Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 94716 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 474(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94716 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 474(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
Never.
That night, I went to bed with a different outlook on Jack’s condition. I knew he’d come back to me, he only needed the time to let it happen.
Before I fell asleep, I prayed as I stared at the dream catcher that Tai had hung in the corner. “Come back soon, Jack.”
***
Jack
“Time to go home, boy.” My dad said holding out his hands.
I glared at him and turned my back to him. I wasn’t ready yet.
“Oh, don’t be a stubborn ass. You need to give them back to me. It’s not your time yet.”
“You get to hold them all you want. It’s my turn.” I said by way of explanation.
He crossed his arms and then started playing dirty. “Your wife is crying right now because you won’t wake up. It’s been two weeks now. How long are you going to make her suffer?”
My heart wrenched.
Looking down at my daughters, these two tiny perfect little beings, I was torn. How could I choose one over the other? What kind of person did that make me to leave a tiny, little defenseless being by herself?
“I’ll never leave them.” My dad whispered.
“What are you talking about? You’ll never give her up. You’ve been hogging her ever since I got here. I haven’t even gotten to hold her yet.” Adam grumbled from beside me.
I looked over at him and felt the hole he’d left in my heart heal at the sight of him looking down at my daughters. They were both different as could be. One had Winter’s porcelain skin with dark black hair, and the other had my tanned skin tone with bright red hair. They were the perfect mixture of Winter and I. Perfect.
“It really is time, baby brother. We’ve got this.” Catori said gently, as she reached down and took one girl, while Adam took the other.
“Promise me,” I said gruffly.
“Promise.”
“Promise, son.”
“Forever.”
***
My eyes were heavy. My mouth felt like I was in the Sahara, and my head was pounding so brutally with each pump of my heart that I felt nauseous.
Then the throbbing in my leg started.
Now, I’d experienced pain before. So much that I’d puked, got back to work, and then puked some more. However, this was new, and it was awful.
Somehow, I pushed it back. Just enough that I was able to think. Peeling my eyes open was the first task, which worked out better than I’d expected. Minus the shooting shards of pain that shot through my eyes and penetrated my brain with remarkable swiftness, that is.
Groaning, I took stock of the room. Starting with the door, then the windows, and finally myself. Leg was definitely broken if the huge fucking pins were any indication. Chest hurt like a bitch. Gunshot. Finally, using the hand that wasn’t attached to a tube, I probed my head and winced when I found a patch that was bandaged.
I tried ignoring the feeling of half my head shaved, but failed and cursed instead. “Fuck.”
A body moving somewhere below me had me tensing, but I relaxed as my brother’s head popped up from the floor.
He looked god-awful with his hair a shaggy mess, a four-day beard that resembled a teenager’s with patches that didn’t grow all that well, and a shirt that looked like it hadn’t been washed in weeks. Which was quite possible for him.
“You look like shit.” I croaked.
“Yeah,” he agreed. “That’s your dumbass fault. Tried to die on me. Signed a fucking DNR. Then I had to overrule your stupid ass. Your wife tried to die. So then I had to overrule her ass too. It’s been a real carnival ride.”
By the time he was finished he was tearing up and I gave him hell, which was a brother’s rite of passage. “Would you like some cheese with that whine?”
“You know, it’s not my thing to beat cripples, but I think I can make an exception in this case.” He laughed and then stood.
“What time is it?” I asked.
He looked at the watch on his wrist before he said, “Little after six in the morning.”
“Go get me my woman.” I demanded.
A smile lit his face. “I’d be honored. Just got to take a leak first.”
The asshole had the nerve to go to the bathroom before he left the room. Why he couldn’t have done that later, I don’t know.
Not knowing how long he’d be, I started to sit up when a loud “Jackopa!” filled the air.
I smiled as I heard her yell at Tai to “Move your ass.” And say, “Any damn day now.”
She must be just next door with how well I could hear their conversation.
“Would you just carry me? I don’t need a damn wheelchair.” Winter growled.
“Uh, honey? You’re not exactly light.” He quipped back.
I’d have palmed my forehead at that one, but, alas, I didn’t want to make the headache any worse. “You do realize you live with me, right? I’m going to make your life a living hell. I’m going to bug the absolute shit out of you. You know when you’re reading and you need quiet? Yeah, I’m gonna play Spice Girls and N’Sync, and then dance and sing along right next to you. Then when you decide to move back home, I’m just going to pop up whenever, and you’re too nice to turn me away. Then I’ll start playing John Denver. Are you sure you don’t want to just carry me in there?”
I winced. John Denver was kind of harsh, but she’d do it. In a heartbeat. She was a vindictive little shit, and I had plenty of stories that have amassed, even in the short time we’d been allowed to be together.
“God, just make sure you lay off the donuts during this pregnancy. My back won’t be able to take much more carrying, and I’m not so sure Jack could handle all your ass for a while.” He joked.
“Ack!” He squealed. “That’s disgusting. Why would you do that? Saliva and ears don’t mesh!”
“Bring my girl in here now, pissant!” I yelled.
Well, I tried to. It came out more like a croak.