That’s how long Jassi had been in the hospital, and it had been four days since the doctor had taken her out of her coma. But she still hadn’t opened her eyes.
I’d only left the hospital long enough to go home and grab a change of clothes. I hadn’t slept in my bed. I hadn’t eaten a decent meal. I hadn’t even stretched out without a chair pressing into my back.
But none of that mattered.
All I wanted was to be the first face Jassi saw when she opened her eyes. I wanted to tell her how sorry I was for allowing this to happen to her.
“Son, you should go home and get some rest,” my mother said as she stood next to my sister’s bedside. It was just the two of us in the room. “You look exhausted.”
“I’m fine.”
“No, you’re not. Even your father and I have stepped away to get some rest. You’ve been here nonstop. You’ve even showered here. You need to go.”
“Mama—”
She gave me a stern glare, letting me know that she wasn’t taking no for an answer.
I lifted my hands. “Alright, fine. But if she wakes up?—”
“You’ll be the first person I call.”
I nodded and stood up. “Thank you.”
“Alright,” Nyx said as she stepped into the room holding two plastic bags while staring at me. “I didn’t know what you might want, but I figured I would give you options, and I would take the one you didn’t choose. Everything was cooked to order, so it’s fresh. Do you want the fish, fries, and hush puppies? Or do you want the double bacon cheeseburger and sweet potato fries? I’ve already tasted both, so you can’t go wrong with either one.” She cracked a smile. “The cooks they have in this hospital are amazing.”
“Take whichever one you want. I’ll eat the other one.”
She shook her head. “No, you choose. I want you to have what you want.”
“And I want you to have what you?—”
“Bro, just choose a damn meal,” Ocean snapped as he walked into the room, Skye following behind him. “It took her forever to pick that shit.”
“Ocean, watch your mouth,” Mama scolded.
Like always, she was wasting her breath. He’d been apologizing and getting his ass tore up since the day he started speaking.
“Sorry, Mama.” He shot a glare back at me before mouthing, “pick something nigga.”
I laughed. “I’ll take the fish.”
“Good,” Nyx said, handing me the bag in her right hand. “I really wanted the burger.”
“Now see, what if I had picked the burger?”
“Then I would’ve gladly eaten the fish.”
“But you wouldn’t have truly wanted it.”
“Does. It. Matter?” Ocean groaned.
“Leave them alone.” Skye nudged him in the arm. “They’re in love.”
I froze, and so did Nyx.
Time to go.
I grabbed Nyx’s hand. “Let’s get out of here.”
