Vulnerable [Suncoast Society] (Siren Publishing Sensations) Read online

  Laurel would go to school tomorrow, despite her not wanting to. There wasn’t anything she could do at the hospital, and frankly, Jesse knew he and Eva both needed the respite from her presence so they could just be adults and grieve in their own ways.

  After dropping Laurel at school Wednesday morning, they swung by Leo and Jesse’s apartment to pick up a few more clothes for Jesse. It was obvious he was staying at Eva’s for the duration. When he’d mentioned going home the previous night, Laurel finally had the full-on, panicked tantrum June and Scrye had warned was overdue for a child her age under those circumstances.

  It wouldn’t kill Jesse to stay at Eva’s for a few days, or longer.

  When they reached the hospital a little before nine, morning rounds had just ended but the doctors were still in the unit and able to update Eva and Jesse. They were going to try taking Leo off the ventilator to see how he did, but not to panic if he was put back on it. It was more important that his body had time to heal, although the good news was that an overnight CT scan didn’t appear to show any damage to his brain and neurological tests looked promising.

  Jesse couldn’t focus on anything and didn’t try. As he and Eva sat there, holding on to each other, they waited with Tilly sitting on Eva’s far side and maintaining the vigil with them.

  Finally, a nurse came out to get them and they went back to see him.

  Jesse didn’t dare hope, seeing the vent tube gone.

  Tilly talked with the nurse, then translated.

  “He responded to basic commands, but he’s going to be very groggy and loopy. He might not make any sense, if he even wakes up again right now. They gave him meds to get him up, but he’s back down again a little. Don’t panic. And let’s not stay long, because we don’t want to stress him.”

  Jesse and Eva nodded, taking up positions on either side of his bed.

  Jesse leaned in, his head on Leo’s pillow, fingers curled around Leo’s. “I love you, Sir,” he softly spoke in Leo’s ear.

  Leo’s lips moved but Jesse didn’t hear anything, and Leo didn’t open his eyes. Jesse looked at Tilly, who nodded at him encouragingly.

  Jesse tried again. “I’m taking care of everything for you, Sir. We’re okay. You have to get better for us.”

  Leo’s lips moved again. That time, it almost sounded like he was trying to speak. Tilly looked around, spotted a cup and a new, wrapped sponge swab, and quickly got it unwrapped and ran water in the cup to dab Leo’s lips and tongue with the swab.

  Leo’s eyes didn’t open but he slowly licked his lips. Tilly dabbed at them again, not letting him suck liquid from the sponge.

  “We need to get him some lip balm,” Tilly said. “I didn’t even think about that.”

  Jesse reached up and stroked Leo’s stubbled cheek. “Love you, Sir. Everything’s under control.”

  “My…good…boy.”

  Jesse thought he imagined it, wishful thinking matched to the movements of Leo’s lips, until Tilly clapped a hand over her mouth as she burst out laughing.

  Eva’s eyes widened as she looked at Jesse, who didn’t care if either woman saw him crying.

  He’d do anything to hear those three damn words.

  “Thank you, Sir,” he whispered. “I promise I’ll be your good boy until you get home.”

  Leo’s eyes slowly flickered opened.

  Jesse wasn’t sure if there was a better sight in the world than Leo’s blue eyes.

  Leo focused on Tilly first, who stood at the end of the bed with the cup in her hand. His brow furrowed a little, but she pointed at Jesse.

  Jesse moved so Leo didn’t have to turn his head to see him. He offered Leo a tearful smile. “There you are, Sir. Your boy’s missed you so fucking much.” He leaned in and kissed Leo.

  A soft sigh escaped Leo, his eyes drooping closed again. He slowly licked his lips. “What…”

  That was all he said before finally opening his eyes again, this time focusing on Jesse.

  “Are you asking what happened, Sir?” Jesse asked.

  Jesse thought Leo’s blink had probably felt like a head nod from Leo’s perspective. “You were in a car accident on Sunday night, Sir. A guy was texting. He blew through a red light and hit you.”

  His funeral, in fact, was today. Jesse only knew that because Tilly had kept track.

  And it hadn’t been the guy’s first time, either. He had several previous traffic tickets for careless driving, running red lights, and texting while driving.

  Ed had volunteered that he was already preparing the lawsuit to help take care of Leo’s medical bills. When Jesse tried to protest that Leo probably wouldn’t want to sue, Ed had stood firm.

  “Then when he’s better, he can tell me to drop it. Until then, I’m your attorney and doing what’s best for all of you.”

  No, Jesse wouldn’t argue. He didn’t have the energy. That had to be saved for the battles he could win.

  “Eva’s here, too, Sir.” He pointed.

  She walked around the bed and stood next to Jesse so Leo wouldn’t have to turn his head. Tilly took Eva’s place and again dabbed at Leo’s lips with the wet sponge.

  Leo stared at Eva for a moment. “Where’s…”

  Tilly was the one who finally put Leo’s worried expression together with the word and made the connection. “Laurel’s fine, Leo. She wasn’t in the car with you. She’s safe. You’d already dropped her off at Eva’s before the accident.”

  His eyes dropped closed and another sigh escaped him.

  “Laurel’s fine,” Jesse reassured him. “We took her to school this morning. It’s Wednesday, Sir.”

  His eyes opened again, focused on Eva.

  She offered him a smile. “I’m playing nice. I swear.” They had agreed not to say anything to Leo about his divorce by proxy and the new custody arrangement until he was feeling stronger.

  Jesse reached out and stroked his cheek again. “Everything’s okay, Sir. I called Carl and they’re handling the shop for you. Ed’s helping us. We’re okay. And we’re all here for you.”

  Eva put her arm around Jesse and tipped her head over onto his shoulder. “I swear, Leo. Everything’s okay. We’re leaning on each other and we’re both taking care of Laurel. All you focus on is getting better. Okay, Sir?”

  His eyes closed again. Then, they popped open and he scowled at them.

  “Uh-oh,” Tilly muttered. “That’s a ‘busted subbie’ look if I ever saw one.”

  When Leo licked his lips again, Tilly reached in, swabbing them for him. It took him a moment to speak. He seemed to be focusing on Eva. “…call me?”

  Tilly probably had more sleep than the two of them put together, meaning she was faster on the uptake. “Yes, she called you ‘sir.’ She knows the family secret, Leo. It’s okay.”

  He finally swiveled his eyes her way. Tilly leaned in so he could see her more easily. “No, I didn’t let the cat out of the bag.” She pointed at Jesse. “She’s a snoop, and he’s so switchy he makes me look subbie. But they’re okay, honest. You damn well know I won’t lie to you.”

  His gaze homed in on them again. Jesse smiled. “It’s a long story, Sir.”

  “It’s really okay,” Eva assured him. “We’re all okay.”

  Jesse spotted his fingers moving. He closed his around Leo’s hand and Leo weakly squeezed. Then Leo let go, wiggling his fingers again. Eva reached down and he squeezed her fingers.

  Tilly walked around the bed to stand behind them. “FYI, she’s next on the matchmaking list, dude.”

  Jesse suspected Leo’s soft chuff was the strongest laugh the man could manage.

  * * * *

  Eva had to go to work that evening. She’d asked to be temporarily moved to a night shift. Between Jesse, June, Loren, and Leah, they would handle taking care of Laurel after school.

  That evening, Leo was slightly more awake but still heavily medicated for pain. His hospital bed was raised a little, though, and he was awake enough to actually have a very one-sided disc
ussion with Laurel, who didn’t mind carrying the conversational burden.

  Jesse sat in a chair next to Leo’s bed, Laurel sitting on his lap so she could more easily see Leo, and told him about what she’d been doing at school.

  The entire time, Jesse sat there staring at Leo’s eyes, imprinting them into his memory, every dark fleck, every blue spark.

  When it was time to leave to get Laurel home and in bed, Jesse leaned in and whispered in his ear. “Love you, Sir. Everything’s really okay.”

  Some of the worried creases in Leo’s brow smoothed. “Love you, too.”

  Jesse was driving them home when Laurel chirped up from the back seat. “Are you and Daddy gonna wear those fancy suits?”

  He would have to work part of a day tomorrow, after taking Laurel to school and stopping by to see Leo. He was running mostly on caffeine and adrenaline at that point, because he was spending every spare moment trying to catch up on schoolwork. “What?”

  “When you and Daddy get married. A suckseedo.”

  His brain finally got past the marriage comment to translate it from Typhoon Laurel-speak into English. “Tuxedoes.”

  “Yeah. Are you?”

  “Who said Daddy and I are getting married?”

  “Duh. When people are in love they get married. Does that mean I can call you Daddy, too, when you get married?”

  He stopped for a red light and actually turned to look at her. “What?”

  She shook her head at him like he was an idiot. “You two tell each other you love each other. I heard you.” She crossed her arms over her chest and stared at him. “Light’s green, Uncle Jesse.”

  Yes, it was. He faced forward and took off again. “That’s still something Daddy and I need to discuss, honey. And not until he’s better.”

  “You better not pick another flower girl.” He glanced in the rearview mirror and spotted her pout. “I get to be the flower girl.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  He wondered if they had a little Domme in the making.

  Well, she was her father’s daughter. That much was for sure. It surely wouldn’t shock Jesse if she grew up to be a Dominant.

  Thank god for Aunt Tilly to help corral her.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  “Uncle. Jesse.”

  Jesse opened his eyes in the hospital recliner to find Laurel, who’d been sitting on his lap, leaning in with her eyes about an inch from his, and her little fingers clamped around his chin.

  “What?” It was sometime late Saturday morning, and Jesse had maybe four hours sleep in the last forty-eight, between helping figure out Leo’s bookkeeping software so the guys could get paid on time, working, studying, and trying to keep track of Typhoon Laurel.

  “Daddy spoke to you,” Laurel scolded. “You. Fell. Asleep. Rude.”

  “Sorry. What?” He looked to find Leo smiling at him from his hospital bed. Landry had picked up Jesse and Laurel from the house and brought them to the hospital that morning when Tilly, who’d had to fly out to LA the night before, spoke to Jesse on the phone earlier and determined he wasn’t in any condition to drive.

  “Did you eat breakfast?” Leo asked Jesse.

  Yes, cold cereal, but come to think of it, he was getting hungry. “What time is it?” Jesse groggily asked.

  “Lunchtime,” Laurel said.

  The evening before, Leo had been moved from the ICU to a private room. His condition had been upgraded now that he was awake and talking. He still wasn’t allowed to eat solid food yet, but had been given permission for a liquid diet. The hope was that by early next week they could clear him for a soft diet and start him on a physical therapy program.

  Right now, it was just the three of them in Leo’s room. Their friends had been busy rotating in and out, but now that Leo had a private room, everyone assured Jesse that someone would always be there with Leo, even at night, in case he needed any assistance.

  Leo was eager to get the hell out of the hospital.

  “How long was I asleep?” Jesse asked.

  “Nearly an hour,” Laurel scolded. “I had to talk to Daddy all by myself.”

  “Sorry, sweetheart.”

  Leo chuckled. “Be nice to Uncle Jesse, Laurel. He’s had a rough week.”

  “Now that you and Mommy are divorced, when are you marrying Uncle Jesse, and when can I be your flower girl? And can I call him Dad or something instead of uncle now?”

  Well, wasn’t that a fucking bucket of icy water dumped right on Jesse. They’d been careful talking around Laurel.

  So damned careful.

  Apparently, not careful enough.

  Leo’s gaze narrowed as he stared at Jesse. “Sweetheart, Mommy and I are still going through—”

  “No you’re not. I saw the papers this morning. I think they did it that night Grandma and Grandpa tried to take me from Uncle Jesse and he wouldn’t let them. When everyone went into the room and was yelling at each other.”

  Now Leo lifted his head. “They did what?”

  June walked in at that moment. “Hey, good, you’re awake—”

  “Can you please take Laurel down to the bathroom for a few minutes?” Leo asked, not pulling his focus from Jesse.

  Jesse felt his face redden.

  “Daddy,” Laurel said, crossing her arms over her body. “The nurse said I can use your bathroom. And I don’t have to go.”

  “Then go show Aunt June where it is,” he said, more than a hint of Dom-tone flowing through his words. “And then see if you can go find the cafeteria and bring Uncle Jesse back some coffee.”

  She climbed off Jesse’s lap in a huff. “Okay, fine. If you wanted to talk to him alone just say so, Daddy.”

  June stood there frozen, staring at the men before finally taking off down the hall after the little girl.

  Jesse swallowed, hard.

  Oh, fuck.

  When Leo was up to giving a spanking, Jesse suspected there was going to be more of a punishment than being forced to wear clothes.

  Which, technically, he was being punished with now, because of living at Eva’s with her and Laurel.

  “Tell me what the hell she’s talking about,” Leo demanded.

  Jesse rubbed at the back of his neck. “Um, yeah. Oh, by the way, heh heh, funny story. Guess what? You’re officially divorced now. And, um…heh, this is where it gets really funny, I’m Laurel’s legal guardian.”

  By the time Jesse finished telling the full story, Leo lay against the pillow, eyes closed, slowly shaking his head back and forth.

  Jesse went full monty and told him about Eva’s one episode in the bathroom as well, and his threats to her in the shower that morning. And her apparent turnaround in the aftermath of those threats.

  Tears squeezed from under Leo’s eyelids and spilled down his cheeks. “I’m so sorry,” he said. “I’m so sorry you had to deal with all of that.”

  Jesse grabbed his hand and squeezed. “It’s okay. Eva’s doing better, I think. I just hope you’re not mad for me letting her call me ‘sir.’”

  Leo sniffled and finally opened his eyes again. “I never wanted to tell her secrets,” he said. “I was trying to respect her privacy.”

  “It’s okay.”

  “Ed really forced her to agree to all of that?”

  “Weirdly enough, I got the impression he didn’t have to force her. And it was sort of a desperate last resort,” Jesse said. “Hey, blame Tilly and Ed and Ross for that. I wasn’t even in the room. I was out in the waiting room with Laurel when the judge showed up.”

  “So the divorce is really final?”

  “Yeah,” Jesse said. “You’re on the market again.”

  “And…you’re Laurel’s legal guardian?”

  “Until you’re back on your feet, yes. The paperwork was finalized.”

  “Eva’s parents didn’t take Laurel from you?”

  “Nope. Nearly got myself kicked in the nuts by Laurel kicking at the guy, and I think I’m still partially deaf in one ear from her sc
reaming at them, but no, I didn’t hand her over.”

  Leo squeezed his hand, his eyes boring into Jesse’s. “Thank you,” Leo said. “Thank you so much.”

  Jesse forced a smile. “Sorry she spilled the beans. I wasn’t even thinking about Laurel looking at the papers. They came in the mail yesterday and I left them on the table for Eva for when she got home this morning. I texted Eva and told her about them, but she was already at work when I got home last night with Laurel. I didn’t think Laurel would go through them. Hell, I didn’t think she’d be able to read and understand them. She must have done it while I was in the shower this morning.”

  “Laurel is six,” Leo said. “She’s going to be seven in a few months. And how many times have we been to Mote and she’s read the exhibit signs to us? Why do you think we have the rule at our apartment about her not going into our closet, and why I stash our toys on the top shelf in there? So she can’t freaking find and reach them.”

  “Didn’t stop Eva,” Jesse muttered.

  Leo slowly shook his head. “No, I guess not. I should have suspected that, but I didn’t want to think she’d do it. There was one time I went to get stuff out and I thought things were moved around, but I figured it was you.” He went quiet for a moment. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

  “We were going to tell you once you were stronger. Why didn’t you tell me about the power of attorney you had Ed draw up for me?”

  “I…was going to.”

  “Besides, Eva said she told you when you dropped Laurel off the night of the accident that she was going to ask her attorney to quit stalling the divorce. So it’s not like it wasn’t going to happen anyway.”

  Leo scowled. He had no memories following them picking up Laurel from Eva’s on Friday night, until he really started waking up in the ICU. The doctors had warned that was normal, and was as much an effect of the accident as it was the anesthesia. That he might not ever get those memories back.

  “It’s the truth,” Jesse said. “She told me. She has no reason to lie about that.”