Touch Me Not (Manwhore, #1)(85)

All they could do now was wait.





Chapter

Twenty-One




Lily hurt, everywhere. She tried to open her eyes, but they were heavy. She did manage to crack one eye partially open and saw Nikoli asleep in the chair beside her bed. He looked tired and his clothes were worn, like he’d slept in them for days. She closed her eyes again when the harsh light started to make them burn. How long had she been out?

She heard the steady beeping of machines and realized she was in a hospital. Why was she in a hospital? Her memory was foggy, but she vaguely remembered a car crash. Had she been in an accident?

She opened both eyes this time and looked around. Definitely a hospital. She was hooked up to more machines than she could count. She looked back over to Nikoli. Why was he here? Her last memory of him was all hugged up with some blonde ditz. She’d run from the house and then…then…ohmygod. She’d been attacked and woken up in a trunk. Someone had kidnapped her. She remembered kicking out the taillight and using her bra as a distress signal.

Then what happened? She thought hard, and her heartbeat started to race when she remembered the car going crazy fast, then they’d tipped over, and something must have crashed into them, but she wasn’t sure. She’d passed out before she could register much.

She’d woken up here with Nikoli Kincaid sitting beside her bed, asleep and looking like he’d been through hell.

Her mouth was full of cotton. She needed water. The nurse’s call button wasn’t anywhere to be seen, and besides, she was so sore, she didn’t know if she’d be able to reach it. She let out a tiny sigh, but it was enough to wake up the man sitting across from her. Nikoli’s eyes sprang open, and his worried gaze found her face.

“You’re awake,” he whispered.

Lily nodded and winced. Her head hurt something awful. “W…wat…”

“Water?” he asked, and Lily nodded. He poured water into one of those little plastic hospital cups and held her head up so she could drink. “Just a few sips at first,” he warned.

The cool ice water was the best thing she’d tasted in her life. It soothed her dry, parched mouth and the burn in her throat. When Nikoli pulled it away, she tried to protest, but he shook his head. “No, Milaya, you must sip it a little at a time or you’ll get sick.”

He reached over and hit the call button. “They’ll need to check you out, dushka. Just relax and let them work.”

A few minutes later a nurse came in and smiled. “She’s awake, I see. You’ve had us worried.” She picked up Lily’s chart and nodded. “You’re in luck. Your doctor happens to be the one on call today. I’ll page him as soon as I take your vitals.”

For the next twenty minutes she was poked and prodded. She’d always hated hospitals, even when she was little. There was just something about the sterile smell that disturbed her. Cleaning fluids mixed with the stench of sickness. The only thing she really wanted to know was when she could go home. The doctor said they’d take it day by day, which caused her to scrunch her nose in disgust.

Adam came rushing in about the time the doctor left. He made a beeline for her and grabbed her into a hug. All the breath went out of her at the pain that lanced across her ribs. Before she could say a word, Nikoli had hauled him off her.

“Her ribs,” he said before Adam could open his mouth. “You were hurting her.”

“Hell, I forgot.” Adam ran a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry, Lils.”

“It’s okay,” she said, her throat still a little scratchy.

“I’d have been here sooner, but I fell asleep in the cafeteria and didn’t see Nik’s message until just a few minutes ago.” He grimaced and shot an apologetic look Nikoli’s way.

Lily frowned. They were acting like friends. Since when were Adam and Nikoli friends? They hated each other.

“How are you?” Adam turned his attention back to her, walking over and sitting down in the chair Nikoli had vacated.

“I’m sleepy,” she said truthfully. She was having issues keeping her eyes open.

“Sleepy?” Adam laughed. “You’ve been asleep for almost five days, Lils.”

“Five days?” she gasped. No way!

“Yeah, you had some pretty serious injuries, and then there was a complication.” He glanced over at Nikoli, and he nodded. “You had some bleeding in your brain and they had to relieve it almost right after your first surgery. You scared the hell out of us.”

No wonder she had such a horrible headache.

“You mom and my parents are here. Don’t be shocked when they show up later today,” Adam warned her. “I’m going to try and keep them from visiting until tomorrow, but there’s no way your mom is staying away. We had to strong-arm her to get her to go to the hotel and get some sleep.”

She gave Adam a once over and noticed his clothes were as rumpled as Nikoli’s, and he hadn’t shaved in a couple days either, by the looks of it. Had they both been here the entire time?

“She needs to sleep,” Nikoli said. “Now that she’s awake and talking, why don’t you head home and get some sleep yourself?”

“That’s not a bad idea. I need a shower too. Want me to bring you dinner back?”