Rule Number Two (Rule Breakers Book 2) by Nicky Shanks

Author:Nicky Shanks [Shanks, Nicky]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Limitless Publishing LLC
Published: 2018-04-16T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Sixteen

Julie

“Do you want some coffee?” the nurse asks me. I barely hear her; I’m thinking about something totally different and far away. “My shift ends in a few minutes and I can get you some.”

I sniffle and look at her. She’s exhausted; her tired eyes are shaded and low. “Coffee would be wonderful, thank you.” I shiver in my seat and look at Oliver’s face. “It’s cold in here, right?”

The nurse checks some machines next to him before walking to the thermostat on the wall. “Let me turn up the heat for you. Is that better?”

I force a smile. “Much better, thanks.”

The sound of her voice doesn’t compare to the silent echo that radiates from Oliver’s lifeless body in front of me. The fact that there’s absolutely nothing I can do for him makes me sick to my stomach. I wonder if Oliver can feel the warmth now spreading across the room, or even my hand that’s locked with his.

The nurse smiles at me and leaves the room. I’m alone with him, and the silence is so chilling that I wish so hard that he’ll just pop his eyes open and come back to me. I don’t take a good look at his face or body in fear that I might hyperventilate at how mangled he really is. I force myself to push back his gown a little, but quickly put it back when I chicken out.

I wrap my hand around his lifeless and cold fingers. I look at him and want to talk to him; I want him to tell me everything is going to be okay. I see him in my mind sitting across from me in the sunlight, a smirk on his face because I’ve done something to amuse him once again.

“Well…” I choke and talk to him like he can hear me. “I’m here. It’s crazy you had to do something like this to get my attention.”

Great, give him a guilt trip.

I feel bad and squeeze his hand, hoping he squeezes back.

He doesn’t.

I close my eyes and listen to the silence.

I don’t notice the door open and the nurse walk back in until she holds out the cup of coffee in front of me. “Here you go.” I nearly jump out of my skin. “Whoa there, I didn’t mean to startle you.” Her tired eyes look down on me and I fake a smile. I take the coffee from her hands and put it on a small table next to me so it can cool off first. I notice her looking at Oliver’s body, trying to be nonchalant so I don’t see her.

“Well, have a good night, okay? Mr. Jackson is in good hands, it seems. Dr. Osmond will be here in the morning—he’s the surgeon you requested—and he can begin trying to repair the tear in your husband’s lung.”

She speaks of him like she knows him.

The ventilator that’s helping him breathe makes a whooshing sound, making it hard to concentrate on my own thoughts. For a split second, I want to run.

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