Page 6 of Insatiable

Tate made me happy. No matter how many women came and went in my life, none of them compared to a Saturday morning with my best friend next to me singing our hearts out together. The elevator door opens to a quiet corridor in the private patients wing. The moment the world stopped spinning for me was the night Cace called me and told me what happened to our girl. I stopped working, not that I needed to, but I couldn’t focus on anything other than Tate. It’s like the light bulb came back on in my head, telling me this isn’t what I want. I was doing it because deep down I know she would have wanted me to succeed. Ultimately, Tate was my light. As long as she shone down on me, I was alright. Knowing she was out there in the world killing it kept me going every day, until that one phone call changed everything.

I became obsessed after Sean told me that they couldn’t find the bastard who tried to kill her, and I focused my energy and resources to look for him digitally. I put everything on hold because I dropped the ball with her eight years ago, and I don’t plan on doing it again. I want Tate to be comfortable, so I made sure all of her hospital bills are covered, and she was given a private room for her recovery. The last thing I want is for her to worry about her medical expenses. It’s bad enough she has to think about what that asshole took from her. Sean said it was only a matter of time before they catch him. Regardless, I have put my people on it. The LAPD was taking too damn long. Everyone leaves a digital footprint these days, so it’s only a matter of time before we find him. You can run but you can’t hide forever James.

“Can I help you, sir?” A nurse stands up from where she was sitting at the nurse’s station, she greets me with a warm smile as I approach. I catch a glimpse inside one of the rooms as I pass. There’s a woman lying there asleep on her hospital bed while a man sits on a chair reading out loud from a book. The beeps and hisses of machines can be heard coming from the rooms I pass, even with the noise of the machines, it’s quiet. People sit with their loved ones as they visit with them, everyone is in their own little bubble as a peaceful calm feeling hangs in the air.

“Hi. I am here to pick up Tate Charles. She’s being discharged today,” I lean forward and whisper to her. Her smile only widens.

“Which one are you?” she asks, mirroring me by leaning in to whisper the question back to me.

“Let me guess, Cace told you I was coming?” I smile as she nods her head.

“Oh yes, Dr. Morgan has told me all about his mysterious friends.” She smiles at me and picks up some paperwork and hands it over to me.

“This is all the information Ms. Charles will need for her outpatient care. I am sure Dr. Morgan will more than happy to explain all of this to her once she’s settled. She’s down the hall and on the right, room 112.”

“Thank you.” I smile at her, grateful for her kindness and make my way down the hall.

“Jay.” I turn at the sound of my name to see the nurse quickly pushing a wheelchair towards me.

“When she’s ready, tell her she has no choice.” She indicates to the chair with her hands, and I can’t help but smirk. Knowing Tate, she is going to give me a hard time and the nurse knows it too.

“By the way,” The nurse says as she lets go of the chair before she looks me in the eye before she continues, “Ms. Charles, well, Tate.” She hesitates and stops herself. She goes to turn around but decides against it and proceeds to speak again. “You three are doing a wonderful thing, but if you expect her to just fall into your arms after all she’s been through—” She doesn’t finish but offers me a sad smile. “My advice to you all is to take it slow. Be the supportive friends she needs you all to be, and she will heal with time.” She pats my hand and turns and goes back behind the station.

“Nurse Grey,” she says from behind me as I start rolling the chair towards the room.

It’s not long before I hear Tate’s voice. It has me picking up the pace and I hear Cace speak.

“About that.” I knew it! For some reason I knew he was going to wait until the last minute to tell her. “Tate, hear me out.” I leave the chair right outside and stand in the doorway shooting daggers into Cace’s back. Not that he could feel it.

“What’s wrong?” Cace asks Tate as her face morphs from concern to complete shock as her eyes go wide and her mouth flies open when she sees me.

I smile as the sight of her. No, I am relieved. It has taken all the strength and control I had not to go against Cace’s wishes and barge in here to see her. Her hair is cut short, barely starting to grow back with a medium sized scar on the left side of her scalp. My rage scratches at my insides to see her scar, visible proof of her suffering, but I am so damn happy to see her I force it down. I know she was injured, but to see it in person makes it real, and I feel overcome with emotion. I search her face, seeking comfort in being in her presence. ‘She’s alive,’ I think to myself. She’s lost too much weight since I saw her last. My girl needs some meat on her bones. I can remedy that. Her big brown eyes, full kissable lips, and her reddish-brown skin, she looks exactly as I remember her.

“Hey, Tatter-tot.” I take a step forward and Cace stops me with his arm. I shove his arm out of the way without a backward glance and I lift her up out of the seat. I close my eyes and wrap my arms around her tight. She smells like cocoa butter and feels like heaven.

“Jay,” she says my name softly. I reluctantly pull away to look at her face and set her back on her feet.

“Your chariot awaits.” She looks so confused as her eyes shift from mine to Cace’s, she’s so cute.

“Like I was trying to tell her,” Cace starts to speak again but Tate steps away from me and looks around me to him.

“Oh, Cace, what have you not told me?” She quirks her eyebrow and shoots me a smirk, complete with an eye roll.

“It feels like old times,” I say to her, and she gives me a small smile. Though I could tell by the guarded look in her eyes she isn’t up for my usual comedic antics.

I guess Nurse Grey was right, we better take this slow because our girl is definitely a flight risk. I am here now, and I have no intentions of letting her go. My job from here on out is to take care of Tate, whether she wants me to or not.

“Tate, let us take care of you, please,” I plead as Jay rolls her to the elevator in the wheelchair he must have procured from Nurse Grey. At least she finally agreed to sit in it, the infernally stubborn woman.

“I don’t like being ambushed, Cace. I can take care of myself. I don’t need your pity. I have enough shit to comb through back home anyway.” Tate’s head is down, and she refuses to look at either of us since Jay’s arrival. I would give anything to know what she was thinking right now.

I reach out my hand out to Jay to get his attention and we lock eyes. Removing my hand from him I mouth, “Stop.”

He quickly looks down at Tate, then back to me. “Fix this,” he mouths back. Jay stops just as we reach the elevator and I move in the front of the wheelchair.

“Why have you stopped?” Tate ask, again not looking up. She’s completely shut down. After seeing her panic attack before the Detectives left, I don’t want her to have another episode. I drop to my knees in front of her. I couldn’t care less who sees me like this. Yes, respectable doctors know how to beg and plead. I’m not a robot, although Jay and Sean would probably say differently.

“Look at me, Tay.” She doesn’t move and I look up at Jay. His eyes widen, his hands are gesturing wildly, it is almost laughable. Jay’s hands press together in prayer, and I catch his meaning. I was already begging. I was on my knees for a reason. Slowly, I reach out with my hand and touch Tate’s chin. I want to stroke her face, to bring her soft lips to mine and tell her everything will be okay, we were here now. I lift her head up and our eyes meet. Her eyes are full of sadness, and watery with unshed tears.