There was a loud thunk on the other side of the door. A moment later, Brian yanked it open. He had a sheet bunched around his naked hips. His entire body was drenched in sweat and his shoulder-length black hair stuck to his damp face and neck.
“This better be important.”
“Is that Sed?” Myrna appeared behind Brian, cinching a bathrobe around her waist.
“And Jessica,” Brian grumbled.
While Brian scowled at this discovery, Myrna grinned. “You two should consider getting your own room. We’re using every square inch of ours.”
Sed didn’t know how to break the news other than just blurting it. “It’s Trey. He had a seizure and he’s in the ICU at the hospital. He keeps asking for you, Brian, so Eric sent me to find you.”
“Trey?” Brian said, dumbstruck.
Myrna’s knowing grin faded. “It’s his head injury, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, he has a subdur- hema…um…”
“A subdural hematoma?” Myrna winced. “Are they draining it?”
“Yeah, I guess,” Sed said. “I don’t really know.”
“I’ll find Brian some clothes and we’ll be right out,” Myrna promised.
Myrna tugged Brian inside and closed the door.
Sed leaned against the wall heavily. “Thanks, Jessica. I couldn’t have done this without you.”
She smiled and nodded. “I feel kind of responsible for the entire thing.”
“Why? It’s my fault.”
She shook her head. “You should call Eric and let them know we found Brian.”
He dialed Eric, who answered on the first ring.
“Did you find him?”
“Yeah, we’ll be on our way in a few minutes. Which hospital?”
Eric relayed the hospital’s location. The hotel suite door opened and Brian emerged, still pulling his shirt over his head. Myrna closed the door behind them, stumbling against the wall as she tried to walk and put on her shoes at the same time.
“Lead the way,” Myrna said.
When they were all on the elevator, Myrna leaned against Brian and brushed the hair from his face. “He’ll be fine, sweetheart.”
“What’s a subdural whatever-you-call-it?” Sed asked Myrna, who seemed to understand what was going on.
“It’s when a person bleeds under the membrane that covers their brain. The blood has nowhere to go, so it just keeps building up and pressing on the brain. That’s what causes injury, so they’ve got to drain the blood before…” She averted her gaze. “His brain is probably fine.”
“Probably?” Brian asked, his voice cracking.
Myrna kissed Brian’s jaw. “We’ll know more when we get to the hospital, but he’s been walking around with this injury for over a day. The blood took a long while to accumulate, so he can’t be hemorrhaging much.”
“Goddamned Eric starting fights,” Brian said. “And you,” he said, his intense brown eyes swiveling to focus on Sed. “If you’d think with your head instead of your c**k on occasion, this would have never happened.” His gaze moved to Jessica. “And why are you here anyway?”
“She helped me find you,” Sed said. “Why didn’t you tell anyone where you were going and then shut off your f**king cell phone?”
Brian leaned heavily against the back of the elevator car and pressed on his temples with both hands. “I don’t know. I’m stupid. I was only thinking about myself.”
“Brian—” Jessica started.
“Don’t speak to me. You have no idea what kind of damage you left behind when you walked out on Sed.”
Jessica’s eyes widened and she glanced at Sed in disbelief.
Great. Just what he needed: Jessica to know she was his greatest weakness.
“Brian, I know you’re upset, sweetheart, but—” Myrna began.
“Don’t you dare side with them.”
“I’m not siding with anyone. I know you’re upset and I don’t want you to say something you’ll regret.”
“Why would I regret telling the truth? You f**ked him up big time when you left him, Jessica. He hurts everyone around him without regard for anything but his f**king libido.”
Sed couldn’t argue. He’d hurt Brian more than anyone, because, as a romantic, Brian was the easiest to hurt. Sed had seduced every one of Brian’s girlfriends with the exception of Myrna. He’d have slept with Myrna too, if she’d allowed it.
“I suppose you’re f**king her now.” Brian pointed at Jessica, who flinched.
Sed and Jessica avoided each other’s gazes.
“God! You’re such an idiot!” Brian reached over and slapped Sed alongside the head. “She’s just going to destroy you again, man. You have the shortest memory of anyone I know.”
Sed knew Jessica would destroy him. He knew it, but he loved her anyway. He’d always loved her. He’d never stopped loving her, and he’d still love her after she knifed him in the heart again. Even now she was setting him up to knock him down and he honestly didn’t care. Whatever she had in mind couldn’t be worse than living without her.
Unless she planned on leaving him again.
His gaze swiveled to the object of his obsession, who was pointedly staring at the floor in front of her. She wouldn’t do that again, would she? God, he wouldn’t survive if he had to watch her walk away from him again.
The cab sat waiting for them outside the hotel. Sed slid into the front seat with the driver, leaving Brian, Myrna and Jessica to climb into the back. All the way to the hospital, the interior of the cab remained silent. Sed stared out the windshield, wondering how he could possibly fix this mess. He’d do anything to make it better. But really, what could he do? He wasn’t a doctor. He didn’t have any influence over the functioning of a hospital. He had to try to do something, though. Sitting back and letting things happen was never on his agenda.
The cab driver dropped them off in front of the emergency room. The front desk directed them to Trey’s room upstairs in the ICU. There, they found Eric pacing the hall.
Eric seized Brian in a bear hug. “Oh good, oh good, you made it.”
Brian pulled away and glanced into the nearest door. “Is he in there?”
“Yeah. Dare’s with him. All my pacing was making Trey nervous, so he told me to get lost.”
Brian grabbed Myrna’s hand and pulled her into the room. Jessica stayed behind in the hallway with Eric, while Sed followed the newlyweds. They found Dare sitting on the edge of Trey’s bed, talking to him in hushed tones.
“This better be important.”
“Is that Sed?” Myrna appeared behind Brian, cinching a bathrobe around her waist.
“And Jessica,” Brian grumbled.
While Brian scowled at this discovery, Myrna grinned. “You two should consider getting your own room. We’re using every square inch of ours.”
Sed didn’t know how to break the news other than just blurting it. “It’s Trey. He had a seizure and he’s in the ICU at the hospital. He keeps asking for you, Brian, so Eric sent me to find you.”
“Trey?” Brian said, dumbstruck.
Myrna’s knowing grin faded. “It’s his head injury, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, he has a subdur- hema…um…”
“A subdural hematoma?” Myrna winced. “Are they draining it?”
“Yeah, I guess,” Sed said. “I don’t really know.”
“I’ll find Brian some clothes and we’ll be right out,” Myrna promised.
Myrna tugged Brian inside and closed the door.
Sed leaned against the wall heavily. “Thanks, Jessica. I couldn’t have done this without you.”
She smiled and nodded. “I feel kind of responsible for the entire thing.”
“Why? It’s my fault.”
She shook her head. “You should call Eric and let them know we found Brian.”
He dialed Eric, who answered on the first ring.
“Did you find him?”
“Yeah, we’ll be on our way in a few minutes. Which hospital?”
Eric relayed the hospital’s location. The hotel suite door opened and Brian emerged, still pulling his shirt over his head. Myrna closed the door behind them, stumbling against the wall as she tried to walk and put on her shoes at the same time.
“Lead the way,” Myrna said.
When they were all on the elevator, Myrna leaned against Brian and brushed the hair from his face. “He’ll be fine, sweetheart.”
“What’s a subdural whatever-you-call-it?” Sed asked Myrna, who seemed to understand what was going on.
“It’s when a person bleeds under the membrane that covers their brain. The blood has nowhere to go, so it just keeps building up and pressing on the brain. That’s what causes injury, so they’ve got to drain the blood before…” She averted her gaze. “His brain is probably fine.”
“Probably?” Brian asked, his voice cracking.
Myrna kissed Brian’s jaw. “We’ll know more when we get to the hospital, but he’s been walking around with this injury for over a day. The blood took a long while to accumulate, so he can’t be hemorrhaging much.”
“Goddamned Eric starting fights,” Brian said. “And you,” he said, his intense brown eyes swiveling to focus on Sed. “If you’d think with your head instead of your c**k on occasion, this would have never happened.” His gaze moved to Jessica. “And why are you here anyway?”
“She helped me find you,” Sed said. “Why didn’t you tell anyone where you were going and then shut off your f**king cell phone?”
Brian leaned heavily against the back of the elevator car and pressed on his temples with both hands. “I don’t know. I’m stupid. I was only thinking about myself.”
“Brian—” Jessica started.
“Don’t speak to me. You have no idea what kind of damage you left behind when you walked out on Sed.”
Jessica’s eyes widened and she glanced at Sed in disbelief.
Great. Just what he needed: Jessica to know she was his greatest weakness.
“Brian, I know you’re upset, sweetheart, but—” Myrna began.
“Don’t you dare side with them.”
“I’m not siding with anyone. I know you’re upset and I don’t want you to say something you’ll regret.”
“Why would I regret telling the truth? You f**ked him up big time when you left him, Jessica. He hurts everyone around him without regard for anything but his f**king libido.”
Sed couldn’t argue. He’d hurt Brian more than anyone, because, as a romantic, Brian was the easiest to hurt. Sed had seduced every one of Brian’s girlfriends with the exception of Myrna. He’d have slept with Myrna too, if she’d allowed it.
“I suppose you’re f**king her now.” Brian pointed at Jessica, who flinched.
Sed and Jessica avoided each other’s gazes.
“God! You’re such an idiot!” Brian reached over and slapped Sed alongside the head. “She’s just going to destroy you again, man. You have the shortest memory of anyone I know.”
Sed knew Jessica would destroy him. He knew it, but he loved her anyway. He’d always loved her. He’d never stopped loving her, and he’d still love her after she knifed him in the heart again. Even now she was setting him up to knock him down and he honestly didn’t care. Whatever she had in mind couldn’t be worse than living without her.
Unless she planned on leaving him again.
His gaze swiveled to the object of his obsession, who was pointedly staring at the floor in front of her. She wouldn’t do that again, would she? God, he wouldn’t survive if he had to watch her walk away from him again.
The cab sat waiting for them outside the hotel. Sed slid into the front seat with the driver, leaving Brian, Myrna and Jessica to climb into the back. All the way to the hospital, the interior of the cab remained silent. Sed stared out the windshield, wondering how he could possibly fix this mess. He’d do anything to make it better. But really, what could he do? He wasn’t a doctor. He didn’t have any influence over the functioning of a hospital. He had to try to do something, though. Sitting back and letting things happen was never on his agenda.
The cab driver dropped them off in front of the emergency room. The front desk directed them to Trey’s room upstairs in the ICU. There, they found Eric pacing the hall.
Eric seized Brian in a bear hug. “Oh good, oh good, you made it.”
Brian pulled away and glanced into the nearest door. “Is he in there?”
“Yeah. Dare’s with him. All my pacing was making Trey nervous, so he told me to get lost.”
Brian grabbed Myrna’s hand and pulled her into the room. Jessica stayed behind in the hallway with Eric, while Sed followed the newlyweds. They found Dare sitting on the edge of Trey’s bed, talking to him in hushed tones.
