Page 27 of Drive Me Crazy

Ridge: I got her.

Landon: She's not good.

Ridge: No, she's more.

Ridge: Always has been.

Landon: Be prepared. She might not want to see you.

Ridge: I'm okay with that.

I shove my phone in my pocket and call the elevator. When the doors open, I step in and hit the number four. The doors close, and although I know it's coming, I'm jarred from the jerk of the takeoff.

I reach for the bar on the wall. "Now, get a grip on yourself." I mutter, shaking my head at the way my stomach is knotting. I manage to harness my nervous energy by the time I get to the fourth floor.

The doors open with a ding, prompting me to step off. On the wall across from me is a list of rooms, left wing, and right wing with the numbers of each. She's on the right.

I trudge down the long corridor, turning left into the Critical Care Unit waiting area. I catch a lucky break, squeezing through as another person walks out the locked doors.

It draws major ire from me, concerned her husband could do the same while she's here. "That can't happen again."

As soon as I walk around the corner, I can see the guard outside her room. I round it with a smile and find a sizeable man, wearing a stern glare for me. I hold my hand up, stopping short of him and the door.

"How's it goin'?" I nod. "I'm Harper and Landon's old friend, he told me she was here. Long nights deserve some hot coffee."

I'm a big guy, but when he stands, he towers over me. "Your name?"

"Ridge," my eyes flicker to the window where she's laying in the bed. "Ridge Willis."

"Ah, yes. Mr. Jennings texted a few minutes ago, I didn't realize he meant you would be here now." He offers me a polite smile.

I hold the beverage carrier up to him. "Like I said, I wanted to check on you both."

"Thank you, I appreciate the consideration and java." He takes a cup of joe and sits back down. I wander over to the chair by the window, never taking my eyes from her.

A rage slowly builds, emerging and racing through my veins. Anger is too simple of a word to characterize the rage in me right now. It's more palpable, almost tangible in the fact I feel as though I could weld it into harming him.

"Has she been restless all night?" I grind my jaw as she shifts in her bed.

His mouth mashes into a thin line. "Yeah, she hasn't rested at aall. She's been through a lot."

"I've been told. He'll get what he deserves, and I'll deliver it." I grasp the chair arm, digging my fingers in.

The guard chuckles, leaning toward me with his hand out. "Clarence."

"Nice to meet you." I take his hand, shaking it.

He inclines his head. "How long?"

"Oh, we grew up together." I answer flatly.

He grins, nodding. "So, you haven't told her."

"Excuse me?" I cut my eyes to Harper and back, frowning.

"That you're in love with her." He searches my face before looking away. "You better not wait any longer, she was close to being gone this time."

"As the saying goes," I drag in a deep breath. "if it were only that easy."

"I can see how it might be complicated. Still, you need to try, it could make a difference." He tilts his cup back, taking a gulp.

I lean forward, resting my elbows on my knees. There's no stopping me from gazing through the window on the door. I watch as she tosses and turns, restless. It speaks to my soul as I replay the highlights of our life together.

A hundred million times, I've went to her in my dreams, sharing with her what she means to me and the regret I have for not stopping him. I loathe my existence most days. My heart aches for the time wasted, time better spent worshipping at her feet.

"I'll do whatever it takes to make her mine, even if it drives her crazy. I'm not gonna give up until she's madly in love with me." The words fall off my tongue as easy as my heart beats for her.