The door opens and a middle-aged man in a white coat enters with my chart. He looks exhausted. “Mateo Russo?” he asks, looking at me for the first time.
“Yeah.”
“I’ve looked over your scans. You have a sprained wrist, bruised ribs, and a mild concussion. You’re lucky. It could have been a lot worse. I have a prescription for the pain. You can get it at the pharmacy in the morning due to the late hour. Take with milk. Keep the wrist splinted and avoid anything with screens for a few days. If you start to get extreme migraines, come back and see us. Any questions?”
I look at Colt. “Scans? How long was I out?”
“You were asleep when you arrived, and we proceeded with the protocol. Rest is the best medicine, Mateo. I suggest you take that into advisement over the next few days. The nurse will be in with your discharge paperwork.”
He turns and leaves. Colt is quiet as I get dressed and sign my papers. He pushes the wheelchair to the ramp outside, where Donny is waiting with the car.
They don’t say anything the whole way home either. When we get back to the Cheer house, Colton helps me inside, and I freeze when I see who is waiting for me. Rylee puts Cobbler on the floor, so he can get attention from Donny.
Colt grabs his leash and clips it onto his collar. Donny and him walk out the door, giving me and Rylee a moment.
I shuffle over to her, using the wall for support. My ribs fucking hurt. When I’m close enough to touch, she gasps, placing her hand over her mouth. I give her a smile, wincing at the split lip as I try to shrug.
“Looks worse than it is, baby,” I mumble, and she stands straight, placing her hands on her hips, while pursing her cherry lips. She’s trying to act strong, but I can see the tears in her eyes. And it fucking guts me knowing I’m the reason she’s upset.
“Sit,” she orders, her voice a sharp but cracked demand.
Not wanting to argue with her, I do as she tells me, and take a seat on the couch. I attempt to plop beside her, but it’s more like my head falls into her lap. She runs her hand over my shaved scalp and I sigh.
“Why?” she asks, the question soft and shaky, like she’s trying to hold it together.
Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath.
“I needed the pain to stop,” I mumble and she gasps, her hands stopping.
A small wounded sound slips from her lips, and my fucking heart breaks. “Teo, I… I know that I have been distant, but that doesn’t mean that I’m going anywhere. I just needed some time… some space. Lennox leaving us threw me for a loop, and I needed to take a step back and really think about things. But I need you to know that I’m here, and I’m not leaving you,baby. Not ever,” she coos, rubbing my head once again, and my heart aches. “But I can’t just sit back and watch you do this to yourself.” She sniffs. “It kills me to see you hurting yourself. I love you so fucking much. Just stop, okay? It’s not worth it. He’s not worth it.” The last part comes out as a broken growl.
My eyes water, and this time, I don’t hold back.
“Why did he leave us? Why her?” I croak, and she tenses.
“I don’t know, but I promise you, I am going to find out. But in the meantime, I need you to come to me, or one of the guys, before you make another rash decision like tonight.” I snuggle deeper into her, and nod.
“Please, don’t ever leave me, Rylee. I... I don’t think I could take it,” I whisper, sniffling, letting her hold me as I release all of the grief and pain I have been keeping inside. I know I’m safe with her, and she won’t judge me for being weak. For showing how much my heart is broken.
“Shh, I’m here now, Teo. I’m here, and I love you.”
CHAPTER SIX
It’s been a few days since Mateo came stumbling into the house, looking like he went a couple rounds with a grizzly bear.
Seeing him so broken and defeated nearly killed me. But it helped me slip out of my own depression, which had sunk its claws into me.
Honestly, if it wasn’t for Trevor being as amazing as he is, I know I’d be lost to my own pain by now.
He’s the life raft keeping me afloat, while I try to cope with everything that's going on.
I’ve been so caught up in my own misery, I’ve been neglectful to my other men. And that's not fair of me. They deserve me equally, but it's hard when I’m shattered into a million pieces, being held together by tape and cheap glue.
A part of me has been keeping my distance because I feel guilty not sharing the news about the baby.
I just can’t bring myself to tell them when they’re still dealing with their own troubles. And after seeing Mateo hit rock bottom the other night, now is not the time to throw something so life changing at them.
Right now, my plan is to let Trevor take care of me and the baby, so I can use my time to take care of my men. We’re a family, right? We need to depend on each other.
