When Roses Collide

Chapter Fifty

Harley woke to the sounds of low murmuring and quiet discussions, but she couldn't recognize any of the voices associated with them. The sound was so muted, she thought she had accidently fallen asleep with the television on in the living room again. Blinking her eyes open, she quickly comprehended she wasn't home, but still in the hospital. The noises she had woken to were the typical low tones of the nurses, doctors, housekeeping and other staff going about their business.

Rolling her eyes, she sighed. How could she have forgotten? Lifting her hand, she frowned at the IV still piercing her skin. Careful not to disturb the annoying tubing, she tried to rub away the groggy and slightly out-of-it feeling, but it didn't help. She still felt fuzzy. Sighing, she dropped her hand. At least the pounding in her head had become nothing more than a small ache, but her throat felt like she had been gargling gravel. Her tongue laid in her mouth dry, thick and sticking to the roof. Pain meds, she thought, trying to will some saliva to ease the discomfort. Pain medication always made her feel not only dopey, but extremely thirsty and she had no idea how much of it they'd been pumping into her since she arrived. She could only assume it was enough to be responsible for the crappy way she felt right now.

Turning her head to see if she had any water on the little rolling stand next to her bed, a small squeak of surprise popped out of her mouth when her eyes collided with a pair of vibrant blue ones.

"Good morning, sunshine." Travis's deep voice sounded tired and had a sleepy rumble to it that made her heart stutter, making the machine attached to her chest beep faster.

"You stayed?" she croaked out.

Easing himself up out of a chair he must have dragged over to her bed, he stood with a grimace and stretched.

"Yeah," he said on a sigh, giving her a little wink. "Doc Archer tried like hell to get me out of here, but unless he was willing to hitch my ass to a tow truck, I wasn't going anywhere." He picked up a pitcher from the table and poured water into the little plastic cup provided by the hospital.

"Where did you sleep?"

He nodded to the chair. "Right beside you." Handing over the cup, he helped her sit up so she could drink. "Little sips, you don't want to make yourself sick."

The water tasted wonderful and was pure heaven on her tongue which felt like it was wearing a fur coat. It was hard not to toss it back and guzzle it down, but she did what he said and sipped at it slowly while her eyes slid over him. He looked like he hadn't slept in days and his eyes showed signs of being bloodshot. The same clothes he'd been wearing on their adventure to the hot springs, were now a bit on the dirty side and still had that mineral smell clinging to them.

A smile curled her lips at the memory and her heart lurched in her chest. But, even with as wrinkled and tousled as he was, he still looked absolutely gorgeous. The extra shadow of his beard growth gave his jaw a sharper, more dangerous edge and she longed to feel it rubbing between her thighs. The stupid machine next to her bed took flight and snagged Travis's attention. Looking at it and then back at her, he raised a questioning eyebrow.

Giving him a little shrug, she ducked her head and sipped some more water. Sometime during the night, he had ditched his cowboy hat and it now hung off of one of her IV poles. His long, thick, dark hair hung in silky curtain around his shoulders and Harley had to ease her grasp on the plastic cup in fear of crushing it as her fingers practically itched to run through it.

"How's that water doing?" he asked, settling back down in his chair and gently brushing a stray strand of hair off her face. "Sitting well in your stomach?"

Nodding her head, she finished the rest of it off with a flourish. "It's wonderful and so is my stomach. But it isn't coffee," she said, grumbling at her empty cup. She gave him a little sheepish grin. "You might want to stand back. I can get grouchy without my morning caffeine boost."