Boys Like You by Jaye Pratt
Barely lucid, the sound of humming keeps me awake. I thought I was dreaming at first, or maybe I am dreaming, and the sound is something trying to wake me. All I can concentrate on is the cold. The air feels like razor blades against my bare skin. I try to keep my eyes open, but no matter how hard I try nothing happens and the darkness takes over.
Voices swirl through the air, but I can’t make out who they belong to, or how many there are.
“Are you okay?” someone asks. I try to say no but I realise the voice isn’t talking to me.
“Of course he isn’t okay; he’s having a panic attack.”
“Where are your headphones, Maximus?”
“No. No. No.”
“Okay, you don’t have to use them; just breathe, we are all here.”
The chatter goes on for a few minutes until I hear a collection of swearing and then soft footsteps approaching.
“Is it a person?”
“No, it’s a fucking seal, Rocky. Use your eyes, it’s a damn naked girl.”
Naked girl. I’m naked. I try to curl further into a ball. A girly shriek comes from one of them.
“I think it moved, it’s alive.”
“Calm down, Rocky, before you scare Maximus more, and the girl,” a deep husky voice says.
“Mercer, take off your jacket. Rory, call triple zero.” This one’s voice is different, sterner, and in charge. “RORY, call triple zero, don’t just stand there.”
Something soft touches my skin making me flinch. “Hey, it’s okay, help is coming. My name is Mercer, me and my friends will make sure nothing happens to you. You’re safe now.”
I can’t speak, my head is fuzzy. I feel like I’m slowly dying, and death might be easier, less painful. The voices softly chatter around me, but it’s Mercer’s I focus on; he tells me everything will be okay, that I’m safe. I didn’t know I was in danger, but maybe I am in some kind of trouble. If I am, at least I’m safe now.
***
The pounding in my head causes a groan to escape my lips, my throat so raw I feel like I have swallowed wood chips. Attempting to move, a crash of pain explodes through my body like a freight train.
“I think she is waking up, get the nurse.”
“Rocky, stand back, man, you’re in her personal space.”
“Shut up, I wanted to see if I can see her eyes flicker.”
“You won’t see; her eyes are still swollen.”
“Wa…” I try again. “Wat…” I try to ask for a glass of water while I attempt to open my eyes.
“I think she is trying to say water.” I hear feet shuffling as I force my heavy eyelids open. One seems to open better than the other, and I look around the room. The walls are white, the bedding is white, the lights are bright; I’m in a hospital. I stare at the people standing in the room. I don’t recognise anyone. One of the guys stands closer to me than the rest; maybe he knows me? None of them say anything, they just continue to stare at me. The door flies open, revealing a tall guy with jet-black hair holding a jug.
“The nurse is coming, she asked me to bring this.” He talks so fast it’s almost hard to understand him. He places the jug on a small table that looks to be on wheels and pours some water into a cup. He brings the cup closer.
“Do… you… want… some… water?” I look at him and back to the other guys, five of them in total. Four of them laugh at the boy talking to me, the closer he gets the more his bright blue eyes stand out against the contrast of his dark hair.
“Pretty sure she can hear you, Rocky.”
Rocky. His name suits him. I nod so he understands I can hear him. I try to move my right hand to take the cup, but wires catch on the blanket and I hiss at the pain in my whole arm. A blond guy races to my side and helps me move the wires out of the way, taking the water from Rocky and holds a straw to my lips. I take a much needed sip, practically washing away the dryness.
“Thanks,” is all I manage when an older lady pops her head into the room.
“Our Jane Doe is awake,” she says, pushing a cart to my side. All the boys shuffle out of the way to make room and she smiles warmly at them.
“Jane Doe?” I ask, looking towards the guys, hoping they know. Rocky shrugs and the rest just stare back.
“It’s what we call patients when they come in with no ID.” She proceeds to wrap a blood pressure cuff around my arm and asks me to hold out my finger. “I’m just taking your obs before the doctor pops in to see you, and a very handsome police officer should be back soon.”
My head starts spinning, my chest gets tight, and it’s suddenly hard to breathe. The nurse is trying to say something, but it all sounds like I’m under water. A large hand is placed over mine and a soothing voice is telling me to just breathe in and then out slowly. The words he says become clearer; he tells me to look at him and just focus. His amber eyes look down at me, his voice is husky yet soothing. When the machines stop bleeping, he smiles at me. The nurse gushes at how amazing he was.
“Okay, lovely, the doctors should be around very soon. Press the buzzer if you need anything. I’m sure these cuties will keep you company.” The nurse winks at me and takes her trolley back out of the room. With the nurse gone I turn my attention back to the others in the room. I take everyone in, trying to place how I know these guys. I try, but everything in my mind is just blank. The boy next to me with the beautiful amber eyes and shaved blond hair is still holding my hand. I should let go, but right now, his touch feels like the only thing keeping me calm.
“Do I know any of you?” I ask cautiously.
“You seriously don’t remember me?” Rocky asks, tilting his head, his face slightly scrunched.
“Should I?” I notice the shy-looking guy looking uncomfortable. Fiddling with his fingers; he seems nervous.
“How could you forget your sexy boyfriend?” He pulls his shirt up to reveal an impressive six pack, and I laugh. I’m so confused at what is happening, why don’t I remember anything. I decide to play along, at least until the police come to see me. These guys seem nice enough and a thankful distraction to the million thoughts running through my head.
“Knock it off Rocky, you will scare her.”
“Merce, I was only playing.”
I again notice the guy sitting on the floor against the wall. “Are you okay?” I ask because he looks like a skittish Chihuahua. He briefly looks up at me and back to his phone.
“Maximus doesn’t talk much unless he knows you, don’t take it personally,” Rocky says, now standing right beside my bed.
“I didn’t. He doesn’t have to talk if he doesn’t want to. Sometimes there is beauty in silence. Now, can someone explain to me who you are?”
“We found you on the beach. Well, Maximus did. You were in pretty bad shape,” Merce says, his voice washing over me like silk, even with the husky undertones.
“Got it. So, you’re Merce?” I ask.
“Mercer, but everyone calls me Merce,” he clarifies.
“I already know Rocky and Maximus.”
“The dude with the man bun is Rory. We keep trying to convince him to shave it off – we managed to get the sides and back – but he insists the girls dig the long hair,” Rocky jokes. Rory flips him off before giving me a wave. He seems to be trying to figure me out.
“I can see that, maybe he has a kink and likes his hair pulled.” I wink at Rocky this time and his mouth drops open. I’m shocked at my verbal diarrhea, but his energy makes me feel like I want to have fun.
“I think I’m in love,” Rocky announces.
“You love anything with tits… Sorry to be crude. I’m Levi.”
“So, we’ve established who you guys are but does anyone have any idea who I am? Or how I ended up washed up on the beach”
“Not a clue. My aunt’s boyfriend is a cop and that’s why we were allowed to stay; no one should have to wake up alone. We were told one at a time though, so we may get in trouble when he gets back,” Levi says, taking a seat next to Maximus. A large bulky man enters the room after knocking on the door. He looks around at all the boys and shakes his head. His expression tells me he must be Levi’s aunt’s boyfriend – the uniform is also a dead giveaway.
“I thought I told you boys, one at a time,” he chastises, moving himself closer to me.
“We decided we couldn’t do that,” Rocky answers. A playful smile graces his face.
“And why not?” he asks.
“Well, as you know, I’m a lot for new people to take in; Maximus doesn’t talk; Levi has resting bitch face; she would have fallen in love with Merce straight away, being a lad and all, and that would have left the rest of us with no chance.” Rocky smiles at me. He’s teasing the guy, a relationship between them obvious.
“What about Rory?” I ask, curious as to why he left him out. Rocky shakes his head.
“Nope, no way, he just flutters his long-ass eyelashes and girls pass out, and you were already passed out when we found you, so we decided it was best to stick together officer Dic…” he was cut off by a look from the officer. “Officer Deacon.”
There’s a knock at the door and everyone turns. This time, it’s a woman officer. She looks to be in her late twenties, her light brown hair is pulled up into a bun, her face free of heavy makeup, giving her a youthful look; innocent almost. “Sorry, I was just getting an update from the doctor. He will be in soon; he’s just finishing up with another patient.” She walks to stand next to Officer Deacon, who looks at her as if she is the most important thing in the world, as if for a moment everything else faded away. I sigh. That is a love every girl dreams about. She is one lucky girl.
“Aunt Liss, I didn’t know you were coming,” Levi says, standing to give her a brief hug.
“I was the only female officer available on duty. Can you boys wait outside while we ask some questions?” It’s an order more than a question.
They all nod. I start to feel my chest getting tight again and my head gets light and fuzzy. “Can they stay?” I whisper, my words barely audible. The sudden thought of being alone hits me like a ton of bricks.
“Are you sure?” she asks, and this time I just nod. “Okay, they can stay as long as they’re quiet and respectful.” She looks directly at Rocky when she says this. He pretends to zip his lips, making me smile. Officer Deacon takes out his notepad and pen.
Levi’s aunt moves closer to my bed. “What is the last thing you remember?”
I wish I knew. I close my eyes and try to see something, but my head feels like sludge covered in a very thick fog, and my memories are behind that, just out of reach.
“Honestly, waking up here in the hospital,” I say, opening my eyes.
“So, you don’t remember why you were found beaten and naked on the beach last night?” Her voice is calm; she isn’t trying to force information from me.
“No, everything is foggy. I close my eyes and all I see is black.” Mercer makes his presence known beside me by grasping my hand and giving it a squeeze.
“How about any information we could use, like your name or address?” I shake my head.
“No, it’s weird, I feel like I should know, like it’s right on the tip of my tongue.” She gives me a look of sympathy.
“That’s okay, you had a bump to your head, so things might come back to you slowly. We’re looking at some missing persons profiles to see if we can match anything to you. A social worker from child safety will be in today to talk to you, if that’s okay?” Again I just nod; it makes sense since I don’t know who I am or what happened to me.
“We will be back again to check up on you, but if you remember anything, you can give me a call. I’ll leave my card here on the bedside table. Do you have any questions?”
“What happens if you can’t find my parents? I can’t imagine I will be staying here long.”
“If it comes to that, child safety will find you somewhere safe to stay until it all gets figured out. Most of the time when kids go missing there is a report made, but being a teenager, sometimes parents wait a day or two before filing a report.” She looks over at me. I see she doesn’t want to point any fingers when it comes to my situation, but I’m sure they deal with a lot of these cases daily.
“Gotcha, in case I was a pain in the ass kid who gave my parents hell.” That makes her smile.
“Something like that.” A middle-aged man walks into the room, and both the officers tell me to feel better and they will be in touch. I watch them leave; Deacon places his hand on the small of her back and escorts her from the room. The doctor pulls out my file and when he looks up, his gaze falls on the five guys taking up a large chunk of the small room. My chest starts to close in on me all over again. I tell him the guys stay; I don’t care what he has to say. He agrees, informing me I need to have some tests, especially when I explain I have no idea who I am or what happened to me. He tells me all the bruising and swelling in my face will go down over the next few days, that it isn’t as bad as it looks. He suspects I have a fractured rib and he would like me to do a rape kit as he noticed bruising around my thighs when I was brought in. He explains it’s my choice if I want to do it or not, that a female would do it, and no, the boys cannot be present for that, and I agree that would be too much.
I don’t know what to think. What if it wasn’t rape? I certainly don’t feel like I’ve been violated. But then, why would I have bruising there?
He tells me it’s just a precaution for when my memory returns and evidence is best gathered sooner rather than later, but all the same, I ask if I can think about it.
He returns my file to the space near the door, letting me know he will be back once my test results are in, and a nurse will be around shortly.
“Boys,” he says, stepping back inside the room. They all turn and look his way. “If you insist on staying, and only if the young lady wants it, you will limit your time here. When she rests, only one of you at a time please. Now, for the love of God, will some of you go home and shower, you smell terrible. Maybe get the girl some clothes if any of you have sisters her size, otherwise let the social worker know and they can organise her some.” He leaves this time and we all giggle – he is right; they do smell – I just didn’t want to say anything.
“Did you all hang around here all night?” I ask.
“We did. Maximus wouldn’t let us leave until he knew you were okay,” Mercer replies with a smile. The guy really is super attractive with his shaved blond hair, his lips a perfect red, and his amber coloured eyes. Makes a girl want to latch on and go for a ride. I feel my face heat at the thought and turn my attention to Maximus who is still looking down at his phone.
“Well, thank you, Maximus, I appreciate waking up to people around.” He looks up at me for a second and gives me a thumbs up. I smile when his face is swallowed up by his curly hair.
“Okay, fuckers, who’s going home first?” Rocky questions with a loud clap of his hands, causing everyone to look at him. He strikes me as a guy who loves attention.
“Rock, paper, scissors,” Levi says, and they all gather in a circle, even Maximus. They play until Mercer is the last man standing. Before anyone gets a chance to say anything, Mercer’s phone rings. I don’t recognise the song, but it’s soft rock.
“Hey, Dad.” I look over at him as he talks to his Dad. Do I have a dad? I feel like I do. It’s a weird feeling, but I really don’t care. What sort of person doesn’t care if they have a dad or even a family?
“Yes, I’m still here. The guys are going to shower; I’ll swap with someone later.” He paces the room as he talks, everyone watching him. He peeks over at me. “I know, I don’t know her. I’ll explain later.” He must be getting asked a lot of questions about where he is and what he is doing. “Mhmm. No, Dad, the hospital has food.”
“Mr Cole, please bring some homemade sausage rolls,” Rocky calls out. Rory whacks him in the gut and he makes an oomph sound. Rory has been awfully quiet almost the entire time I have been awake. He seems familiar, like maybe he’s famous, or at the very least, a celebrity look-a-like.
“The doctor didn’t say she could even eat yet. What if her tests say she needs surgery?” Mercer argues. “Stop. Just because you watch Grey’s Anatomy, doesn’t mean you can give medical advice.” The guys all cover their mouths and chuckle. Mercer shoots them a look. “No, it does not, nope. You will never be McDreamy or Mcsteamy.” He rolls his eyes; he doesn’t seem to be winning the argument with his dad. “Fine, you can make food. See you later.” He ends the call and sighs, looking back at me. “I’m so sorry, but my dad insists on bringing you food. He has control issues, but if you’re not up for it just say so and I’ll tell him no.”
“He sounds like fun, and something tells me he won’t take no for an answer.” He smiles at me. My stomach grumbles at the thought of food.
“Wait till you meet Mr Cole, he’s the best,” Rocky chips in. The others agree. They all tell me they’ll be back and smelling much better. I nod and watch them all leave the room. Rory turns and gives me one last look. His eyes lock on mine; they hold a sadness, but before I get a chance to ask what’s wrong, he turns and leaves.
Mercer sits in the recliner and pushes back against it until it’s in a laid-out position. The door flies open and crashes against the wall. Rocky is beside me in a flash, kisses my forehead, and races back out the door. I look at Mercer, who bites his lip, holding back a laugh.
“Let’s try to get some rest. We can talk about all this soon.”
I agree, my eyes are heavy, and the pain in my ribs is starting to really hurt. I consider calling the nurse and asking for pain meds, but I decide to wait it out.
“Promise me you will be here when I wake up,” I ask, peering over at him.
“Promise,” he says, rolling on his side towards me and reaching his hand up on the bed. Our fingers lock as we both fall asleep.