Jacked (Trent Brothers #1)(178)

I wanted the nothing to come back for me.

I didn’t deserve to be the survivor.

“Hey, Officer Hottie. How you feeling?”

A familiar face framed with wild hair bounced into view. She was smiling at me. “Wow. Anesthesia sucks, doesn’t it? Your doctor just ordered some pain meds for you. That will take the edge off.” She turned to my mom. “Hi. I’m Sherry. Erin’s friend. We work in the ER together.”

My parents greeted her while I seethed. Rage overtook my emotions, making me wish I’d regain some muscle control so I could shake some sense into this woman. Erin was dead and she was all f*cking chipper. I wanted to punch her.

Sherry glanced at her wristwatch. “As soon as they release you from Recovery, we’ll wheel you up to your room. I told Erin I’d come down here and check to see how you’re doing.”

Wait. What?

“I don’t know which one of you is in worse shape.” Sherry tisked. “This is what happens when you play with guns.”

My mind was playing tricks. “What?”

“Guns,” she repeated.

“I heard you.”

“Okay, good. Then your hearing isn’t as messed up as hers is. Apparently that grenade thing your guys tossed into the house landed right next to her.”

Hope surged into my chest, radiating urgency throughout my muscles. “She’s alive?”

Sherry seemed stumped. “Last time I checked she was. She’s already out of surgery.”

I needed to get up. Fuck, why can’t I move? Oh shit. “I need to see her.”

“Whoa.” Sherry braced my shoulder and nudged me back. “Hang on. Just relax for a bit. You’ll get to see her soon.”

Screw that. “I need to see her now!”

Another nurse came into view, this one older, gray-haired, and chunky. “What’s going on here?”

“He’s a bit excited, that’s all,” Sherry informed.

Excited?

The other nurse seemed just as pissed off as I was. “You shouldn’t be upsetting him.”

Exactly.

“He’s doing that all on his own,” Sherry countered.

Fuck this. “I want to see her. Take me to see her. NOW.” Someone had to realize how important this was before I crawled out of this damn bed on my own.

Several dirty looks made me add, “Please.”

Big old lady boobs drifted awfully close to my face, adjusting my pillow. Then she fussed with the clip on the end of my finger. “You need to relax.”

Could I get away with murder?

I’m a cop. I probably could. Your name has way too many a’s and c’s in it. R a b a c c a a a c. Fuck, that tag thing is blurry. Hold still.

“Who does he want to see?” Nurse Ratchet asked.

My mom crowded her; now both of them were fussing over me.

My entire body felt fuzzy, disconnected. I needed… “Erin.”

Sherry crossed her arms over her chest. “This is Doctor Erin Novak’s boyfriend. He’s anxious to see her.”

Nurse Ratchet lit up. “Oh, so this is the one.” She played with my IV and then stuck a needle filled with clear fluid into my line. “I thought so but I wasn’t sure. We’ll get you moved to your room in a little bit. That’s to manage your pain. Do you want some water?”

I wanted a beer, a shotgun, and for everyone to get the f*ck out of my way. Or… maybe just a quiet nap. Yes, a nap would be good. No. Great.

On a floaty cloud.

Fulloaty. What a weird word.

I woke to being jostled. Lights and ceiling tiles passed over me while murmurs and other random noises invaded my brain. I didn’t like this ride. My bones felt like they were weighted down by sandbags.

“I wanna… see Erin. Mom?”

She smiled at me. I’d seen that face a million times—it was the same expression that was always followed by “no.”

Smile. “No, you can’t have two peanut butter sandwiches before dinner.”

Smile. “No, you can’t spend your birthday money on a used motorcycle.”

They were going to stuff me in a room. I grabbed the door frame and held on. “Where’s Erin? I wanna see her—now. Doesn’t anyone hear me?”

“Adam…?”

It was weak and groggy and sounded from behind my head, but the angelic voice was unmistakable. My heart skipped a beat and choked up into my throat. I let go of the metal frame.

I tried to turn my head to see her. “Erin?”

The nurses wheeling my bed around couldn’t move fast enough. Desperation clawed at me. I needed to see her. There were bodies between us, blocking my view, driving my need into frenzy.

Someone needed to move that f*cking curtain out of the way, too.

They stopped moving me forward, maneuvering me in the opposite direction. “I want to see her. Erin! Let me see her.” Fire shot down my leg when I twisted, making anger and agony my unwanted companions.

I grabbed Sherry’s wrist. My vision was slightly blurred but I could still make out her familiar face. “Please.”

Sherry nodded at me. “Okay.” She pulled out of my grip and shoved the top of my gurney. “Let’s wheel him over.” One of the nurses bitched but Sherry was my voice of reason. My dad moved a chair out of the way.