Page 25 of Shattered Pieces

“No one messes with that girl. She’s been through enough. Wait here while I talk to the administrator. This won’t get swept under the rug. I want disciplinary action taken against his nurse and anyone else who signed off on it. They should be shut down for medical malpractice,” she scowled, patting my arm again before leaving the room to cause a stir on our behalf.

Marco was asleep when I turned around, his arm tightly around Tyler to spoon him and his hand up the front of his shirt to feel his skin.

Tyler looked tired too, but he seemed content just lying there while Marco slept.

“Josie’s a baddie,” he said as an explanation, and I chuckled, sitting in the chair beside the bed.

“She is. I’m surprised she’s kicking up such a fuss for us.”

“You risked your life for Rory with the drive-by, and you and Marco have been run off your feet trying to help both Rory and Josie since Rory’s arrest. You’re part of the furniture now. Welcome to the club,” he joked.

“Sorry about Mark. He’s stupidly affectionate when he’s high.”

“I don’t mind. The guys snuggle me all the time when I need it. I’m very touchy feely and confident in my sexuality. It’s a shame I’m not into guys. I have some really good looking friends, you know?”

I rolled my eyes at him, knowing he wasn’t even joking.

“He’s not usually so cuddly, he just likes the feel of things when he’s high and sometimes drunk.”

“I get it, me too,” he mumbled before yawning. “Damn, we shouldn’t have stayed up so late gaming.”

“You might as well sleep too. I doubt we’re going anywhere for a while,” I suggested, grabbing Marco’s phone from the bedside table and unlocking it to check in with the guys.

There was no trouble on their end, and I had to stop myself when I went to call Rory, forgetting she couldn’t answer.

Tyler fell asleep fast, and I watched them for a solid two hours before Josie reappeared.

“Are they together too?” she asked with amusement, watching as they slept.

“No, they just have a strong bromance,” I mumbled, looking over at her. “Are they shaking in their boots?”

“Absolutely. They’re looking into a bunch of the nurses for similar issues, so Marco’s nurse has been sent home until further notice. If he needs rehab, it’s covered. The hospital will do anything to keep this out of the papers,” she scoffed, crossing her arms. “I made sure they agreed to give him the best facility too. Do you think he’ll be okay to go home? They said he can be discharged, but they’re also too scared to send him packing until you’re ready.”

“I’ll let him sleep a little longer before we go. Thanks. I would’ve just gotten myself arrested,” I muttered, and she gave me a knowing smile.

“You’re welcome. You’re seeing Rory on Wednesday, correct?”

“Correct.”

“I was hoping to get Caden to come with me on Friday, but—” Her voice drifted off as she let out a sigh.

“He’s angry right now. For the record? I never touched her. It wasn’t like that,” I said quietly, not sure why it mattered that she knew the truth, but it felt right after all she’d been doing for us.

“You tell her I love her and I’ll see her soon. We’ll get her back home where she belongs,” she said confidently, but I wasn’t so sure. Unless I could find the witness and make them vanish permanently before the trial, there was a high chance she might not be getting out any time soon.

“I’ll tell her.”

“You look after Ty. He’s one of my babies,” she warned, and I gave her a smirk.

“Or what? You going to sue me too?”

“Count on it,” she promised, giving my shoulder a gentle squeeze. “You be careful.”

“Always. Thanks again.”

She gave me a nod before leaving, and I waited until Marco started to wake up before deciding it was time to go.

He was groggy, but once he was discharged, we took him straight home and put him in bed again. I didn’t argue when Tyler offered to crash with him, giving me a few hours to handle my own shit.