trouble to make it look like a murder so we were protected. He just needed me to know why he was leaving us.” She patted Jackson’s cheek. “There. No more secrets. Let’s go check on your man now.”
She turned over the engine and started to back out. Jackson had no idea why he’d needed to unburden himself right at that moment. Maybe he’d been stalling. He wanted to be there for Day, but he didn’t know if he could stomach seeing what that fucking monster had done to him.
As soon as they reached the hospital waiting room, his sisters ran to him, the three of them squeezing him tightly. The others from Elite were all there as well, taking up the majority of the waiting room. “How is he?” he asked Mariah, knowing she had privileges at the hospital, even though she was an OB/GYN, not a trauma surgeon.
Jackson’s stomach rolled as his sister listed out Day’s injuries with clinical efficiency. “He made it through surgery with flying colors. They’re moving him to recovery now. They said they’ll come get you as soon as he’s stable and settled,” Mariah said. “He had a fractured cheek and a fractured orbital socket they had to repair. They said a shard of bone was sitting near the optic nerve and that it might cause him to lose some vision in his right eye. He has a broken jaw, so they’re wiring that shut. He lost a few teeth, but they say that’s an easy cosmetic fix once his jaw heals. The doctor said a plastic surgeon would suture the lacerations to his face, but there was no way of knowing how he’d heal until the swelling went down. He’s going to have a lot of pain for the first week or two but he was able to answer questions and they didn’t find any swelling on his brain.”
“It seemed the dickhead centered most of his blows directly to Day’s face,” Della fumed.
“Mr. Avery?”
“That’s me,” Jackson said.
“You can see your husband now if you follow me.”
Jackson frowned at Mariah. She shrugged. “What? I told a little fib. Do you want them to think we’re not his family?”
Jackson kissed her on the forehead. “Nope. This is his family.”
Jackson followed the nurse down the hallway, who introduced himself as Brandon and said that he’d be taking care of Day for the evening and that, by happenstance, Day would be Brandon’s only patient so to just use the call bell if they needed anything. Jackson nodded as the man walked out of the room and sat at a desk just outside Day’s window where he could peer in anytime to see them.
It loosened something in Jackson’s chest. Day would be safe from now on. Safe and cared for. He picked up the large reclining chair and sat it beside Day’s bed, waving to Brandon, who looked up to see what Jackson was doing. He couldn’t see much of Day’s face. The right side was hidden by bandages, including his eye. The left side was swollen, covered in multiple black and blue contusions, his left eye swollen shut and his lips chapped and slightly parted.
“Jesus, baby.” He picked up Day’s hand, holding it gently, afraid to cause him any more pain. “I’m so sorry I left you alone. I’m so sorry. I never should have left you in that car.”
“It’s my fault,” Day croaked through clamped teeth. “I left the car.”
“Shh, don’t talk. It is not your fault. None of this is your fault. Fuck, Day. I was so scared. I could hear him hitting you.” Jackson’s voice caught on a sob. “I could hear him hitting you, and we were so far away and you just kept taunting him. God, why, baby? Why did you do that?”
“I...I’d decided I was already dead. I wanted to go on my terms.” Every word was forced and mumbled, only discernible when Jackson leaned in close, but they were music to his ears. Day was alive. Day was talking. Day remembered what had happened.
“Are you hurting? Do you need me to get the nurse?”
“Uh-uh. The drugs are nice.”
Jackson smiled, lifting Day’s hand to kiss the back of it. “Rest, baby. I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere. I promise.”
“I do love you. Did you hear me tell him that?” he asked drowsily. “Did you hear me tell him how I loved you?”
“Yeah, baby. I heard everything. I love you, too. So fucking much.”
“‘Kay, good.”
Jackson sat, watching Day sleep, afraid to look