Love is Blind (26 page)

As if on cue, I heard Jared’s voice above
everyone else’s. “Move the hell out of my way,” he bellowed,
shoving his way through the large crowd. He reached me and knelt
down beside Blake. “What happened?”

Blake then explained everything to him and I
just tuned out. I was vaguely aware of being moved onto a backboard
and then being placed into the back of the ambulance. Blake came
with me, saying that Jared and Sophie would meet us at the
hospital. Liam and Jake were apparently already on their way
there.

At that point, I could feel the edges of my
vision start to darken again, and this time I willingly allowed
myself to fall into unconsciousness.

The sounds of machines beeping roused me from my
unconscious state. I opened my eyes and looked around the hospital
room. Blake was seated beside me and he was holding one of my
hands. Jake was on my other side and he was holding my other hand
while slumped in his wheelchair. Jared and Liam were standing near
the end of the bed and they were talking quietly, although I don’t
know what about. I had an IV in one arm and I assumed there were
pretty good drugs going into my system because my back didn’t hurt
that much.

“You’re awake,” Jake said.

Everyone’s attention was immediately on me. I
looked at Blake and saw that his whole body was tense, so I
squeezed his hand gently before turning my attention to Jared.
“What did the doctor say?” I asked.

Jared hesitated, and that caused dread to fill
me. “You’re going to have to go for more surgery, Hales. There’s a
lot of swelling around your spine and they need to relieve some of
the pressure or else it could do even more damage.”

I drew in a shaky breath. “Am I going to be able
to walk?”

“They aren’t sure. It depends on just how much
damage is already done. But you got through this once before. You
can do it again,” Jared said firmly.

“When will they do the surgery?” I asked.

“Right away, now that you’re awake. You were
only out for an hour, so hopefully the surgery will be able to
repair all the damage.”

I nodded and glanced around at everyone again.
My eyes latched onto Blake, noticing how tense he still was. “Can I
have a minute alone with Blake?”

“Sure, we’ll go find the doctor,” Jared said,
and the three of them left.

Once they were gone, I tugged on Blake’s hand a
little. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

I groaned. “Don’t lie to me, Blake. I know
something is bothering you, so just tell me.”

“I couldn’t do anything to help you,” he said
quietly.

I frowned. “Huh?”

“I felt you starting to slip, but I couldn’t
catch you because I couldn’t see you. If I’d been able to see, I
could’ve prevented you from falling.”

I gaped at him. “Let me get this straight. You
think that if you weren’t blind, you could have turned into
superman?”

He scowled at me. “I wouldn’t have had to be
superman, Hailey. Just a normal person.”

“Oh really? So Sophie isn’t normal then?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Sophie was right beside me as well. I saw her,
as well as you, try to reach for me to save me, but she wasn’t fast
enough. It happened really quickly, although it didn’t feel like
that at the time. So unless you suddenly turned into superman, you
wouldn’t have been able to do anything to help me.”

“I’m your boyfriend, Hailey. It’s my job to
protect you.”

“You did protect me, Blake. You kept me calm
and answered the questions when I couldn’t. You thought to call
Jared and Liam, which I didn’t even think of. You immediately knew
that it was my back that was preventing me from moving. No one else
would have known that.”

Blake was silent for a moment as he thought that
over. “I guess that’s true,” he said grudgingly.

I closed my eyes and blew out a breath. “I can’t
fight with you right now, Blake. I’m trying to stay calm about the
fact that I might not be able walk again and I need you to keep
being there for me.”

He stood up and used the hand that wasn’t
holding mine to cup my cheek. “You will walk again, Hailey. You’re
too damn stubborn not to.”

I smiled a little and leaned my face into his
hand. “Will you sit up here with me until they come to take me for
surgery?” I asked quietly.

He nodded and cautiously climbed onto the
bed, with my guidance so he didn’t hurt me or accidentally pull the
IV out. Once he was beside me, he slipped an arm around my
shoulders. “How does your back feel right now?”

“It’s sore, but I think the drugs they have
going into me are keeping it from being too bad. What worries me is
that I can’t feel my legs.”

He leaned his head on mine. “That’s probably
because of the pressure on your spine right now.” He paused for a
moment. “You do realize that everyone at school is going to know
about your back now, right?” he asked quietly.

I sighed and leaned into him a bit more. “I
didn’t even think about that, but you’re right.” I rubbed my face
with one hand. “Oh well, I always figured that people would learn
about it eventually. Hopefully by the time I get back to school
everyone will have forgotten about it.”

The doctor came into the room, followed by Jake,
Jared and Liam. Blake climbed off the bed, but remained standing
beside me as the doctor explained the surgery to me. A few minutes
later, a couple of nurses came in and started getting me ready to
go. When they were ready to wheel me out, everyone moved out of the
way except for Blake. He held my hand as they pushed the bed out of
the room and into the hallway.

When he wasn’t allowed to go any further, he
bent to brush a light kiss over my lips. “I’ll be waiting when you
come out.”

I squeezed his hand tightly. “I could still go
for that hot chocolate when I get out,” I informed him.

He smiled slightly. “Sophie is down in the
cafeteria now, so I’ll get her to bring some up as long as you’re
allowed to have one after, okay?”

I nodded and reluctantly released his hand.
“I’ll see you in a bit.”

He gave me another gentle kiss and then took a
cautious step back. Jared appeared beside him and smiled at me.
“We’ll see you shortly Hailey.”

I gave him a tiny smile and then the nurses
started pushing my bed forward again, making me lose sight of them.
I closed my eyes and let the fear that I had been hiding from them
finally wash over me. How was I going to do this again?

Chapter twenty-eight

As the anesthetic wore off, I slowly became
aware of my surroundings again. I blinked blearily a few times and
then focused on the people around me. Blake was once again beside
me and I could see Jared, Jake and Liam near the door.

I tried to sit up, but I wasn’t able to. Blake
heard me moving and immediately straightened up. “Hailey?”

The other three men in the room turned to look
as I stopped struggling to move. “Yeah, I’m awake.”

Blake searched for my hand and found it,
squeezing it gently. “How are you feeling?”

“Like I got hit by a truck,” I said.

“Well that can’t be too pleasant,” Blake
stated.

I let out a hoarse chuckle. “No, it really
isn’t. How did the surgery go?”

Jared came up to my other side. “They were able
to relieve the pressure on your spine, but they won’t know if any
permanent damage was done for a couple of days.”

“I hate waiting,” I whined.

“I know, but there’s nothing we can do about it.
Can you feel your legs at all?”

I grimaced. “Yeah, but it’s not a pleasant
feeling.” I thought about it for a moment and then brightened.
“Hey, at least I can feel them again. That’s probably a good sign,
right?”

“Definitely,” Jared assured me. “That means
you’ll likely be able to walk again, although it’ll be a lot of
hard work and there’ll be a lot of pain.”

I let out a defeated sigh. “I was afraid you
were going to say that.”

Blake tugged lightly on my hand. “Hey, you have
me with you this time.”

Jake rolled his wheelchair to my other side.
“And me.”

“That’s true. Blake, can you raise the bed for
me so I can sit up?”

He did as I asked and then shifted me slightly
so he could sit on the edge of the bed and wrap his arm around my
shoulders.

I let my head rest on his shoulder, closing my
eyes for a moment. When I opened them again, I smiled at the other
three men. “Do you think I’m allowed to eat something?”

“I’ll go find out,” Liam said and then
disappeared out into the hallway. Everyone knew that he was the
most likely to get some answers, since he had donated so much money
to the hospital and was treated like a VIP.

We chatted quietly for a few minutes while we
waited for him to return. Blake told me that Jared had driven
Sophie home during my surgery. She was planning on coming back to
see me tomorrow.

Liam came back in and informed me that my dinner
would be here shortly. He also assured me that I wouldn’t be eating
regular hospital food; he’d arranged to have a local restaurant
deliver to me while I was here.

I rolled my eyes a little at that. “It’s amazing
what a bunch of money will do for you,” I said dryly.

“Hey, don’t mock me because I’m rich,” Liam
protested. “My money is the reason that Blake gets to stay the
nights with you here.”

I perked up. “Really?”

“Yeah. All I had to do was donate some more
money and it was instantly all right. We also have unlimited
visiting hours now.”

I grinned. “Have I ever told you that I love you
Uncle Liam?”

He made a face. “Ugh, don’t call me uncle.”

Everyone laughed then and the atmosphere
remained light until my dinner arrived. Liam had been kind enough
to order some for everyone else as well, so we all ate together.
The nurses checked up on me a few times, but never stayed for too
long.

When we were finished eating, Jared, Jake and
Liam got ready to leave. Jared said he’d go to Blake’s and grab a
bag of stuff for him and then drop it off before going home for the
night.

Once they were gone, Blake and I sat in silence
for a bit. Now that there were fewer people here, I was finding it
harder to keep myself from freaking out about the whole
situation.

Of course, Blake knew that something was wrong.
“Hailey, you know you don’t have to stay strong all the time.
You’re allowed to break down if you need to.”

I pressed my face into the side of his neck.
“I’m scared,” I whispered.

He rested his cheek on my head. “I know. It’s
not going to be easy for the next little while, but I know you’ll
get through it. I won’t let you give up.”

“I know you won’t. I might get mad at you a lot
until I’m better,” I admitted.

“That’s okay. I was an ass to you for a while
and you still stuck by me. It’s time for me to return the favor
now.”

I smiled a little. “I probably won’t be as bad
as you were,” I said teasingly.

He laughed. “That’s a good thing. I was pretty
horrible sometimes.”

“Yeah you were. But it was worth it in the
end.”

“I’m glad you think so,” he replied. “And just
think; anytime you get too cranky, I can just run you into a wall,”
he added cheerfully.

I giggled and pulled my face away from his neck.
“You’re so weird sometimes.”

“Yeah, but you love me anyways.” He stroked my
cheek with his hand. “I’ll always be here for you, Hailey. No
matter what you need me for.”

It turned out that I ended up needing him for a
lot. Two days after the surgery, the doctors told me that I might
be able to walk again if I was willing to work very hard. I agreed
and they let me go home a few days later. Blake pretty much moved
in with us so that he could be there for me all the time. He helped
me with everything I needed, even bathing which he didn’t complain
about. But he also let me do things for myself, and pushed me when
he knew I needed it.

The sound of a guitar being strummed roused me
from my sleep a couple of days after I was released from the
hospital. I cracked an eye open and saw Blake sitting on the edge
of the bed, his guitar, which he’d brought with him last night,
sitting on his lap. His back was to me, but when I shifted a little
he turned his head in my direction. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake
you.”

I struggled to push myself up and he obviously
heard me because he quickly put the guitar down and came to my
side. He offered me his hand and I took it gratefully, letting him
pull me into a sitting position and prop me up against the
headboard. “What were you playing? I didn’t get a chance to hear
what song it was.”

He hesitated for a moment. “It’s going to sound
corny, but when I had you in my arms this morning, I started
thinking about how much you’ve changed my life for the better. A
song popped into my head, so I grabbed my guitar.”

“What song?” I asked.

He moved back to the side of the bed and grabbed
his guitar again. Then he settled beside me and bent his head over
the guitar. He began playing and it only took a moment for me to
recognize the song. It was God Gave Me You by Blake Shelton.

I had tears in my eyes by the time the song
finished but I didn’t let them fall, knowing that it would just
make him uncomfortable. Instead, I just cuddled into his side when
he set the guitar to the side to wrap an arm around me. I tilted my
head and kissed him lightly. “I love you,” I said.

“I love you too; more than I ever thought was
possible. You didn’t give up on me, even when I tried to push you
away. You’re one of the most stubborn people I have ever met and
that’s how I know you’ll walk again. Plus, you don’t want to suffer
through me running your wheelchair into walls constantly.”

I let out a quiet chuckle. “That’s enough
motivation right there,” I replied. “I will walk again, I know
that. It’s just frustrating that I have to be in a wheelchair until
then. I’m not looking forward to going back to school.”