A Part of Me Read Free Page B

the corner.
    “Hey, are you okay Trevor?”  I placed my hand on his shoulder as he buried his face in his hands.
    “Shit Talia. I couldn’t quite grasp how you didn’t know it was him the minute you saw him in the ER, but shit…”  He tapered off as Ava rubbed his back.  “He’s a fucking mess!”
    “I know.”  I didn’t know what else to say.  I had been beating myself up over not knowing who he was, but deep down I knew it wasn’t my fault.  We see people at their worst in the ER. They are battered and beat up and generally a mess. We did everything right for Tom.  His trauma ran as well as we could have expected.
    “Trevor, I’m glad I didn’t know it was him.  I wouldn’t have been as much help if I’d fallen apart on my team.”  I shrugged. 
    “I know Talia.  Thank you for being there.” Trevor gave me a small smile and laid his head on Ava’s shoulder.
    ***
    I situated the small roll out bed and walked over to where Tom still lay unconscious.  The only sounds in the room were the beeping of the monitors and the sound of the ventilator that continued to push air into Tom’s lungs.
    His beautiful face was swollen and bruised.  Days of growth covered his chin.  There were speckled cuts across his cheeks and neck where the glass had hit him.  His head had a bandage on the left side where they stitched up a large gash.  His dark hair peeked out from under the white bandages. His left arm was in a cast from just below his elbow with an external fixation device to stabilize the bones. 
    I gently lifted up the blanket covering his legs and sucked in air when I saw the stump on his left leg.  They had removed the mangled portion right below the knee joint.  It was wrapped and clean.  I know they were worried about infection.  It was another reason I didn’t want to leave him.  I trusted the staff of nurses and doctors immensely, but I still felt like I needed to see him—to watch over him myself.
    Tom and I had become good friends over the past weeks.  I truly enjoyed spending time with him, so much so, that I couldn’t remember the last date I’d been on.  Whenever we all went out, Tom and I paired off to dance.  I had become so comfortable with him.  Actually more than that.  I liked him…a lot.
    Tom wasn’t like the guys I usually dated.  Physically he was amazing, but it was who he was as a person that was different.  He was so kind and thoughtful.  Always doing little things for those around him.  He always made sure I had a drink or was comfortable.  He appreciated my sarcasm, and he always seemed to be looking out for me.  Hell, he even punched out Ava’s ex boyfriend Kyle for calling me a bitch. I have to admit, that was awesome. But in the end, we were just friends.  He had never taken it further and even though I was interested in him, I didn’t want to ruin the friendship we had developed. 
    “Oh Tom.”  I ran my hand over his leg before I covered it back up. “You need to pull through this, okay?”  I lifted his cold hand and kissed it before tucking it back under the blanket.  I looked over the readings on the machines before settling down on the bed and trying to get some sleep.  I was going to work a half shift in the morning and then take a nap before pulling a full shift at night.  I wanted to be close, and by working, I would be available to run up here should anything change.  Ava and the guys were going to come by after work and stay through the evening.  Most likely I would be the only one sleeping here during the day, but it was just how it needed to be.
    “Goodnight Tom.”  I whispered before turning over and letting sleep consume me.
     

 
    Chapter 4
     
    Tom
    I could hear muffled sounds, like I was wearing ear muffs.  There was a strange smell—cleaner maybe?  My eyes were so heavy.  So very heavy—I couldn’t seem to open them.  I tried to turn my head, but it felt like it weighed a ton.
    The pain.  Wow, I hurt—