30. Bea

How much longer will my lungs continue to burn? How much longer will this pain last? I look up, hoping I’ll see something, trying to swim up-”

I open my eyes, fighting for air to get into my lungs. Fighting with myself to stay above the water.

“Hey, hey, hey. I’m here.” I hear Travis” voice, then I see him cupping my face. “I’m here, breathe, Firecracker.” Why does his voice sound like it’s miles away, but he”s standing right next to me. “Breathe,” I hear him say.

I close my eyes, feeling a little better knowing Travis is with me. Grabbing his hand so he doesn’t leave me. “Don’t…le-” I start coughing.

“Not leaving.” I hear him, quickly opening my eyes when I hear another voice.

“Hello Bea.” I turn to see the doctor, and a nurse brings my bed up a little so I can sit.

“Have some water,” Travis brings a straw to my lips, and I take it, because my throat is hurting like crazy.

The doctor is checking my pulse, as I hear the nurse shout out numbers to him. “Bea, we have to calm down. Your body needs to recover-”

“Travis?” I try to talk to him.

“Listen to the doctor!” He snaps at me, he won’t even look at me at the moment. His eyes are on the doctor. “You were saying,” he asks him, and I finally turn to the doctor.

“Your body took a lot, a lot more than anybody should-” I’m trying to listen to him, but I can’t. I can”t focus on anything, trying to remember what happened, but also forget at the same time.

“Bea!” Travis shouts and I snap my head to him. “Are you listening? You died, you have to listen.”

I died? Fuck, I died.

“Stop,” I tell the doctor. “I’m getting too much information.” I shake my head, but then quickly grab it as pain shoots through it. “It hurts,” I cry out in pain. Every part of my body is screaming when I move it.

“We will give you something for the pain, but the most important thing for you now is, rest. You’ve done the hard part, now it’s about building yourself up. We will take it a day at a time, but for now, rest.” The doctor writes something on a piece of paper, and hands it to the nurse. “All your questions will be answered, once you’re strong enough.” The doctor turns to Travis, who still hasn’t looked at me. “A few days of rest, keeping calm and she will be good to go home.”

“Thank you doctor,” he gives me a smile, and I smile when I see Quinn walking towards me.

“About time you wake up,” he jokes, giving me a hug. “Missed you.” Kissing my cheek, but holding the hug for a little longer.

“Bet you’ve been causing trouble,” I joke with him. Glancing over at Travis on his phone. “What happened?” I ask him.

“I’ll tell you everything, but you need to rest, the doctor said rest.” Quinn looks over at Travis who’s shouting on the phone. “Or once he leaves.” Quinn smiles, and I shake my head.

“You here?” Travis asks.

“I’m here.” Quinn replies.

“I’m outside, no one comes inside, no one.” Travis” voice hits a tone I’ve not heard before. I try to listen to the rest of the conversation but my head is getting heavy, my eyes closing on me.

“I know,” I hear. They continue talking, but it’s all noise now, not able to understand the words.

Whatever the doctors have given me, has relaxed my body enough for it to not even stay awake. I see a blur next to me.

“Good night, Firecracker.” I feel him kiss my forehead.

I watch Travis sleeping on the chair, legs out head on the pillow. I have no idea how he is sleeping, it looks like the most uncomfortable position. Quinn stayed with me all day, and didn’t leave even when Travis came back. It was like he knew something I didn’t. I could have asked, but I was still so tired, and my body was hurting, then the next thing I knew I was falling asleep again.

“About time he sleeps,” I turn to the door as Quinn walks in with some food for me. “He hasn’t t slept in five days, maybe an hour here and there,” Quinn hands me some water, and places the food on the tray.

“What do you mean he hasn’t slept?”

“He hasn’t left the hospital.” Quinn pulls a chair closer to him, placing two coffees on the tray.

“Classes? Hockey?” I ask.

“He hasn’t been going to class, and he’s benched from the team. Coach told him to come to training or be benched. Travis told him, ‘Fucking bench me’-”

‘What?”

“Yeah, it was quite fun to watch. He won’t leave this hospital without you.” Quinn grabs the food out of the bag and starts eating.

He told me everything that’s happened, and it took me a while to remember everything, it was like my mind was playing games with me, and blocking what happened to me. I fucking died. When I think back to his words, my body goes numb, I fought, and didn’t lose. The bastard didn’t win this time.

Quinn also told me, I had told Travis about his mom, well I had written it down, but he’s not mentioned anything to me. Not sure if it’s because he hates me, or for some other reason, but I wish he would talk to me.

“I can’t believe he did that.” I look over at Travis again, as he shifts a little in his sleep. He looks so peaceful, the man who I never thought I would fall in love with. But God, have I fallen in love with him.

“Well he has, he won’t let anyone in the room unless he knows who they are. Even got the staff to sign a NDA so they can’t speak about who is in here, and you have the same nurses. He isn’t taking a chance of his dad getting to you.” I turn back to Quinn, who’s now stuffing his face with breakfast, and I look through the other bag. “That’s his.” He nods towards Travis, and places another bag in front of me. “Have you ever wondered how much he has? I mean it has to be a lot for him to do all this.” Quinn continues talking, and I sit up in bed to eat something. “And where the hell has he got all this money from, if he hates his dad?”

“My grandparents loved me,” I snap my head towards Travis, who is rubs his eyes. “But I only have half of it until I finish college, if you must know. And as for the amount, I don”t think you can handle the number.” He gets off the chair, and walks to me, and kisses my lips. “Morning, Firecracker-” turning to Quinn, “This mine?”

Quinn nods, and starts laughing to himself. “If you have so much money, why the fuck am I paying for breakfast all the time?” I giggle to myself, Quinn is being Quinn, and I’ve missed it.

“I’ll pay if you want me to,” Travis grabs the bag, and sits on the end of the bed. “How are you feeling?”

“I feel a lot better, has the doctor said when I can go home? And I was hoping we could talk.” I take a sip of my water, as my throat gets dry.

“The doctor will be in soon, so let’s see what he says. And we won’t be talking until you get the all clear-”

“Travis, it’s impo-”

“I don’t give a fuck. Until you aren’t out of the danger zone, we are not talking.” Travis snaps, and I look at Quinn who shakes his head, telling me to shut up, and drop the subject. “Hello,” I glance over at Travis who’s on the phone. “Where? I’m up, meet me outside the room.” He throws his phone on the bed, and turns to Quinn. “How long are you here?”

“I don’t have anything going on today, I can stay. Are you going to burn something down again?” Quinn asks which makes Travis laugh, and hearing the sound makes me smile.

“I might, or kill someone. I’ll see which one I’m in the mood for,” Travis jokes with Quinn, and they seem to be in their own conversation now, so I continue with my breakfast. “You know the staff that can come in?” Quinn nods, and I shake my head, that I’m being left out of the conversation. “I’m only outside, but in case I don’t catch them walking in, anyone not allowed-”

“Kill them.” Quinn jokes.

“I have a feeling you don’t like the sight of blood.” Travis jokes, walks over to me, and kisses me again. “Don’t go dying on me, I die before you. Remember that.” Another kiss, and he walks out of the room when there is a knock on it. I look over and see Logan and Blake through the window.

Once the door shuts, and I stare at Quinn to give me some answers, “What?” He asks.

“Are you going to tell me what is going on?” I almost shout at him, and he looks over his shoulder to make sure Travis isn’t in the room.

“He burnt down his dad’s business. Jasper is missing, and your man says he has nothing to do with it. It’s a lie. You might want to check your debt, and the three of them are looking for his mom, since you told him she’s alive.” Quinn scrunches up the bag, and throws it into the trash can, but misses. “I think that covers it all.”

“Why do you have to tell me things in bullet points? You think Travis killed Jasper?” I mean I know about the woods, so it’s something he would do. “Has he found anything?”

“Nothing, but he did not share anything with me.” Quinn looks over at the door when it opens, and as the nurses and doctor stand by my bed, Quinn looks at each other, their names badges to make sure it”s the same person. “Morning, Doc.”

“Morning, you look a lot better Bea,” he looks at the clipboard while the nurse checks my pulse, and a few other things on the machine. “Everything is looking good. I want to have a scan just to make sure your lungs are fully recovered.” He writes something down, and I see Travis peeping through the window, and Quinn gives him a nod. “If everything is good, I don’t see why you can’t go home tomorrow. But it’s to rest, I wouldn’t advise swimming for a while, you might think you’re strong enough, but I promise your body isn’t.” He looks at me, with the eyes of, are you listening to me, look.

A look my mom used to give me when I wasn’t doing something right, it feels nice to have someone speak to me like my mother used to.

“I feel good, tired, but good.” I look over at the door, when Travis walks in. Blake and Logan behind him. “When will the scan be?” I ask.

“Late afternoon, you’ve just had breakfast, so it will be once we know you have an empty stomach.” He turns to Travis, and they both walk off to the side, and Logan walks over to me.

“You look better,” Logan sits down on the bed, and Blakes brings the chair closer to the bed and sits down without saying a word.

“I feel it,” I give him a smile, and see Travis laughing at something the doctor says. One minute he can be laughing, and within seconds he will be all serious again.

Turning to Quinn, who’s drinking some water, I ask him if he has my phone. Him mentioning my debt, has me worried there is more debt, more than likely this bloody hospital bill.

“All charged,” he smiles, handing me my phone, and I log into my bank about. Also trying to listen to what the doctor and Travis are talking about, but can’t hear them.

“Quinn.” Is the only word coming out my mouth at the moment, because what I am seeing in my debt account can’t be right. “Has my dad been here?” I ask. He is the only one who is always around wanting me to take his money to my debt. Which will never fucking happen.

“No.” I snap my head up to Quinn, and he sides eyes towards Travis.

“I don’t need you paying my debts!” I shout at Travis, there is no way a fucking Parker is paying my debt, I don’t care that I’m love with one. Travis stops talking to the doctor, and turns to face me. “I will be giving you all the money back!” I snap.

He turns back to the doctor, tells him he will talk to him after the scan, and walks to the end of the bed, hands in his pocket.

“Hello, Bianca Brown. I think you need to start talking.” Fuck, he knows everything. How the fuck did he find out my last name.