Page 199 of Fame & Chaos

“Indi.”

“Yeah?”

“I’m sorry for everything.”

“I know,” she whispers. “Me too.” She stands and nuzzles into my neck. I lift my hand to her nape, touching her because I still can’t quite believe she’s here.

“Marry me?” I ask.

She chuckles softly and shakes her head. “Caleb, you’re full of morphine. You’ve just come out of surgery, and we’ve had a very emotional conversation. I don’t think now is the right time.”

“I’ll ask again,” I murmur. “And one day you’ll say yes.”

“Close your eyes and rest.” She squeezes my hand. “I love you, Caleb, and I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be here when you wake up. I promise.”

I tighten my grip on hers as best I can, close my eyes, and let sleep drag me under.

Chapter Thirty-Five

Caleb

One week later, I was still in the hospital after developing a minor infection in my incision, but thankfully, it cleared up with another round of intravenous antibiotics. Mum and Dad barely left my hospital room, and Indi didn’t either. Even though the hospital was technically her workplace, she wanted to be there for me every second she could. It made everything easier. Not the pain, the endless aching throughout my body, or the memories the hospital dragged up from when I was a kid, but having everyone around me made it all a hell of a lot easier to get through.

Annie cried so hard the first time she saw me. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her that upset before, and it honestly broke my heart. Poor thing looked absolutely shattered. But Indi reassured her over and over that I was going to be fine and that she’d make sure her cousin was back on his feet and fighting fit in no time.

The police came in and took my statement. It was hard to tell them much, seeing as I couldn’t remember anything, but they also took statements from Aston, Chad, and Johnny. Then they charged me with driving without due care and attention and, of course, drink driving. My blood alcohol level came back at eighty-five, and since the legal limit is eighty, I was over. They said because I had no prior offenses and my driving record was otherwise flawless, it would work in my favor. Still didn’t change the fact that I fucked up.

My baby, my Lexus, the gorgeous car I’d worked my ass off for, was totaled. I hit the tree on the left-hand side, and the impact crushed the entire side inward. The trunk punched through so violently that it shoved me hard against the driver’s side door, which explained why most of the damage to my body was on the left side. I couldn’t even bring myself to look at the wreck. I just let Dad deal with all of it and haven’t bothered buying a new car.

After consulting with our lawyer, he’s pretty confident I’ll lose my license for at least a year, so there’s no point owning a car right now anyway. It’s going to make getting to and from Oxfordshire a pain in the ass, but Chad already said he’d drive me wherever I need to go, seeing as we both live in London, and if Chad can’t, Indi will. Still, I can’t help feeling like less of a man. I can’t even drive my girlfriend around anymore. It’s fucking pathetic, and completely my own fault.

We pull up at my house on the way home from the hospital. Indi is staying with me while I recover, and after that, we will seriously discuss where she’ll live. I want her to move in permanently, but she wants to take things slow, which I understand. Honestly, after everything we’ve been through, I get it.

Rob was surprisingly cool about me being out of action for a while. He said the gigs he’d lined up weren’t anything huge anyway and that we could focus on recording the album while I recovered. I’m glad because at least I’ll feel useful. There’s no way I could run around onstage right now even if I wanted to. Hell, walking to the bathroom is enough to nearly take me out.

Indi stops the car and gets out at lightning speed while I fumble with my seatbelt and try to open the door. Before I can even reach the handle, she’s already there, opening it for me.

I huff while she leans in, slipping her arms beneath mine to help lift me out. She’s tiny, so I’m not entirely convinced how much support she can realistically give me, but somehow she manages.

“C’mon, up you get,” she says softly.

I wince as I straighten and instinctively shift most of my weight onto my right side.

“You okay?”

I close my eyes briefly, trying not to show her how much pain I’m really in. I want to be brave for her. I definitely don’t want her worrying any more than she already is, and when I open my eyes, I force a smile.

“There’s that panty-dropping smile I love,” she teases, making me chuckle.

“Baby, I’m all for you dropping your panties, but maybe wait till we get inside at least. I don’t want the neighborhood seeing what’s mine.”

She giggles and ducks beneath my arm, helping support me as we slowly make our way to the front door.

“Right, for the rest of today, I want you in bed while I bring you food and pain meds. Then tomorrow, maybe we can get adventurous and move you to the living room. How does that sound?”

I roll my eyes. She’s definitely going to be more nurse, Indi, than girlfriend, Indi, for the next few weeks.

“How about a compromise?” I ask while she slides the key into the lock.