For Crying Out Loud by J. Preston

39The End

I’m not half as crazy as I look. I’m twice as crazy.

- Carter

Aiden

Being in a car accident is not a cakewalk. Everything hurts, add to that all the tubes sticking out of your body; the incessant itching under the casts, of which I have too many; and you have yourself one very itchy, very annoyed British guy.

Or, at least you would, if it wasn’t for one little ray of sunshine in this whole awful scenario.

Jenny.

She hasn’t left my side since I woke up after the surgery, and while some people might find that a bit too much, for me, it’s a breath of fresh air. It’s exactly what I need. Her. I need her.

Having her here with me, by my side, makes it all easier to deal with. Especially when she puts on that god awful British accent whenever any of the staff comes into the room. She cracks me up, making me forget all about the pain.

She doesn’t have to, though. Her presence alone makes the pain go away. Her smile… Her smile makes me forget that anything was ever wrong. And she seems to be the only thing that calms my overachieving parents down. Thankfully, as soon as I woke up from the coma, they decided that they should go back to London, since I was ‘just fine’. Otherwise, I would have lost it a million times with them.

“You ready?” Her eyes, full of wonder and relief, lock with mine, and her lips twitch into a smile, making my heart jump in my chest. I nod and place my hands on the armrests of the wheelchair they insisted on. I could limp with one leg in the cast. No problem. But, apparently, there are protocols when it comes to ‘early discharge’. Not that it was that early.

It felt like I’ve been cooped up in the hospital for far too long when, in reality, it’s only been three weeks. I was ready to face the world last week if you asked me, especially since classes started back up.

Kitten wheels me outside straight to her car, parked right up front.

Oh yeah, I forgot my car—which would have been so much more appropriate for transporting me back home—was totaled in the crash.

The crash, which was a bit more sinister than we initially thought. After I woke up, we had a visit from the police. The blue truck that hit my car belonged to none other than Benny’s cousin. Apparently, Diego was watching our house, trying to figure out where Benny was. Somehow, he knew I was Benny’s Big Brother and was trying to send a message. What sort of a message, I don’t know. I’m just happy that I was the only one who got hurt and that Diego ended up with an extended sentence and no prospects for parole anytime soon. Most importantly, he never got to Benny, who was back at his mum’s.

Jenny and I talked for hours about everything that went down as soon as I was able to stay awake long enough to hold a conversation. I couldn’t shake the feeling that she felt guilty, somehow responsible, for what had happened. When, in fact, I knew it was my stupid brain and the fact that I decided to keep shit to myself that caused all of this mess. It seemed like neither one of us wanted to back down, though, so we agreed to disagree, especially when Jenny promised to make it up to me ‘when I was well enough’. I could get down with that. Literally.

I smile as Jenny gently buckles me up in the backseat, propping blankets around me.

“I’ll drive carefully.” She kisses my lips, and I pull her in closer, deepening the kiss. The last three weeks drove me crazy. Having her near but not being able to hold her in my arms, kiss her like I wanted to kiss her, was my personal hell.

Jenny pulls away, and my eyes zero in on her swollen lips, making me think of all the things I will be able to do to her once we’re back home.

“We’re still here, you guys.” Jason clears his throat. “And I’m still finding this very, very wrong.”

“Oh well.” Kitten beams up at him, her voice a bit hoarse. “Meet you at the house?”

“Yeah,” Jason hesitates. “We’ll drive slow. Really, really slow in fact. Take back roads and all. Maybe go for food.” I grin at him as he shakes his head in disgust. “Maybe…I’ll stay over at Carter’s tonight. Don’t think I’ll be able to handle you two.” He makes a gagging noise.

“Agreed,” Carter says. He’s not looking at me. He’s staring at his hands, glancing up at Jenny every so often. His eyes are sad, and I feel a ping in my chest. My best friend is hurting, and I have a good idea why. He needs a distraction.

“Suit yourselves.” Jenny laughs, then hops into the driver's seat, waving goodbye at our friends.

She drives carefully, glancing into the back mirror every minute, checking if I’m okay. This is the first time in three weeks her back is to me and, even though she is still very close, only a few feet away, her seat between us, my body aches for her touch. My skin is crackling with anticipation of her being near again.

When we arrive at the house, she takes great care in helping me out of the car and into my room.

“Kitten, I’m not made of glass. I won’t break,” I tease.

She gazes at me, searching my eyes, then sits next to me on the bed. “You nearly did. You nearly didn’t come back…to me.” Her voice breaks, and something in her words tugs at my soul. It’s like I’ve heard her say this before…

I frown, concentrating. “I’ll always come back to you.”

“Good, because you promised.” She nods, giving me a small smile. “You promised me forever and I will hold you to that.”

Her words play on repeat in my head until I find what I was trying to grasp at. I remember. I remember her words, the only thing that kept me grounded while I was in the comma. I thought I imagined it all, but could she have actually spoken them to me?

“You said that before,” I hesitate. “I remember…” She looks confused. “I heard you.” Words rush out of my mouth. “I heard your voice. You said to come back to you, you said I promised. I promised you forever.”

“You heard that?” Tears start rolling down her cheeks as I nod, pulling her to my chest. “Kitten, you’re the only thing that kept me alive. Your voice, your touch, they gave me hope. They reminded me that I’ve got something to live for,” I whisper into her hair.

She hugs me tighter, and I wince in pain but don’t say a word, revelling in her proximity.

“I love you,” she mumbles.

“I’ve always loved you.”

“Bull poop,” she sniffles, laughing.

“You don’t believe me, huh?”

“Nope. I have it on good authority that you hated me.”

“Now that is a lie. I managed to convince myself that it was true for a short period of time, but deep down inside, it has always been you. As soon as you sauntered back into my life, wiggling that amazing butt of yours at me, I was a goner.”

“Ah-ha! So you only like me for my butt! I knew it!” She laughs.

“Kitten, kitten, kitten… I don’t like you. I love you. And I sure as hell love your butt. Now, do me a favour and reach into my nightstand.” I arch my brow at her suggestively.

Her eyes go huge, and I have to stop myself from laughing.

“Okay.” She opens the little door and looks confused. “They’re just books…”

“You have a dirty mind.” I smirk. “And I like where it’s gone. I promise, we’ll get to that in a second. Now, take the books out.”

She obliges, pulling the stack of paperbacks. She scans through the titles, when finally, she notices. Her lips part as her hand reaches her mouth, and all books but one topple down to the ground. I smile.

“You kept it all this time?”

“Must have read it a thousand times by now.” She gently strokes the cover of the book she gave me so long ago.

“But it’s been forever.”

“Jenny.” I tsk. “When will you learn that you are my forever?

I take the copy of Life of Pie out of her hand and pull her to me, placing a kiss on her lips and gently prying her lips open with my tongue, tasting her. She moans into my lips and runs her fingers through my hair.

“You’re home,” she whispers. “I have finally found my home.”