"Stop touching me. Stop talking. Give me a fucking minute to just breathe!" If I hadn't gasped from yelling, I wouldn't have realized I said that out loud. My body trembles as if I'm freezing.
Landon's eyes are wide as my mother gapes at me. My father steps away from the bed, Scout's face is red as tears stream down her face. My eyes flicker to the left as Doctor Burgess moves closer to me.
Like the little boy with his finger in the dam, the fissure I had stopped from opening breaks free. The fracture widening as I sit here, watching everyone talk about me.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to raise my voice." I scan the room, hoping they're paying attention. "Listen, I need some sleep. I need a safe place for just a little while. I know you all want answers, I understand you want to help but I need peace."
"We're all working on keeping you safe, Harper." Landon's face is soft, reassuring me I'll be Alright.
I swallow past the knot in my throat. "Thank you."
"Shall we give her some room; her medication will soon start working and she should be able to get some rest." Doctor Burgess address's the room and I smile, grateful for her understanding and care.
"I'll be fine, but I would love some sleep." I reach for my dad, taking his hand.
He leans in, kissing my forehead. "You have a guard outside your door."
"Scout or I can stay, if you'd like." Mom rubs my arm, returning my smile. The only thing is mine are fake.
"I appreciate it, I do but I plan on catching up on some much-deserved sleep." I pat her hand, giving it a squeeze.
Landon walks over to the end of my bed, gripping it. "If you're sure."
"I am." I hesitate. "I love you, all of you, and I appreciate everything you've done but there's time. I'm not going anywhere; I simply need some time."
"And time is what you'll get." Scout slips her arm into Landon's, tugging him.
"Tomorrow then." My dad kisses me once more, followed by my mom.
"Good night and thank you." I say again through a forced smile. I love them, I do, but I can't breathe, and I need to.
Doctor Burgess finishes writing in my chart and looks up. "As long as nothing unforeseen comes up, she'll be free tomorrow around noon."
"I'll be here." My mom answers.
"Alright, now go forth and prepare the magnificent feast!" I lift my arms, widening them as a Queen would.
My dad chuckles. "We're going, catch you tomorrow, sweetie."
I'm kissed, hugged, and tucked in by all of them before they can walk out of the door. I love them. I've spent several years praying to come back to them. I just need more time.
"What in the fresh hell is pounding?" I sit up, rubbing my eyes and rocking a headache from hell. I swear, this is the last time I drink on a Thursday night or any night back to back. "Damn."
I swing my legs off the bed, realizing it's still dark, so I switch a light on. As I lay my hand on the bed, I find a foot. "Seriously."
I stand, stretching before I try to make it to the bathroom. "I should've left it at one glass." I drag my ass in, closing the door behind me. I'm in process of relieving myself when the beat down on the door starts.
"What the fuck?" Is the shrill echoing from the other room. "Who the hell are you?"
"Ridge! Get out here, now!" I drop my head at the sound of Mack's voice. Quickly, I snatch a pair of pants from the laundry bin, I slide them on. As I open the door, I find a half-naked lady and a very pregnant one, glaring at me.
I start with the one wrapped in my sheet in the bed. "You're gonna want to get dressed and leave."
"Is this your wife?" Her mouth hangs.
Mack's head whips around like the exorcist. "Did I drag your ass outta that bed and down the stairs? No. So, obviously I'm not, but you need to listen to him this time."
Her head bounces from me to Mack and back. "Are you kidding me?"
"I told you, you needed to be gone before eight when you got here this morning." I shrug.
"Eight? In the morning?" Mack fists her sides. "It's almost midnight, Friday. We've been calling you all evening."
"Shit! Why isn't it on?" I frown, diving for my phone. "Boone let you drive over here this late by yourself?"
"I turned it off, I work at night and need my sleep." Mack and I turn to her in unison, wide eyed.
"Maybe so, but he has responsibilities too! Boone's outside with Rumor." Mack crosses her arms over her belly.
"Shit. Sorry." I turn back to my guest. "That's why I told you to leave this morning, I work during the day. I need my phone." I glare at her.
The blonde struggles to get out of the bed without losing the sheet and stumbles to the bathroom. "You wouldn't answer it and Mena kept calling. You didn't tell me you're messing around with Mena too."
Mack rears her head back, narrowing her eyes at me. "I told you, didn't I?"
"So? I'm not attached to anyone, honey."
Her mouth falls slack before she narrows her eyes at me. "My name is Trixie! Mena is a friend of mine!"
"Okay." I hold my hands out to my side. "Still wanting you to leave."
Mack shakes her head. "You're the worst, but yeah, change there and leave that way."
"Seriously?" Trixie yells, slamming the door behind her.
"Why didn't you wake me up earlier?"
Mack's jaw pops, I'm about to get an ear full and I deserve it. "Listen here, ya little trollop. I've run three businesses today because your ass didn't come to work. I sent two people to find you, but you didn't answer, so I came up to find out why. After I saw y'all in bed and the empty fifth bottle, I wasn't bothering."
"I know, I haven't been able to sleep." I rub the back of my neck, waiting for my guest to leave.
Mack's forehead creases. "Are the dreams back?"
My chest rises and falls as I drag in a long, hard breath. "Yeah, for a while now. More vivid than ever."
"It's all making sense now." Mack waddles over to the couch. "You've been drinking more, staying up all night, hooking up with whoever and it never dawned on me you were struggling. I'm sorry."
The bathroom door swings wide. "Hooking up with whom?"
"I don't have time for this." I hold my hand up. "I'm an asshole, I get it. She knows it and now you do. You should go."
"He is an asshole, but you should really get a name first." Mack curls her lip at the blonde, whose mouth is on the floor.
She stomps over, jerking her purse off the nightstand. "You can both go to hell." She hurries out the door, slamming it on her way out.
"Well, I suppose we'll just keep this train wreck going." Mack tries to stand but squirms instead. She pins me with a pointed glare when I laugh. "Help me!"
I hold my hands up, walking over to her. "Sorry, it's funny."
"I'll show you funny." She grips my hands, standing up with my help. "How about I kick you in the nuts?"