26. Edu

26

EDU

There was pounding on my door, but I ignored it, continuing my pull-ups. I had been working myself to sleep for the last three days, refusing to speak to anyone. Cash told me not to come into work since I had blown up the building, and while I would have normally fought it, I wanted a reprieve from everyone after Lock's revelation.

So, I stayed home, slept in, read books, and pretended I didn't want to see Harper. I hadn't spoken to her since she left the morning after I fucked her ass, and when I saw her again, I wanted to be in a better mood than I currently was.

"Jesus Fucking Christ! Answer the door!" Brock shouted as he stomped down the stairs.

I continued my workout and ignored him. My muscles burned and my arms were shaking, but it felt right. Wearing myself out helped me sleep at night.

"Are you going to ever answer your phone again?"

"It must not have been important. This is the first time anyone showed up," I huffed.

"That's because we all assumed you weren't home. There haven't been any fucking lights on for three days. "

I released the bar and dropped to my feet with a sigh. "Cash told me to take some time off. What's the big deal? Did someone die?"

"Almost."

At his words, I stilled, my heart beating a little faster as I waited for him to continue.

"Harper was in an accident three fucking days ago."

"Where?" I croaked out.

"In town. She was on her way to work and some drunk ran a light. T-boned her. She's had a fucking chunk of metal in her arm and?—"

I didn't wait for him to finish as I raced up the stairs and out the front door. He was shouting to me as I got in my truck and peeled out, but I didn't hear a word he said. I was on my way to the hospital until I thought better of it and called Rae.

"About fucking time you got on the phone," she answered.

"Where is she?"

"Oh, you care?"

"Rae," I growled.

"She's at home. She was released this morning."

I hung up without another word and hit the brakes, doing a U-turn in the middle of the road. The car behind me slammed on the horn, and I waved, making a mental note not to cause a fucking accident.

Sweat broke out on my forehead as I raced to her house. I didn't know why I was so fucking worried right now, but my heart wouldn't stop slamming in my chest. I doubted it would until I knew for certain that she would be okay. It wasn't like she was my girlfriend or anything, but I had just bought all those books, and I hadn't even had the chance to try anything out on her yet.

That had to be the reason I felt like I was going to puke.

I squealed to a stop in front of her house and ran up the steps, pounding on the door. When it jerked open, Oliver glared at me.

"You wanna keep it down?"

I shoved past him into the house. "Where is she?" I snapped as I headed down the hall.

"She's sleeping," he said, his feet pounding right behind mine. "I swear to God, if you wake her up, I'll fucking kill you."

But I didn't listen. I needed to see her with my own eyes. I flung the door to her bedroom open and sucked in a harsh breath at the sight of her. She was sleeping, just like Oliver had said, but that was the only thing peaceful about any of it.

Her arm was in a cast, being held upright by pillows. She was wearing a neck brace that held her head at an awkward angle, making it look uncomfortable as fuck to sleep. And then there was her beautiful face, marred by angry red cuts that had only begun to heal.

Sucking in a breath, I dropped my gaze, trying to gain my composure. "How is she?"

"Fucked up," he muttered. "Though you wouldn't have known it when it happened. I still have to get her a fucking goldfish."

I finally turned and faced him. "What?"

He jerked his head for me to follow him down the hall. I wasn't ready to leave her yet, but if I wanted to know how bad it was, I needed to talk to him. I closed the door quietly and followed him to the living room where I stood with my arms crossed over my chest as he sank down into a chair. He looked exhausted, and I wondered if he was the only one who was at the hospital with her all this time.

It sure as hell wasn't me. I had my head stuck up my ass and ignored all the phone calls I'd been getting. As I recalled, Red had called me three times in a row the other morning. I figured it couldn't be that important since we weren't on the same team. Now, I was beginning to think he had been the first to find out about the accident.

"Tell me what happened."

"A drunk T-boned her. The car is totaled. She was lucky she didn't get more than a piece of metal shoved through her arm."

I swallowed down bile at the visual I got. "Through?"

"Yeah. The bone is broken, but she's lucky. It could have pierced her side, but since her hands were on the steering wheel, it never came close."

Okay, that covered the cast on her arm. "What about her neck? She has a collar on."

"Whiplash," he grunted. "She's in a lot of pain. The doctor said she'll need the brace for at least two weeks, and then we'll reassess."

I nodded. "And the rest?"

"All minor. "

It might be minor, but it didn't fucking feel minor. Every cut on her body made me feel like I was being sliced open. I hated the feeling and didn't really understand why I had this ache in my chest. She was just someone I was fucking, after all. And it hadn't even been that long. So, why did it feel like I could hardly breathe?

"She'll be fine."

I looked up and caught him staring at me. "Yeah."

"You weren't there."

I shook my head. "I didn't know. Did she ask for me?"

He raised an eyebrow at me. "Does she ever ask for anyone?"

"Other than you?"

"And James Earl Jones," he chuckled.

I didn't get the joke. "Say what?"

"Oh man, I really feel like I shouldn't tell you that." He cocked his head to the side. "Then again, I did have to ride with her in the ambulance as she daydreamed about Dwayne Johnson."

An unnatural growl left my chest at the thought, but I tamped it down. "What about James Earl Jones?" I asked, sitting down to keep from going to her room and shaking her awake just to see those vivid eyes.

He huffed out a laugh, one of his hands covering his face as he turned red. "So, she's sleeping in her room and I hear…sounds. She's clearly dreaming."

I coughed uncomfortably. While I would love to hear the sounds coming out of her while she was dreaming, I could only imagine what it was like for Oliver.

"So, I go to wake her up because she's gotta get to work, and I hear her mumbling about a Highlander."

I jerked back in surprise. "A Highlander?"

He nodded with a grin. "And then James Earl Jones."

"What the fuck was he doing there?" I asked, my voice filled with outrage.

"How the fuck should I know? It's not like I asked her about it."

I grumbled under my breath, trying to contain the jealous rage flowing through my veins.

"The man died. I wouldn't be too upset over it. "

"I'm not," I mumbled.

"Right," he laughed. "That's clear by the look on your face."

I glared at him, but then started laughing. "Fucking hell. Your sister's gonna kill me."

"You? I'm the one who had to hear it."

"And now she's dreaming about Dwayne Johnson?"

"Well, she was in a lot of pain."

I grunted in response. I stood, not sure what to do now. Did I stay? If I did, what would I do? But leaving didn't feel right either. I needed to do something to feel useful in some way.

I looked at Oliver—saw how the stress from the last few days had taken its toll on him. Maybe there was nothing I could do for Harper, but I could help him out in some way. "Have you eaten?"

"Fuck," he blew out a harsh breath. "I can't fucking remember."

"I'll pick up something for you. What about Harper? Is there anything she needs?"

"Yeah." He shifted forward, searching through all the discharge paperwork. "I have a few prescriptions somewhere…"

"I've got it," I said, shuffling through the paperwork until I found them. I took a minute to read through her discharge paperwork, rubbing my chest with every word. Fuck, I was lucky I hadn't been there. I might have lost my shit. "Any preferences on food?"

"Anything. I'm gonna get some sleep."

"Do you have a spare key?"

He grabbed it without another word, nodding to me as he handed it over. This was probably the closest we would get to a truce for the time being, but it was enough. There were more important things to worry about right now. And she was lying in her bedroom, her body broken.

It was time to set my own issues aside and take care of her.

My arms were loaded with groceries, takeout, and Harper's prescriptions. I may have gone a little overboard with my task, but I wanted to make sure they had everything they needed. Who would stay with Harper while she recovered? Surely, Oliver couldn't take off a lot more time at work. And I knew he was starting soon with Duke.

Not that he would have a problem with Oliver taking a few extra days. But with Harper unable to work, I was pretty sure that put Oliver in the position to take care of her bills. Had anyone even informed the IGA that Harper had been in an accident? Surely, it was all over town by now.

I shoved the key in the lock and let myself in, nearly dropping the groceries as I hustled through the door. Oliver was freshly showered and passed out on the couch, so I did my best to keep quiet as I moved through the living room to the kitchen at the back of the house.

I was just setting everything down when my phone rang. Answering quickly, I hurried out the back door to keep from waking Oliver. "Yeah?"

"You ready to get to work?" Cash asked, his voice tense.

I looked back at the house, not sure what to tell him. "What do you have?"

"A possible lead."

This was about Rafe. "When are you moving?"

"Two days."

Two days. That was a tight timeframe. If I went along, I would need to be there for the briefings. But that meant leaving Harper. It shouldn't matter. I should be able to just put the groceries away and tell Oliver I'd check in when I got back. But I couldn't say the words.

"I can't go on this one."

"I thought you wanted in? Now you're backing out?"

"Harper was in an accident," I explained. "I just found out. It's been like three days and?—"

He was silent for a moment. "Fine."

"Cash—" I said before he could hang up on me. "I'm still with you on this. Just give me a few days to get things settled."

"I don't have a few days," he snapped. I heard him take a deep breath. "It might not pan out. I'll keep you in the loop."

It was better than nothing. "Yeah."

The call dropped before I had a chance to say anything else. There was nothing I could do about it. I made my choice and I wasn't about to change my mind. I needed to do this for Harper and myself. I didn't completely understand it, but I knew if I walked away without even seeing her first, I would regret it.

When I walked back into the house, Oliver was up and moving around the kitchen. He glanced at the phone in my hand and jerked his head. "Everything okay?"

"Just work."

"You gotta take off?"

"Nah. I told him I was out for a few days."

Oliver's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "A few days?"

"I figured you could use the help. Unless that's overstepping."

"No, it's fine. I have to go back to work anyway. My boss hasn't stopped calling since it happened."

"Duke will give you time off if you need it."

He sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "I still have another week at the garage before Duke gets me. I'm sure by then it'll be fine."

I really fucking hoped so. But that brace around Harper's neck gave me hives. "Any idea when Harper can return to work?"

"Doc said it would be at least a few weeks. But that all depends on what she'll be able to do with her arm."

"I can't imagine working with one arm would be easy," I said, almost to myself. "And what about her car? It's totaled. And will she even want to drive?"

"She doesn't remember much from the accident with our parents. I guess it depends on what she remembers this time."

I looked up at him in confusion. "The accident with your parents?"

He nodded. "That's how they died. We were all in the car. It was actually the night of her high school graduation."

"What happened?"

"Head-on collision. They were killed instantly, but we both walked away with barely a scratch."

Fucking hell. How was it possible that this woman was so cheerful all the time? It had to be depressing as hell to go through all that.

"Anyway, she hasn't really talked about the accident yet, so I have no clue how she's dealing. "

I looked toward the hall, feeling the need to go to her, but I didn't want to be rude and walk away.

"Go on. I'm gonna eat and head to bed. I'll put this away."

"You sure?"

He rolled his eyes at me. "It is my house."

I headed down the hall, quietly opening the door. Harper was still asleep, but looked uncomfortable as hell. I stared at her for what felt like an hour before finally sitting down on the edge of the bed, dropping my head in my hands.

How the hell had I let this woman get to me so much? I used to think she was crazy, but I had grown so used to her antics in such a short time that all I could think about was the fact that if I walked away from her, I'd never see that far-off look in her eyes as she daydreamed about me. Could I really deal with that?

Hell, could I deal with sticking around?

I looked over just as she sighed and snuggled into her pillow. "James Earl Jones," she murmured.

I chuckled, shaking my head. I could stick around for a little longer.