Thankfully, the butch doctor who’d attended to him before had left. She was replaced by a petite Asian woman who stared at me over the tops of her glasses.
“Are you a family member of Chase?”
I shook my head. “Girlfriend,” I said after a beat. The doctor looked me over from head to toe, taking in my fuzzy pink sweater and cream jeans. “I swear,” I added.
She narrowed her eyes. “You sure you’re not one of those visiting missionaries?” she asked. “We can’t allow those in to be with patients until they’re starting to recover.”
“No,” I said with a smile. “I know how weird it looks.”
The doctor rolled her eyes. “Trust me, I’ve seen everything,” she told me. “But I have to ask, sorry.”
She led me into Chase’s room. Instantly, the atmosphere transformed. Before, he’d looked miserable and strained. But now there was almost a floaty, happy look on his face.
“Is he okay?”
The doctor nodded. “He passed his blood work,” she said. “There was no trace of any illegal drugs in his system, so we hooked him up to a Percocet drip.”
I smiled. “Oh, god, that’s such good news,” I told her. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”
The doctor looked annoyed and she blushed a little bit. I wondered how often people begged her or praised her based on her abilities to help their loved ones. It wasn’t too hard to imagine that she probably dealt with requests like that all time, especially in Detroit.
“Is there anything I can get for you?” she asked. “I’ll be back in a few hours, if you’re still here. Visiting hours are over at ten.”
I nodded. I couldn’t wait for her to leave so I could be alone with Chase, even though he was passed out. Five excruciating seconds later, she walked out the door.
“Chase!” I cried, flying to his side. “Chase!”
He didn’t stir and I reached out and grabbed one of his giant paws with both of my hands. His skin felt warm and dry, and even though he smelled like a hospital, if I leaned in close, I could get a faint whiff of cigarettes from his skin. I closed my eyes and grinned happily, resting my head on his prone chest. Just being with Chase, even when we weren’t talking, felt so good. Okay, sometimes maybe it felt even better than not talking. I giggled to myself as I thought about Chase’s temper, and his attitude. If I was being honest, I loved those things about him. I loved everything that made Chase the man that he was.
“Gaahrnn,” came a cry from the bed. I snapped my head up. Chase’s eyes were starting to open and he blinked at me very slowly. I grinned at him and sat closer.
“Chase!” I cried. “It’s me! Lacey!”
“Laaaa,” Chase replied, bobbing his head. I giggled.
“Wow, they really have you doped up,” I observed. Chase didn’t reply; he closed his eyes and flopped his head back down on the pillow. “Chase, are you okay? Are you in pain?”
There was no reply. Chase opened his eyes and focused on me. Eagerly, I leaned forward. The green orbs didn’t look any duller than before, but I could sense pain and hurt.
“Chase, I’m so glad you’re okay,” I gushed. His eyelids fluttered. “Please don’t pass out,” I begged. “Please stay with me, Chase. I love you, Chase.”
His eyes flew open. “What?” he croaked.
I squealed excitedly. “Chase! I can’t believe you’re alive!”
“I’m here,” he said slowly. “Lacey.” When he said my name, my heart fluttered and I felt butterflies. “Lacey,” he repeated, and I blushed from the roots of my hair.
“Chase, you’re gonna be okay!” I cried loudly. He winced and I felt guilty. “Sorry,” I said in a softer voice. “I’m just so happy to see you.” Hot tears burned at my eyes and I blinked quickly to clear them. I felt them spill out and down my cheeks. “I never thought I’d see you again.”
He managed a smile and I reached up to stroke his face. “Lacey,” he croaked and I grinned like an idiot. Who cared if all he could ever say was my name? I loved that. Besides, it was a lot better than him calling me a stupid little cupcake!
“I’m here,” I gushed, squeezing his fingers. Chase didn’t reply. “I’ll stay here until they kick me out,” I promised. “Do you want me to read to you? I can read to you!”
Chase looked at me dully. “Just stay,” he croaked. “Here.”
I nodded furiously. “Of course I will,” I promised. “I won’t leave your side!”
Chase closed his eyes again and for the first time in days, he looked happy. He didn’t say anything and I gently stroked his forearm with my fingertips. His skin felt softer than usual. When I looked at the bloody bandage wrapped around his arm, I wondered what kind of hell he’d been through. Maybe one day he’d tell me.
Maybe now things would be different. It wasn’t all that hard to picture. I saw Chase escorting me to and from the club; not because he had to, but because he wanted to. I saw myself buying him another, fancier coffee maker and always having coffee for him in the mornings.
“I love you,” I said again. Chase’s eyes fluttered. “I love you so much, Chase.”
“I love you, too,” he grunted. My heart swelled. “I love you,” he repeated gruffly.
“I love you,” I said quietly. This time he didn’t hear me. Slowly, relaxed with love and pain meds, he began to fall asleep.
THE END
More works from Heather West
***
Thief
Crooks steal. Villains kill. Bad boys take what they want.
Sarah
“The only thing to fear is fear itself.”
Whoever said that has never met Blake.
He scares me from the moment he steps into my bar.
I can’t decide if he’s the man of my dreams or my worst nightmare.
I never imagined I’d land in his bed.
But it doesn’t take long before I’m begging to stay.
Until I find out he’s no better than the man from my past,
The one coercing me into a life of crime
That I’ll never escape.
I have to decide:
Is Blake truly a demon?
Or is it just that he’s hotter than hell?
Blake
I do three things well: fight, f**k, and leave.
And I always stick to what I’m good at.
When I see Sarah, I want her right away.
She’s a redhead, rowdy, and ripe for the taking.
At first, she protests when I make her mine.
But it doesn’t take long before “No” becomes “Oh!”
The only problem is, there’s a stalker lurking in her shadow.
A predator hunting her down.
She’s got a simple choice: Either fall into bed with a devil like me…
…or become prey to the monster who will destroy her.
Mason
I had only one way to survive – on my back.
Lucy
A girl's gotta get by,
and the only way to stay alive was by selling myself to the Hell's Disciples.
I told myself it was just a job,
that all the men were the same.
But when I was given to Mason for the night,
there was something different about him.
The tattoos covering his broad shoulders,
his intense eyes...
I was hooked.
There's only one problem:
If the Disciples find out their club girl has fallen for a rival,
neither of us will make it out alive.
Mason
I don't settle down. I f**k and move on.
When you're running drugs across the border,
the one thing you can't do is sit still.
That hooker I was given last week?
At first, she was nothing more than a peace offering.
But when my enemies say I can't have her,
there's only one thing I want to do:
own her completely.
Cru
sh
Ashley
It isn't easy going home – not when HE'S there.
How couldn't I love him? His blond hair, tousled from his football helmet, the muscles rippling along his quarterback shoulders, the way he looks at me when we pass each other half-clothed in the hallway in the middle of the night...
His eyes, exposing me. Baring me. Stripping me down to nothing but skin and desire.
I've never wanted anything like I wanted him to cross the distance between us.
I can't act on this lust, can't say anything. It would destroy our family.
But I'm only human. And he's sleeping in the room next door...
Danny
I'm happy to see her, of course.
But it's hard to ignore the feeling she ignites in my chest.
Once upon a time, that used to be enough. But not anymore.
Now, when she looks at me and bites her lower lip, desire flashing through her eyes, I worry that I will lose control. I don't know if I'll be able to stop myself from doing what we both want – making her mine.
The problem is, she's mine already.
And she's sleeping in the room next door.
Shadow
Sky
He seems to hate me but I have no idea why.
Or am I mistaking hate for something else?
If only I could remember him. Or anything, really.
Within that perfectly chiseled body, his insides are black—he’s rotten underneath. He’s dangerous, dark, and yet somewhere deep inside myself I know what it feels like to scream his name.
I catch him staring and he pulls away like I’m the poisonous one. He’s a killer. I know it. He lives to harm others. I’m sure those rugged, strong hands have squeezed the life out of many. And yet I still want them on my body.
And he wants it too.
But this is madness. My life is in shambles and adding him to the mix with his murder and mayhem will only make it worse.
So why am I living for the moment I’ll scream his name again?
Shadow
I don’t have room in my life for her bulls***.
But there she goes again, playing the little wounded bird, always needing me to swoop in and save her.
She says she can’t remember what made her shut me out—she can’t remember anything at all. But I see that familiar look in her eyes like she knows how good we made each other feel.
I’m the fool who falls for it again and again. For a wounded bird, she’s got her claws in me deep.
And that’s exactly how I want it. She might not be able to recall her sleek legs wrapped all around me, her perfect ass perched on the bars of my motorcycle in the moonlight, but I’ll never forget it.
This time I’ll keep my guard up. I’ve got bigger things to worry about than Sky taking flight once more. She can’t break my heart again if I don’t give it up.
As if I ever got it back from her the last time.
Lucky: The Irish MC Page 46
