’s move on and get some obs done and check on things. How do you feel, by the way?” She slipped a cuff around my arm and I felt the pressure as it started to inflate.

  “Like I’ve been hit by a truck then the bastard decided it would be fun to reverse over me again just to make sure.”

  Nurse Nancy let out a chuckle. “I think you’re going to be off of my watch very soon. Not too many patients in the ICU have a wit like that.”

  “Can’t say I’m feeling much in a joking mood. I want this tube out of my dick now.”

  “The tube stays. You’ll feel many things before you’re back on your feet. My advice—if you can find some humour in it, take it. There’ll be pain and a lot of discomfort, boredom, and, well, you guys always find having your tooshes wiped the hardest.”

  “What!”

  Nancy’s face went blank of humour into a professional expression—a look I knew was to hide her amusement. “At the moment, you’re going to require a bed pan for elimination of faeces.” And it just got worse. “And then one of us will be sure to wipe your butt well. No twisting for you at the moment.”

  I wanted to get up and run or do something, hit something, anything to avoid the acute embarrassment and helplessness I was feeling at the moment.

  This wasn’t me. I didn’t need anyone. I’d been looking after myself for years, so many years.

  I glanced across at Sophia to see how she was reacting. She was alread
y on her feet and moving from the room.

  “Um, I just need to make a quick call.”

  We all knew it was a lie.

  She was running from me.

  Nurse Nancy raised an eyebrow at me and crossed her arms over her ample bosom, because there was no way what was under that uniform resembled what I knew as breasts. Uhhh ahhh. They were not like any tits I wanted to see.

  Oh shit, I also knew that look. I’d seen it on bossy women many times before.

  “Happy now?”

  “What?” I sounded like a belligerent child and I didn’t give a fuck.

  “I figure you’re the type that likes things straight up. Can I give it to you straight up, because I’ve seen my share of men in your position?”

  “Do your worst!” What man would have stood down from that challenge and she damned well knew it—bitch.

  Nurse Nancy grinned at me evilly. “Are you happy now? Because you just chased out of here the sweetest damned girl I’ve seen in a long time and, believe me, I see all types in here. She’s barely left your side since you were brought in. She’s questioned everything, researched, and been here for you one hundred and ten percent.”

  Oh fuck, it looked like it was lecture time for me and Nurse Nancy seemed to enjoy delivering it.

  “Aren’t you supposed to be nice to me? I’m banged the hell up.”

  She just laughed cynically. “Oh, I am being nice to you. I’m about to stop you from making one big mistake. One day, you’ll thank me for this. Won’t be today or any day soon but one day I expect a you were right Nancy and a thank you.”

  “What’re you on about?” I spat. “I’m too banged up for this shit.”

  “You’re right, you are banged up bad and you’re going to need a truck load of help over the next few weeks and months and, straight up, I know that’s not going to wash well with you. I’ve seen your type before. Male pride, modesty whatever. You need to let people take care of you—help you. This is the sort of injury you can’t do by yourself. The sooner you accept that and focus your energies on getting better than fighting the people that are trying to help you then the better off you’ll be. It will make all our jobs easier, Sophia included. You get me?”

  We glared at each other for a few long moments.

  “I get you.” Each word burned my throat like a branding iron and not because of the physiological pain.

  “Good. So suck it up and let’s get on with this and you start treating your fiancée like that girl deserves to be treated—well! Or there won’t be a wedding in your future.”

  Now, I was really confused. Fiancée. Was it me, or this crazy woman that had hit her head?

  “What?”

  It must be the drugs?

  I had no idea what she was talking about.

  Nancy shrugged. “That’s what I was told, anyway. She’s always here. Her sister and her husband and another young couple. There’s barely a moment when you don’t have one or more of them beside you. They all say you’re a great guy and friend. I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt given you’re so banged up. I’m going to go call the doctor and give you a few minutes to think on all that. Then, I’m going to come back and we’ll be doing a bed bath. You decide how easy or hard it is. I don’t rightly care.”

  The damned battle-axe had the audacity to wink at me as she left the fishbowl room, I’d realized I was in a couple minutes ago.

  I gnashed my teeth and wanted to throw myself around. Do something physical. I needed to release the anger I was feeling. Trapped, confined, broken.

  That’s how I felt.

  Nurse Nancy was right. Logic told me that, and I knew it to my core. Didn’t make a scrap of difference. I hated being helped. Nobody had ever given me anything or cared about me, except my mates. But there were just some things you did for yourself. Taking a piss and a dump were two of them.

  I was raging with feelings. All of them I didn’t like.

  This body of mine had two main purposes—to fight and to fuck. I couldn’t do either right now, would I ever be able to? I couldn’t even really feel my legs. They were just two heavy slabs of meat that didn’t want to move. Everything that defined me…gone—ripped away.

  Why couldn’t I move my legs?

  Was there something they weren’t telling me?

  I was dwelling on that thought when Nurse Nancy turned up again. This time, with a guy in slacks and a classy shirt.

  “Ah, good to see you awake, Mr Harris. I’m Dr. Wilkinson.” He glanced around as if looking for something. “Where’s Sophia?”

  “What does it matter?” I grumbled.

  “I figured it was just easier to explain what’s going on to both of you. She’s your next of kin and I’ve been discussing your medical condition with her while you’ve been resting.”

  Resting?

  My head hurt too much to try and figure this out. I had no idea what they’d done or told people.

  “Well, I’m fine now.”

  I watched a look of “I told you so,” pass between the nurse and the doctor.

  “Yes, Nancy mentioned that you seemed to be fully with us, cognitively speaking anyway, which is excellent news.”

  Sophia chose that moment to return looking a little hesitant. A part of me hated that I’d put that look on her face.

  “Morning, Sophia.”

  “Morning, Dr. Wilkinson.”

  “It’s good to see this guy awake, I bet.”

  “Sure is.”

  There was a little bit of an awkward silence before the doctor continued.

  “So, Nancy tells me she had a solid conversation with you before Seth and she said you had no trouble following. Is that correct.”

  “Yep.”

  “Is this morning the first you recall of being conscious or do you recall other things?”

  The doctor was staring at me intently. I wasn’t sure what he was looking for, but I wished he’d stop looking.

  “I remember bits and pieces. I remember hearing voices and being touched. I don’t really remember context or the order. That’s jumbled.”

  He nodded and made a couple of notes on the pad he carried. “Do you recall the accident?”

  “Nope.”

  “What’s the last memory you have before the accident?”

  I thought back...and Sophia’s eyes caught mine, and I knew she was anxious as to what I was about to say.

  “I remember the party we went to. Then we went back to Sophia’s place.”

  The doctor turned towards Sophia. “Was that what happened? You mentioned in your original account Sophia that you’d both been drinking.”

  She nodded. “Yes, that’s it.”

  “What happened then, Seth?”

  I remembered taking her against the wall. It was wild and hot, like always. There was no better feeling than sinking into Sophia. I didn’t remember anything past my body shaking like a leaf in a category five cyclone after I came in her. Sophia could get my motor running like no one else. The girl could bring me to my knees. But there was no way I was going to say anything of this to these two. That was between Sophia and me.

  “We hung out together.”

  The doctor looked over at Sophia expectantly to confirm or deny my story.

  She looked a little uncomfortable. “Yes, we were together.”

  Then, he looked between the two of us. “I don’t remember leaving Sophia’s.”

  “I don’t remember Seth leaving either.”

  The doctor looked a little frustrated as he fast realized neither of us was going to talk about what happened.

  “We were intimate. That bit I remember before I must have fallen asleep.”

  I glared at her. Why did she have to tell him? It was none of his damned business. I hated people up in my shit.

  “Well, it’s true!” She fired at me with defense in her voice.

  The doctor cleared his throat. “We’re trying to establish a baseline here for your memory. There’s nothing to be concerned o
r embarrassed about. I just need to know where you remember up to. Even though you seem fine right now, you have sustained a traumatic brain injury and you may experience symptoms or issues further down the track as a result. These things are quite unpredictable.”

  Fuck him!

  He was going to keep pushing.

  “I remember getting to the end—that’s it.” Let him draw his own conclusions. He was a man after all. He should know what that meant.

  “So, neither of you remember what happened after that—is that correct?” The doctor was back to looking between us and looking as if he was trying to catch us in a lie or something else.

  “I don’t remember anything more,” Sophia told him.

  “Nope. That’s it for me too.”

  Once again, he looked back and forth between us as if to see if either of us changed our mind.

  “Right…well, the results of the tests we did yesterday all look very good so I think we can move you out of here and back to a normal ward. We’ll continue to monitor your TBI but the tests indicate you’re past any immediate danger. Plus, we’ll get to observe you a bit longer, which certainly won’t hurt, as you’ll be our guest for at least the next couple of weeks I’d think. Any questions?”

  “When can I get this tube out of my dick and when can I get out of this bed?”

  Dr Wilkinson cleared his throat and frowned a little. “The catheter will probably come out in a couple of days. We’ll do some more tests. Just take it easy and give your body time to heal. You’ll start physio in a couple of days as well. How quickly you get out will depend on your mobility and pain levels. A young, highly fit guy like yourself should be up and about quickly. Just don’t over do it. That’s going to be your biggest strength and also weakness. I know you don’t want to be here but please try to not over do things and avoid a set back.”

  “Am I that obvious?”

  “Yes. As I said earlier—I’ve seen your type before many times. Stubborn and goes too hard, too soon,” Nurse Nancy, who’d been quiet, interjected. Another look passed between the doctor and the nurse.

  “I understand Nancy had a chat to you about what to expect. I strongly recommend you take her advice. She’s had a lot of experience nursing patients with the same sort of injuries.”