Haunted (47 page)

I went in to use the bathroom and when I came back to bed, Devon was under the covers with his bare chest visible. He watched me as I took my clothes off and I crawled over him to get into the bed. He groaned and as soon as I got under the covers, he pulled me into him and kissed me thoroughly.

“You are so fucking beautiful, Jaylene. You’re a beautiful person. Thank you. He doesn’t deserve it, but thank you.”

I smiled up at him and ran my tongue over his lip producing another groan from him. “He does too deserve it. He loves you, Devon. And you love him. Once you’re done being mad at him, this time you will be glad I let him stay. He’s a mess, baby.”

He nodded soberly. “I know he is. He’s just been too busy being a jackass to take care of himself.”

He ran his hands over my ass and cupped me there, letting his fingers wander. I gave him a wicked grin and purred, “Hmmmm, at least he didn’t wipe out my rear quarter panel.”

He chuckled and took extra care caressing said rear. “I’ll break him in half if he so much as looks at your rear quarter panel.”

I sighed dramatically, “How romantic!”  

He did something with his tongue then that had me breathless. I at least had the presence of mind to stop him before I got loud again.

“Devon, he’s right on the other side of the wall! I know you guys have been witness to each other’s exploits before, but I’d rather he not be a witness tonight.”

He looked up from what he was doing and said, “The guys tell you?”  

I nodded. “Well, they said you were his wingman. I just put two and two together.”

He sighed and rolled me over on top of his chest again. “I knew it was a bad idea to leave you with them.” He tried to sound mad but he was smirking.

“They made sure not to ruin your upstanding reputation.” I giggled and he tickled me a little making me squirm in all the right places.

“I think I’m doing pretty good with my upstanding, thank you very much.”

I reached down and grabbed his upstanding reputation and wished I wasn’t so determined to do the right thing.

“I really wish I could explore that reputation right about now.”

He laughed again and his chest rumbled. I loved that sound. “We’ll have plenty of time for exploration, beautiful. Let’s get some rest.”

We kissed for a long time before falling asleep in each other’s arms.

My phone buzzed at 5 a. m. and I was immediately sick to my stomach. “Hello,” I mumbled. I heard sobbing on the other end. I checked the number and saw it was Daryl’s wife, Katie.

“Jaylene, God, I need you guys right now.”

I got the information from her and then hung up. I dropped the phone on the bed and ran for the bathroom. I heaved up what little was left in my stomach. Marcus and Devon called after me and Devon burst into the bathroom to find me in the corner next to the toilet, my arms wrapped around my knees.

He sank down next to me. “Chère, what is it? What happened?”  

I looked up into his blue eyes and I had to be sick again. He held my hair up and yelled for Marcus.

“Grab her phone and see who just called.”

I held up my hand and once I was finished, I caught my breath and told them. “It was Katie. We need to meet her at the hospital. Daryl had a heart attack.”

Devon fell back on his heels, looking at me in shock. I stood and brushed my teeth and then moved past him to the bedroom to put on my clothes, too out of it to realize that Marcus had just seen me naked. The two of them dressed hurriedly and Marcus went next door to tell Star. I heard Star tell him that he and Mackenzie would meet us at the hospital.

Devon kept trying to talk to me, but it was all I could do to put one foot in front of the other. We went out to his car, Marcus crawled in the backseat, and Devon drove fast but safe to Tulane Medical Center. When we parked he turned towards me, reaching for me, but I was already out of the car. The three of us burst into the waiting room and found Katie there with the girls curled up next to her.

She looked worried but was holding it together. “Thank you guys for coming. Jaylene? Do you think you could take the girls to get something to eat?”  

I stared at her, frozen. I couldn't make my mouth form any words. My feet were cemented to the ground.

Marcus finally saved me by saying, “I’ve got it, Katie. C’mon girls. Let’s go raid the vending machines and see if they’ve got any of those yummy donuts.”

The two little angels were still in their pajamas and bounced up and into Marcus’ waiting arms. He nodded to Devon and stepped out towards the cafeteria.

Katie filled us in. Daryl had woken her up and said he didn’t feel good. When she turned on the light and saw him rubbing his left arm she immediately called 911. He hadn’t lost consciousness at the house, which was good, and once he was loaded in the ambulance, she’d followed behind with the girls. The paramedics told her that luckily they’d caught it early and he’d probably be fine. She was just waiting for the doctor to come out.

“I’m so sorry, Katie. But he’ll be ok. This is Uncle Daryl we’re talking about. I doubt even a heart attack could slow him down for long.”

They both laughed and she hugged Devon. Then they looked over at me.

“I’m sorry Katie. I...I’ll be right back.” I turned and practically ran for the nearest bathroom and continued to dry heave until I heard Devon calling from the door.

”I’m fine, Devon,” I yelled to him. “I’ll be out in a minute.” I flushed the toilet and splashed cold water on my face. My heart was pounding and when I looked in the mirror, I saw that my face was completely pale. My hands were shaking and my breathing was shallow. I couldn’t seem to focus on anything.

“Baby! Oh my God! Someone help me!”

I could hear Devon screaming but I couldn’t see him. My head hurt and I was cold all of a sudden. I felt myself being lifted. I tried to speak but nothing would come out and then everything was black.

When I woke up, I was in a bed under fluorescent lights. My head was pounding and my mouth was dry. It took me a minute to get my senses online.

“Jaylene? Chère? Can you hear me?” Devon’s face came into view and I blinked in confusion.

“Of course I can hear you. What happened?”

He looked so worried and there was blood on his shirt.

“Oh my god, Devon, what happened? Who hurt you? What...”

He squeezed my hand and kissed it. He looked so concerned! I tried to sit up to touch him and the pain hit me so hard the lights dimmed again.

“Chère, you’re in the emergency room. We came for Daryl and we were talking to Katie. Then you ran to the bathroom and said you’d be right out. When you didn’t come out I opened the door in time to see you faint on your feet and fall over, hitting your head on the sink before hitting the floor.”

I reached up and found a bandage wrapped around my head and found blood caked in my hair. “I’m so sorry! Is Katie ok? Is Daryl ok? Gods, what a mess I made. I’m so sorry, Devon.”

He shook his head and moved to sit on the bed next to me. “Stop it, chère! Don’t apologize! I just don’t know what happened to you. I was so worried.”

“Don’t worry about me, I’m fine. I’m just sorry I’m keeping you from your family. How is Daryl? Where is he?”  

He looked downright pissed. “What the fuck, Jaylene? You almost killed yourself hitting your head! You are not fine! The doctor said you have a serious concussion and they fucking had to stitch your head up so don’t tell me you are fine!”

I shrank back from him and he looked horrified.

“Oh, no. Jaylene, I’m sorry. But you’re scaring me, chère! What happened to you?” His voice was cracking and his hands were shaking.

I could see the tears filling his eyes and then my vision went blurry with my own. He was having a hard time getting close to me and not hurting me. I reached my hand up to touch his face and he held onto my arm like a drowning man. I tried to calm down as crying was really not a good idea with a concussion. When I spoke, my voice was a whisper.

“I’m sorry, baby. I’m sorry I scared you.”

He wiped angrily at the tears on his face with one hand and took a deep breath. He looked away for a minute and I could see the strain on his face, in his shoulders. When he looked back at me he was trying his best to control his tone of voice. “Uncle Daryl is going to be fine. They had to do surgery to put stents in. The doctor said it was a mild heart attack and that he believes Uncle Daryl will make a full recovery. Katie has been in to see him and she said he’s already hitting on the nurses. Star and Mackenzie took the girls back to her place. Marcus is with Uncle Daryl now.”

I frowned but even that hurt. “What time is it?”  

The thin layer of control he had on his patience was being pulled dangerously thin. “For fuck’s sake, Jaylene, it’s noon! You’ve been out for six fucking hours! Now will you talk to me, please? I’m freaking out over here!”

I pulled back from him. His anger and frustration were scaring me. I felt so guilty for causing a scene when he needed to be there for his family. “I’m awake now. Why don’t you see if you can go see Daryl?”  

He jolted up and paced away from the bed and I saw him take in a deep breath, his hands on his hips. The curtain pulled aside and a nurse came in.

“There you are, Miss Charles. Glad to see you’re awake. How’s the pain?”

“About as to be expected I guess. May I have some water, please?”  

She nodded. “Of course, darlin’, and I’ll send the doctor in to see you.”

I thanked her and she gave Devon a stern look as she passed him.

“I’m keeping you from your family, Devon. I’m sorry. I’m ok now. Why don’t you go and I’ll wait for the doctor?” 

He turned back around and shook his head. His voice was low when he spoke. “What the hell part of ‘I love you' and 'you’re home for me’ did you not understand? What part of ‘I’d ask you to marry me right now’ did you not get? Or did you hit your head so hard that you forgot all that? They’ve assured me that the only thing I need to worry about with Uncle Daryl is the sexual harassment suit we’ll have to settle when he gets out of here! Now will you please talk to me, chère? You’re not getting rid of me, ok?”

I covered my face with my hands and tried to turn over on the bed.

He walked back over to the bed and said, “Move over.”

He scooted me over and spooned up against me. I was crying softly and he just held on to me. I knew he was scared, but my head hurt so bad I couldn’t get the words out.

After a while I turned over and curled into his side and he kissed my forehead. ”Whatever it is, chère, I’m here, ok?”  

I nodded and closed my eyes. Just then the doctor came in and frowned when he saw Devon on the bed with me.

“Miss Charles, I’m Dr. Franklin. Do you know where you are?”  

I nodded. “The Tulane Medical Center?”  

He smiled as though he was pleased with my answer.

“Good. Now do you remember what happened?”  

My stomach lurched and I covered my mouth with my hand. Dr. Franklin hurried to my side, grabbing a pan on the way and handed it to me while my stomach decided that for the second act it would try to purge my soul.

Devon got up off of the bed and said, “She keeps throwing up, Doctor. Is that normal?”  

Dr. Franklin nodded. “Nausea often accompanies a concussion. But you said she’d vomited before she hit her head. Can you tell me what happened?”  

Devon started pacing and said, “We got a call early this morning from my uncle’s wife saying he’d been admitted here. He had a heart attack. As soon as Jaylene hung up the phone she ran to the bathroom and started throwing up. Then when we got here, we saw Katie, and she ran for the bathroom again. When she didn’t come out right away, I opened the door and saw her fall.”

Dr. Franklin nodded and took the pan away from me. The nurse was back and she offered me a cup with ice chips in it that I was so very grateful for.

”Thank you,” I whispered to her and she smiled, patting me on the arm.

“Miss Charles, do you remember any of what Mr. Boudreaux has said?”  

I nodded, which was a tremendously bad idea. “Yes. I remember.”

He stepped over to the bed and had his penlight out. “May I check your eyes?”  

I nodded again and winced.

“Hurts, doesn’t it? Don’t nod.”

I smirked. At least he had a sense of humor. His penlight exam was no picnic either.

He said, “Well, you’ve given yourself a helluva concussion, young lady. I want to keep you overnight for observation and if all goes ok, you can go home tomorrow.”

My eyes flew open wide at that. “No, please. Can’t I just go home?”  

He raised an eyebrow at me. “I would strongly discourage that. I’m not happy about how long you were out and I want to keep you here. We need to make sure there’s no swelling.”

Devon spoke up. “Then she’ll stay.”

Dr. Franklin smiled at him. “Smart man. Ok. The nurses will have to wake you up every hour. I suggest you try to get some rest. They’ll be moving you to a room in a little while.”

I was stunned and so not happy with this plan. Devon thanked the doctor, who assured us he’d be back in to check on me. Stuck here with no way out, I sank back into the pillow and closed my eyes. I felt Devon lie down next to me and wrap his arms around me. I inhaled his scent deeply.

“Rest, chère. I’m not going anywhere and when you feel up to it, I hope you’ll tell me what’s really going on.”

“I’m sorry,” I said and I heard him curse before I slipped back into sleep.

The next time I woke up I heard whisper arguing and Devon’s body wasn’t next to me. I opened one eye to see Devon and Marcus in a heated conversation.

“Can’t you guys quit arguing even in a hospital? Good grief!” My voice sounded raspy and Devon swung around to the bed just as a nurse came in to check my vitals.

“Mr. Boudreaux, can you please wait outside while I examine Miss Charles?”

He practically growled at her! Marcus grabbed him and physically showed him the door. “Yes, ma’am. Jaylene, we’ll be right back, ok?”  

I nodded and my head felt a little less heavy this time.

“Sweetheart, is that man bothering you?”  

I shook my head vigorously, another really bad idea. “Ow, why does that hurt so bad?”  

She laughed. “Honey, you got a bad knock on the head. It ain’t gonna feel good for a day or two.” She motioned with her head. “Is he a problem, dear?”  

“No! Absolutely not. I’m the only problem here.”

She quirked her head at me. “You’re hurt, honey, how is that a problem? Did you fall down on purpose?”  

I laughed. “No, although I am quite a klutz. No, I think I was just having a good old fashioned panic attack.” I smiled weakly at her and she nodded knowingly.

“I thought that might be the case. We get folks in here a lot passing out because of stress, although it’s usually new fathers.” She laughed and I felt some of the weight lifting off my chest.

“Do you think you could do me a favor?”  

She nodded, “Of course! What do you need?”  She was a beautiful woman in her 40’s and her name badge said Sylvia.

“Sylvia, do you know if my boyfriend has been to see his uncle?”  

She shook her head. “No, I don’t think he’s left your side since you were brought in.”

“I was afraid of that. Listen, is there any way I could be allowed to go and see his uncle with him? I think I would feel a lot better if I could see with my own eyes that Mr. Doucette is ok.”

She smiled knowingly. “I’m sure you would, honey. Let me check with Dr. Franklin, ok?”  

I thanked her and she finished taking my vitals.

“Oh, and Miss Charles?”  

I looked up at her as she was leaving the room.

“Give the poor guy a break, ok? He’s been a wreck worried about you all day.” That made me wince and she walked back towards the bed.

“What’s the matter?”  

I took a deep breath for courage.

“I just feel horrible. He should have been with his family today and instead I go and make a scene. I’m just not great at hospitals. This was a little too close to home, you know?”  

She nodded gravely and patted my hand. “I understand, but it’s obvious that he wanted to be here. I’ll be right back, ok?”  

I smiled and thanked her again.

After she left, I rested my head back against the pillow. Apparently they’d moved me while I was asleep because now that I looked around, I realized I wasn’t in the ER anymore. And by looking out the window I could see it was late afternoon.