His Always: Book 1 Rhodes Character Series

Chapter 17: Tate (corrected)

I stare at the monitor, quietly enjoying the rhythm of Natalies steady heartbeat for once. Hopefully, she is asleep for the night. The exhausting efforts in the shower just about did her in for the evening. Finally, for the first time in the last forty-eight hours, she looks like herself. She looks peaceful and relaxed. It could be the shower or could be the nice cocktail of drugs flowing through her IV. I lay next to her in the recliner trying to will my body to feel just as relaxed as hers but I feel wired instead. I open my phone, immediately turning the volume and brightness down to not disturb Natalie next to me. I click open my group message with the boys.
Me: Are you all still here at the hospital? Just got Natalie showered and asleep.
Eric: Down in the ER. About to catch some zzs in an on call room. Do you ned anything?
Eric: What a day...
Me: No – have the police found Thomas?
James: I spoke to the officers before they left after giving them the samples from nat. They were going to put a warrant out for his arrest.
I suck in breath. This feels really real now. My adrenaline is coming down and the intensity of the day is weighing on me. I can't believe we are talking about Thomas. The guy we have all hung around for years. Hell, all the girls have hung around him for years. It doesn't feel real. No one still knows what exactly happened between the two of them. The places my mind wonders deeply unsettles me. I can't decide if what my imagination can draw up could possibly be worse that hearing the actual accounts of what happened to her.
I have to also be okay never knowing the truth. I, nor is anyone else, entitled to hear this story. If Natalie never utters a word to me – I have to be okay with that. Whatever she needs to heal from this, I need to be supportive of. The sound of Natalie shifting around in her bed brings me out of my thoughts. I hold my breath. Please don't wake up. You're okay. I think to myself. She is exhausted in every single way a person can be. I exhale the breath I was holding when she settles back down and remains asleep. A nurse would be in here soon anyways to update her vitals. The group message pings again.
James: I am going to come up after this consult and get all of her vitals and chart updated. I told Natalie I would involve as little amount of random hospital staff as possible.
James: I'll text before i come up.
Me: ok. no rush. I have been monitoring vitals. She should be due for meds in about an hour.
I put my phone down on my chest and try to close my eyes. I want to try and get some sleep now in case this is the only opportunity to sleep the rest of the night. I think we have kept her physical pain manageable but you never know when the side effects of mental pain will come about. I take a deep breath and beg my subconscious to will me to sleep.
—
I wake to her voice. The room is pitch black and I can't seem to get a sense of my surroundings. "Tate, are you awake?" Natalie asks in a hushed whisper. I wipe my eyes. "Yes, sweetness, I am right here. What do you need? Are you in pain?" I hear her moving around on the bed. The starchy sheets crinkling under her tiny frame. "Don't move to much." I add. I don't know if she is out of it, but I don't want her to rip her stitches again. Or go falling onto the floor for goodness sake. I stand when she doesn't answer me. "Nat," I probe again "What do you need baby?" I can hear her taking deep breaths. I try to find my phone to look at the time.
"I don't think James gave me anything for my nausea when he gave me my meds last. Can you look?" Wait, James was here and didn't wake me? Did she dream that? I hit the switch next to Natalie's bed and warm light fills the room. She instinctively cuddles deeper into the bed. I don't answer her yet and instead walk over to try and find where her chart ended up. Once located, I flip through the pages as the door to her room opens quietly. I see Penelope pop her head through and wave me towards her. I glace at Natalie. Her eyes back closed – but I notice the look of discomfort on her face. I quickly, but quietly, make it over to Pen.
She speaks first, "hey – I noticed she was awake on the heart rate monitor. What do you all need?" My brain is still in this weird sleep fog. I am trying to put my thoughts together, but my brain feels like mush. "Um she's feeling sick – nauseous. When did James last give her meds?" I run my hand over my face and then through my hair trying to gather my surroundings still. Penelope takes the chart from my hands and flips through it herself.
"Tate," Natalie quietly urges again. I my back to Pen and walk back towards the hospital bed in the middle of the room. "Yup, Penelope is getting you something right now for the ickiness, okay?" Her glazed over eyes look up at me. She looks loopy. In her defense, it is the middle of the night of what is probably one of the longest days of her life and she has a great cocktail of drugs flowing through her system. Penelope steps behind me. She doesn't look at all phased by the tiredness everyone else has etched on their faces. Her calmness puts me at ease.
I sit on Natalies bed and gently rub my hand up and down her blanket covered leg. I make a mental note to go get my mom to grab some softer blankets from my house. Hospital blankets are so scratchy and I want Natalie to feel comfy for how ever long she will be here. Penelope administers some anti-nausea meds and is silently documenting it in her chart. Natalie's eyes open once more. "Where is Madison? Can she come here?" Penelope speaks before I can, "Sweets, its the middle of the night. Do you want me to call her?"
"Call who?" James states as he walks through the already opened door. He makes eye contact with me as he is rubbing the hand-sanitizer into his hands. His eyebrows jump up when I don't answer him. "Hm?" He adds. "She wants to get Madison. I can call her and see if she's awake." He lowers his voice, "No, lets let Madison sleep. She has a big case going right now and she needs to sleep. I can call her in the morning."
I walk closer to him so I don't have to speak loudly. "No offense, but Madison would want to be here. Especially if she knew Natalie was asking for her." I argue. "You didn't see how tired she was when I sent her home. She was sleeping on the floor." He urges as he puts his hands up in the air. Why is he being so defensive over this? I don't get it. "Okay, whatever. I'm not gonna argue at – whatever time is it in the morning right now." I turn to walk back towards the center of the room. But turn on my feet when I am reminded that he didn't wake me when he came in here earlier. "Oh – will you wake me next time you come in to check on Natalie. I want to make sure she is okay."
"Sure, no problem. And just call Mads in the morning. You know as much as everyone that she overworks herself. I was just trying to avoid one of those scenarios..." He tails off. Madison will definitely throw herself into overdrive. She is probably the most hardworking of all of the siblings. Always has had a chip on her shoulder since she decided she didn't want to go in the medical field like Eric and I did. "I get it. Thanks for looking out for her." I think.
Penelope is laying with Natalie when I get back over to her bedside. Natalie seems to be back to sleep. James goes back to looking over her chart as I walk back to sit in the chair that I was taking my restless slumber in. All of us finding a comfortable silence in taking care of one of our own.