Theirs (Possession #2)

33. Genevieve

33

Genevieve

T he moment the doctor said my name, I wanted to throw up. His expression was not helping either. I couldn’t lose Cheryl, she had been my rock, my safe haven, my best friend for so long I didn’t know if I could live without her.

Luke squeezed me as Camila sat next to us rubbing my back while I tried to brace myself for the bad news that was coming.

“Ms. Noble, your sister made it out of surgery, but she isn’t out of the danger zone yet,” he said matter-of-factly. “She has lost a lot of blood, we’ve had to remove her spleen?—”

My breathing grew more labored as he talked and all I could think of was losing Cheryl. What would I do without her? How would I survive it? Who would I go to for advice when I wanted something sweet and talk about our problems over ice cream and cheesy romance flicks?

My palms grew sweaty as a buzzing in my ears intensified and my vision started to get fuzzy at the corners. There was pain in my chest, making me wonder if I was having a heart attack. I grabbed my chest trying to breathe, but it felt like nothing was getting to my lungs. I couldn’t lose her.

“Look. At. Me.” A stern voice made me flinch as I looked into Camila’s beautiful face. “Evie, breathe.”

What the hell was happening?

“Focus on me. Take a deep breath with me,” Camila said, cupping my face as she breathed in.

I followed her instructions, each time it was easier to take a full breath of air.

“That’s my good girl,” she said with a small smile. “Another one.”

I took a deep breath, feeling Luke behind me. He was also breathing with me, keeping me close and together they anchored me. My body was shaking a little, but now I could breathe as I took in Camila who was leaning down to look me in the eyes.

I lied when I told Luke I hadn’t heard anything. I heard almost everything and I didn’t miss the most important part. They were falling in love with me, it was on the tip of my tongue. I wanted to tell them that I loved them even if they might not believe me. I really did love them, not because they were here with me, but because of everything that had led up to our time together. The quiet nights at home, the dinner dates, the scenes we did together and all the little things that made me feel appreciated had brought us to this point.

“Are you ready for information about Cheryl?” she asked softly.

“When can I see her?” I shifted on Luke’s lap.

“They said she will be in the ICU in an hour,” Camila said.

“I can see her, right?” I leaned against Luke.

“Yeah, you can, they just need to get her out of surgery and into a room,” she said, running her hand through my hair, inching herself closer to me until we were touching foreheads. “What do you need?”

“You and Luke,” I whispered, as a tear rolled down my cheek. “I just need both of you. Please don’t leave.”

“You have us, Evie,” Luke said. “We will be here for as long as you need us.”

His voice broke at the end as he held me closer, leaning his head against mine.

“I want you always,” I said, knowing it wasn’t enough, but I didn’t want them to think this was it.

“We want you always too,” Luke said, as we all got closer.

I sighed, enjoying the comfort they were bringing me. I didn’t have to do this alone.

“Are you hungry?” Camila asked, kissing my temple.

“Not really,” I said, pulling her to me when she moved away.

“When was the last time you ate?” Luke asked.

“Uh… I don’t know,” I said, my lip trembled as I replayed the phone call and how I had rushed over here in the middle of the night.

“How about some soup?” Camila pulled away and grabbed a small container that had a lid. “If you can eat a little, I also have some tea or coffee.”

I finally looked to see that she had a whole tray of food and drinks. My lip trembled again as I was hit with emotions I had been so stupid to ignore. I grabbed the container and took a sip of the lukewarm soup, hoping that my sister was ok and that we would make it.

Cheryl still hadn’t woken up fully, her eyes fluttered open, but when I spoke to her she didn’t look like she was comprehending anything. The doctor said it was a good sign and he expected her to wake more often, but it would be a while before she would stay awake for longer periods of time. She had two broken ribs, a broken arm, she had lost a spleen, but her brain injury was the most worrisome to the doctors.

It had been two days since Camila and Luke had come to the hospital. Two days of feeling happy and sad, of hating what was happening, but grateful I had them with me. I hadn’t been sleeping well, too scared to fall asleep and miss another moment when she woke up. I was due for another shower.

Vincent was able to pull some strings and we were able to get her moved to a private suite. This allowed Camila and Luke to be with me, even if there wasn't much going on.

“Evie, how about you go home or to our place and get a good night's rest,” Luke said softly. “I can stay here and if anything changes, I will give you a call.”

“I want to be here if something happens,” I said, feeling exhausted, but I wanted to be here when she woke up again. “I've been sleeping.”

“That damn chair is not comfortable for you,” Camila said getting up. “We can go home, shower, take a nap and come back.”

She stood in front of me with her hand out.

“Come on, Mistress,” Camila said, her voice full of authority. “Let’s go.”

I looked at Cheryl before taking her hand.

“I want to be back in a few hours,” I said, getting nervous about leaving.

“We will, but you need to rest,” Luke said standing up.

“I hope you didn’t have sex in here.” Cheryl’s voice had me whipping my head around to see her.

“Oh my god!” I rushed to the bed to grab her hand.

“Genny, you're too loud.” She scrunched up her face slowly opening her eyes.

“I’m going to go get a doctor,” Camila said.

“Tell them I want a steak.” Cheryl’s voice was hoarse.

I laughed, as tears streamed down my face. “Are you in pain?”

“I’m thirsty,” she whispered.

Luke immediately handed me a cup with a straw. Cheryl took a few swallows. wincing each time she drank.

“Genny,” she said, pushing the cup away. “I was so fucking scared.”

Tears fell down her face.

“I saw the car coming and I swear it's been playing over and over again in my head,” she shuddered.

“You’re safe,” I said. “I've got you.”

“We’ve got you ladies,” Luke said, as Camila came in with a doctor.

It was a flurry of activity as the doctors checked on Cheryl. As much as I wanted her home with me, the doctors needed to watch her for the next day or two to make sure her head injury didn’t cause any additional problems. Luke and Camila stayed with us either together or one at a time. We took shifts to sleep and shower, but I wouldn’t feel at ease until Cheryl was home with me.

It was finally the day that she was going to be released and I was a mess, worried that something might go wrong. She had been at the hospital for almost a week, her Traumatic Brain Injury was interfering with her memory and day-to-day function. The doctor was confident she was going to make a full recovery, but it would take time and a lot of therapy.

Cheryl and I were waiting for her discharge papers, getting more and more antsy.

“I see you made up with them,” Cheryl said with her eyes closed, it had been an eventful morning, and I knew she was probably exhausted.

“I did…” I debated if I should tell her, but I felt like I needed to tell someone. “I… love them.”

I thought saying it out loud would be scary, but it felt freeing, like a weight had been taken off my shoulders.

“Oh, thank god, Genny,” she groaned. “I thought I was going to have to spell it out for you or make up a cheer.”

“A cheer?” I looked at Cheryl, wondering if she was confused again.

“Yeah, give me a D. D! Give me an U. U! Give me a M. M! Give me a B. B!”

“Ok, I know I was being dumb,” I said, rolling my eyes.

“Nah, I was going for dumbass, but dumb works too,” she chuckled, wincing from the pain in her ribs. “But I’m glad you aren't going to let her win.”

“Let who win?” I stood up standing next to her bed.

“Our mother,” she said softly. “She’s taken so much from us already, don’t let her take your happiness, Genevieve. You deserve them and they deserve you. You guys are in love, anyone can see that. I almost don’t want to go home with you.”

“They haven’t said they love me,” I said.

“You don’t need the word to see it on their faces every day, and their actions tell me they would move mountains for you.” She opened her eyes. “I will admit I was worried their love wouldn’t be the same as their love for each other, but Genevieve, you’d have to be blind not to see that they look at you the same way they look at each other. You might not all have started the relationship at the same time, but that doesn’t mean you weren’t always supposed to be theirs.”

“I think a part of me always knew, but I was too scared to see it,” I said.

“Don’t let her win, be obnoxiously happy,” she sniffled. “Live the life she always wanted but do it in a healthy way. Break the cycle.”

Her last words broke me, and we held each other as we cried. I was tired of holding back and not just in my love life, but in all aspects of life. I kept people at arm’s length because I was always afraid of being disappointed.

The nurse came in and picked up Cheryl in a wheelchair. Camila and Luke were waiting for us in his big truck that I worried Cheryl wouldn’t be able to get into, until he lifted her like she weighed nothing. I think she also fell in love with Luke.

The drive to my house was quiet, so I ordered dinner to be delivered from our favorite sushi spot. The elevator made Cheryl feel a little queasy, but the moment we entered my home, I felt so much better.

“Where should I sit you down?” Luke walked into the living room with Cheryl still in his arms.

“I’m fine here,” Cheryl said, leaning against Luke’s shoulder as Camila laughed.

He laughed. “If you wanna be in these arms, I’m gonna need to sit down, darlin’.”

“God, that southern twang is so sexy,” Cheryl sighed. “I guess you can take me to my room, I think I need a nap before dinner.”

“Am I going to have to deal with you flirting with him?” I led the way to the room she usually slept in.

When I reached the door, I stopped in my tracks.

“What the hell is this?”

The guest room was not like I had left it. It had been rearranged. The bed had been changed, a rail was set up along the edge, but it also sat upright like a hospital bed, a TV had been put in here along with a walker and what looked to be medical supplies.

“Oh, thank god.” Cheryl broke the silence. “I was wondering how the hell I was going to get in and out of bed.”

“We had one of these in our guest room and figured it would be easier to get in and out of,” Luke said, nudging me forward. “My buddy is a therapist and helped me pick out the equipment you might need and if we need to, we can get more.”

I stepped out of the way speechless as I watched Luke put her in the bed.

“Oh god, these sheets are amazing,” Cheryl gushed.

“Camila has a great contact for linens and these are her favorites,” he said, as Camila came into the room with a glass of water and a few snacks.

“I’m absolutely in love with this linen company,” she said, placing the things on the nightstand. “We also got your prescription and I think you can have a pain pill in about an hour and a half.”

Camila and Luke settled Cheryl into the room talking about all the things they brought and what we might do in the future if she needed more help. My lips trembled as they took care of my sister like she was their own. They talked and laughed until Camila tucked her in.

If I didn’t love them already, I think this would have cemented my feelings because I didn’t know how much I needed to see them care for my sister like they did. We walked out of the room leaving Cheryl to sleep. Camila and Luke walked into the kitchen as I followed. I was still stunned by their thoughtfulness, watching them move around my kitchen like they had been doing it for years.

“Amor, do you want a snack before dinner?” Luke looked at me expectantly before I realized he was speaking to me.

“Um…” My lip trembled as they stared at me.

“Oh no, Evie, did we overstep?” Camila rushed to me. “I thought it was going to help you.”

“We didn’t want you to worry about making her comfortable,” Luke said quickly.

“It was only?—”

I didn’t let Camila finish talking before I pulled her in for a kiss. She gasped before molding her lips against mine and I took control of the kiss, slipping my tongue against hers slowly. I sucked on her bottom lip before grabbing Luke and pulling him in for a kiss too. He moaned into my mouth, making my heart flutter. My body craved to be close to them.

“I love you,” I said against Luke’s lips.

“I love you.” I turned toward Camila and kissed her again. “You don’t have to say it, but I just wanted to know that I think I have?—”

“Evie,” Camila said.

“No, please let me say this. I need you to know that I think I have loved you for a while now, I just didn’t know what it was.” I sniffled as they came closer, but I couldn’t look at them yet. “I’m not mad that you did all of that for Cheryl, I’m just surprised… It’s always been her and I with no one to help us through anything. You took care of her like she was your family and… You don’t know how much that means to me. I just wanted to say thank you and I love you so much.”

“I love you too,” Luke said, grabbing me and kissing me. “I love you.”

“I love you,” I said against his lips, before Camila pulled me away.

She cupped my face, looking conflicted and I hated that she looked worried, like she couldn’t believe it.

“I. Love. You. Camila.” I cupped her face. “I know you might not believe me, but you have given me so much and you don’t even know it.”

I kissed her softly on the lips.

“I don’t deserve you or Luke, I might never, but I don’t think I could live without you, not after—” My voice broke. “Not after how you've taken care of me and my sister. No one has ever done that and each day I expected you to leave us, but now you’re stuck with me.”

“You deserve everything whether you believe it or not, Evie,” she said leaning in closer. “I love you too.”

Her kiss was sweet and it made my heart so full of love. Luke and Camila were amazing through and through. They were so loving and compassionate. I didn’t deserve them, but I would spend every day showing them I did and that every day they would be mine and I’d be theirs.