Total pages in book: 145
Estimated words: 135792 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 679(@200wpm)___ 543(@250wpm)___ 453(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 135792 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 679(@200wpm)___ 543(@250wpm)___ 453(@300wpm)
He held his breath when the door opened and Liv stepped in, because before the shooting, they hadn’t ended things on a good note. The reality about to crash into him was more dreadful than another bullet.
His mind was still a bit hazy after going under, but everything came to focus around Liv’s face. His concerned expression, the flush on his cheeks, the bags under his eyes, all made Knox guilty over needing as much treatment and care as he did.
His… friend stalled by the door, his face tense as different emotions passed over it in a rapid sequence. In the end, the usual, easy smile won, and he approached a cupboard topped by a pitcher of water.
“You gotta work on your tan. Looking way too pale tonight,” Liv said, pouring some water into a glass.
Knox snorted, reaching out with his healthy arm. “I was thinking about taking up surfing when I get out. That would help. Just no ocean around here.”
“That’s no problem. You can just trash-surf at the junkyard.” Liv handed him the water and pulled a wooden stool close to the bed. The smile remained in place, but Knox knew him too well to miss the discomfort hiding underneath.
“That would be kinda cool actually. The piles are much taller farther on the north side of the junkyard. You think they’ll have snow here this winter and we could ski down them?” He gulped down some of the water. This was good. Clean talk. No need to mention heartbreak or disappointment. He just wanted to have Liv by his side for now, and the future would… happen eventually.
Maybe what happened tonight was the push he needed to understand that he had to lower his expectations?
Liv sat with his legs comfortably spread and spun on the stool. “I’ll set everything up for you, and we’ll see about skiing when you’re better.”
“Recovery’s gonna be a bitch, but at least I’ll be able to leave in a few hours,” Knox groaned when putting away the glass made him pull on the injured shoulder. He’d have to get used to it, since the nurse had warned him to take it easy for a month.
Liv stilled, and Knox was about to break the uncomfortable silence when he finally spoke, “Maybe you should stay a bit longer? You know, because of your heart?”
Knox fell back to the pillow with a long sigh. “It’s fine, nothing new happened. It’s the shoulder that hurts like a motherfucker.”
“Nothing new,” Liv muttered and kneaded his thigh as his gaze wandered off Knox’s face. “I guess. But you have to take better care of yourself. Maybe I should just work more while you heal.”
“Give me three days, and I’ll be pulling my weight. We could take the jacket back to the store.” It was silly that he got talked into buying it in the first place, just because it looked cool. What a vain thing to do.
“You are not returning the jacket,” Liv snapped, bristling like a guard dog. “I got it for you so you’re warm and comfortable, and that’s final.”
Knox rolled his eyes. “Fine. At least I didn’t get blood all over it. Ezra would have lost his shit, because I’d have to ask him how to get it out. Remember how you cut your leg running away from some woman’s husband, and then you just said ‘fuck it’ and threw the jeans away?”
Liv’s eyes narrowed. “Yeah. I should have been more frugal. Saved up some money. You know, for things that are important.”
Knox shrugged. “Our Subaru is at the bottom of a reservoir anyway. But then again, if we both saved up more, maybe we could have left California sooner, and never gotten in trouble.”
“It’s not about the car. What I’m trying to say is that I should have taken better care of you, and helped you buy your meds instead of just spending everything I had right away.”
“My meds are not your responsibility.” The last thing Knox wanted was to add to Liv’s own burdens.
“Well, they should be. It’s about what you need versus what I wanted,” Liv said, leaning forward to look deep into Knox’s eyes. So deep in fact it almost felt intrusive.
“I was managing,” Knox insisted. “It’s just all harder now, but we’ve got each other’s backs. Took a bullet for you tonight, so you can do my laundry for a month.” He smiled to hide his nerves. Maybe they’d just never speak about what happened between them, forget about it, and things would be fine.
Liv was getting red in the face by the time Knox stopped talking, but once silence settled in the room, his warm brown eyes met Knox’s. “The doctor told me you need surgery.”
Knox never wanted Liv to treat him like some precious piece of porcelain that could crack at the tiniest push. Being here, in a hospital bed only made him feel weak and useless. And he couldn’t fix it with enough willpower. Something inside him was broken, and he didn’t have any control over it.