ODETTE
I was careful. Always careful. Always meticulous. Always following the rules. I grew up in a family with generations of law enforcement. My mom and dad were both cops. Only, my dad had a better fate whereas mom ended up murdered. There was a whole backstory to it, one I had learned as I matured and conducted my own investigation. Dad never liked bringing it up and I couldn't blame him. I once asked the old-timer why he never moved on from mom, why he never remarried and maybe found a sliver of peace. He responded that Eleanor Gibson was his only love. She was his true love and he would wait until death could reunite them because he could never let her go.
Half of me thought it sweet. The other half found him foolish, especially as time went on and I became a teenager, then a young adult. And now, a female cop—following parents' footsteps.
Point was, I thought it was foolish because I never experienced that type of love. I never felt that type of connection with another being. Maybe I was broken. But I tried. I tried so hard to feel that and, maybe I was looking too hard or looking in the wrong places. Considering the pulsing pain dancing over my temple and the complete immobility of my body I figured it was time I gave up on the search of finding the one. Especially when it nearly cost me my life.
The numbness in my brain gave way to the all-encompassing, excruciating pain that attacked my system with vengeance. The pain was everywhere, on regions I barely knew existed. I could barely peel my eyes open because my eyelids weighed a ton. When they finally cracked open I was greeted by the blinding white walls which had a hiss leaving my lips.
Over the steady beat of the heart monitor, shuffling reached my ears. My hiss must have notified whoever was in the room that I was finally awake. I vaguely recalled the last time I had woken. My first thought was Parker. Even now, I needed to know where he was and I needed someone to keep him away from me.
"Hey..." A familiar voice called and my heart skipped, the heart monitor making it known.
I focused what limited vision I had onto the person leaning over me until a face formed, "Hey," I rasped, the word clawing its way up my throat like a serrated blade sawing through flesh.
"Here," Jericho eased me up as much as I could go and fluffed the pillow behind me before offering me a drink of water.
The cold liquid slid down my throat, sending a chill through my veins. It made me wonder if the morphine they had been giving me was wearing off—and they were giving me morphine to help me deal with my injuries, there was no doubt in me about that.
Jericho pulled the straw from my mouth when I tried removing it myself and failed, "Your father just left," he said, eyes unable to meet mine. Those sparkling green orbs settled on the pitcher of water on the counter and never wavered.
"Do I look that bad?" I wheezed a laugh but it hurt my lungs and ribs so I fell silent again.
"You have no idea," Jericho whispered, finally bringing his gaze to mine. The whites were bloodshot and the rims of his eyes welled with unshed tears, "You've been out for about two weeks, you know that?"
"What?"
Two weeks. I was too scared to look down and take in my extensive injuries. But, considering the look of horror masking my best friend's face, I forced myself to drink myself in. It was difficult to move my neck because of the brace, a sharp pain instantly shooting down my spine. I first noticed the cast on my right leg so I tried to wiggle my toes. There was minimal movement but an inferno of fire followed it. I was just relieved that I could use the limb.
Lacerations marred my pale skin paired with splotches of purple, black, and blue. The bruises were pretty bad but it was beginning to fade. I could feel a bandage wrapped around my body—probably because of my broken and fractured ribs. I didn't want to know how many.
And then I saw it.
My hands.
Both were bandaged in the form of mittens. When I tried moving even a single finger and they didn't cooperate, I panicked. A thick ball of emotion crawled up my throat until my eyes burned with it and my breathing stalled. This couldn't be happening. My hands. I had no job without my hands! What would I do if I couldn't be an officer? If I couldn't draw my gun when I needed it, I'd be dead.
"They had stainless steel pins put in the bones of both hands. Your nerves were—" he cut himself off abruptly but when I urged him to continue with a single look, he said, "they were damaged severely, Odette. Beyond repair. It's why they had to use the pins. When you're ready they will start you on physical therapy for your hands and your leg but, you won't be able to go back to work. Ever."
"No!" I hadn't realized I was crying until I choked back an ugly sob, "No, this can't be happening."
The muscle in Jericho's beard-coated jaw ticked double time and a deep frown weighed the corners of his lips, "I wish I had better news for you, but I don't."
"There has to be a way," I croaked in denial, wanting—no, needing—this to be some sick joke or a cruel nightmare. I would wake up any minute from now and breathe a sigh of relief. Only, a second turned into a minute and a minute turned into two, then five, and then so long that I felt my hope slowly crushing the way my hands were clearly crushed.
"This isn't some Doctor Strange type shit, Odette," Jericho finally said, plowing his thick fingers into his thicker head of shoulder-length chocolate locks, "there's no way. You'll regain some mobility in your hands but they'll never be like they were. I'm sorry."
I swallowed the lump in my throat so I could push the next words out. If these were my injuries, what happened to the man I was with, "Parker?"
That was all Jericho needed to hear to understand my question, "He broke his left leg, has a few contusions, banged-up ribs, and a concussion but he's otherwise fine."
"Oh," the word left my lips as if I were relieved to hear those words when in all honestly I was angry. Furious. Fucking fuming with a simmering rage that had my blood boiling like molten lava in my veins. He got off more or less Scott-free.
What was new there?
I kept that to myself because I knew Jericho. He, or one of his insane brothers, would go after Parker and take care of the useless excuse of a man the best way they knew how. I didn't want that.
"You want to tell me what happened?" Jericho quizzed, leaning his weight at the edge of the bed while glancing at me over his shoulder. He honestly couldn't bear looking at me like this and, at the same time, he didn't want to leave me. I knew that truth with every broken fiber of my being and I adored him for it.
"Sweety," I cooed the way I always did. It usually had the tips of his ears flaring red but that didn't happen this time around, "it was just an accident."
"I saw the footage," the veins on his arms began to throb, becoming visible because of how tense his muscles were.
"You hacked into the city's feed," I said incredulously.
"Black hat, remember," he drawled, "I do what I need to to get the answers I want."
Black hat, a hacker that generally hacked into mainframes and networks for their out benefit—generally monetary.
The opposite to the term would be a white hat. White hats generally hacked into mainframes and networks to find flaws that needed to be fixed. They were generally paid to do so.
Jericho fitted in both categories. I always urged him to head into a field of law because his talents would benefit so many but he—and the rest of his family—trusted cops as far as they could throw them. If not, less.
"Why weren't you wearing a seatbelt?" Jericho asked, folding himself into the chair beside my bed. His large frame almost didn't fit and he had to awkwardly shift so he could brace his left ankle on his right knee while stacking his hands on his stomach, "matter of fact, what the hell happened in that car for you to swerve so suddenly? I don't understand. I know you. I know how you meticulous you are. So, help me understand what the fuck happened."
"Is this a conversation we should really be having right now?" I groaned, trying to shift but stopping short when blinding pain echoed through my body.
"No," came his immediate response paired with an exasperated sigh. It was then I noticed the dark circles around his eyes and the way his beard seemed thicker than usual, "I guess it's not but I'd like to know what happened."
"It was an accident," I fibbed while looking him in the eyes and guilt had my heart in a python's grip, "I lost control of the car. That's all there is to it."
I could tell he didn't believe me. The cogs in his brain were turning, probably trying to solve this like a master detective. I'd tell him the truth in time. Just not now. He had become my shoulder to cry on for so many years and, just this once, I didn't want to cry. I chose shitty men which spoke to why I didn't believe the love my father and mother had was meant for me. But me choosing shitty men wasn't Jericho's problem to deal with so I wouldn't put that on him.
The thing about Parker was that I did actually like him. If I didn't have feelings or feel a connection to the guy I would have never begun dating him and I would have never stuck around.
"If you say so," Jericho breathed, finally letting the topic go, "I'm going to be with you every step of the way. I'll help you recover as best as I can."
"I know," I focused on my hands, knowing that my life was as good as over with the nerve damage being permanent, "what am I going to do?"
There was a long pause where all I could hear were the heart monitor's beeps and the sound of my ragged breaths. Eventually, Jericho leaned forward, spreading his legs apart and resting his elbows on his knees.
"You're going to work on getting better. One step at a time, swan. I promise you'll be flying in no time."
JERICHOI sat back in my lazy boy with Slash curled at my feet. He was in a bad mood ever since I told him about Odette because he was as much her dog as he was mine. I still remember when her father had helped me pick him out as a pup. Most of the time he stayed with them while he trained and eventually became Odette's dad's partner on the field. Both Gunnar and Ace were so busy or never cared to notice Slash missing around the house. As long as I kept him out of their way, they didn't care. They weren't dog people anyway.As Slash grew older, he became weaker and slower. It led to him retiring and becoming a full-time pet. So, he grew up around both Odette and me easily becoming our dog.I brought my beer to my lips, letting the bitter brew slide down my throat while my brother watched me from across the room with his piercing hazel eyes. That was the thing about Ace. He may have been a co
ODETTE"What are we doing here?" I asked just as the elevator doors parted.It took two weeks for the doctors to finally give me the okay to be discharged and, as I expected, Jericho was there to bring me home. Only, instead of pulling into the basement parking of my apartment building, we had pulled into his. This shouldn't have perplexed me and yet, it did."Your dad is busy at work and your..." He paused, the only sound meeting my ears was the muffled squeaky turns of the wheels of the wheelchair against the carpeted floor. When he stopped outside his apartment door, he said, "your boyfriend made a quick recovery and will be back on the job soon. So, you're staying with me.""No way," I began shaking my head and instantly regretted it when a spike of pain jarred my body, "I'll be fine on my own."
ODETTEMy shaky, numb fingers didn't feel the condensation that had built on the chilled glass of lemonade. I couldn't feel the smooth surface of the glass itself or the amount of pressure I was using to grip it. However, I could see that it wasn't much, and—no matter how much I tried—I couldn't get a firmer hold on it.Frustration stirred in my belly and my jaw locked to keep my whimper from escaping. I felt useless and the more I tried to hold this glass, the more the feeling stomped down on me with no mercy. Tears brimmed my eyes and I felt my lips quiver with an oncoming sob but I was in public so I refused to let myself fall apart.Not now. Not here."Let me help you," Jericho whispered, sliding his chair closer to mine. His larger hands cupped mine over the glass and I wished I could have felt the warmth they surely offered, "you're probably tired
ODETTE If there was one thing I loved in this world, it was food. And, I loved different types of food. My father had taught me everything I knew about cooking since mom had passed. For someone who worked more than he spent time at home, it surprised me just how many memories I made with him. He made sure to instill every skill I would need to survive in me in case he ever had passed, too.Only, now all those lessons seemed useless. I couldn't cook anymore. Let alone eat, I couldn't pick up a spoon or fork and I definitely couldn't use a knife. The more I tried to do daily tasks, the more I failed at them. I needed help with a bath this morning. Was I embarrassed that my best friend had to help to do such simple tasks? Yes. But he handled them so well and it made my heart ache because it only proved what a gem of a person he was.He didn't look down on me or treat me differ
JERICHOI watched Odette from where I sat. Her features were grimly twisted, teeth grating against each other, and brows furrowed in concentration. The nurse that was with her gave her an encouraging smile but Odette didn't return it. The smile only seemed to irritate her more.My attention dropped to the red stress ball in her hand. The nurse had instructed her to squeeze the ball as hard as she could but her fingers weren't cooperating. They trembled and barely moved no matter how much effort she put into it. Her fingers curled around the ball with no pressure added but the nurse seemed happy with the little Odette had done.She would be removing the cast on her leg later this week which meant she could start strengthening her leg to walk again. To me and the rest of the doctors and nurses here, she was making progress. Excellent progress even. To her, she wasn't.Odet
ODETTE I snuggled deeper into the couch with my head on Quinn's lap and my legs propped onto a pillow. Her nimble fingers weaved through my hair before massaging into my temples. I watched from where I lay as Miranda did Priyanka's nails and Tory stuffed her face with popcorn which Quinn had made earlier—her eyes were glued to the tv screen as she watched some kind of thriller movie. Jericho hadn't returned yet. He had left earlier and must have found his brothers because none of them had dropped by. It was strange. We all had running bets on which brother would barge into the door first suffering from withdrawals. My money was on Ace and so was Tory and Miranda's. Priyanka and Quinn had their money on Gunnar. I guess we all knew that Jericho was the only sane one in the lot. It felt nice to be with the girls. I
JERICHO "It feels good to finally be walking on my two feet," Odette grinned down at me as she rotated her ankle clockwise and then anti-clockwise, working the muscle and the bone. It had been two weeks since her cast was removed and things were going smoothly. I even noticed some sort of spark flare back to life in her eyes. It warmed my heart to know that she was finally getting out of her routine. She no longer sat caged in her room all day. In the mornings she would go on a walk around the block to strengthen her leg and in the afternoon she would walk Slash. Admittedly, I was scared that with all the progress she was making, she would want to leave and head home. Only, her hands still needed so much work. I leaned back on the couch and tossed the tv remote onto the coffee table, "Told you my swan would finally get her wings back. You should trust me more often."Her button nose crinkled in amusement—something I always found adorable, "Sweety, you sound a little too cocky ther
ODETTEI curled my fingers around the stress ball and was happy when they moved by even an inch. It had been another week and I had been going to physiotherapy every day since I had that weird moment with Jericho. We had shared a few words here and there but almost never more than one sentence at a time. It was becoming uncomfortable to stay in the house with him especially when we bumped into each other constantly. With me being able to walk again it meant that I was more active at home. Sometimes I just went on a walk to avoid Jericho completely. I had a plan though, as soon as I was done with my session today I would tell him that would be able to go home.I knew he wouldn't like it but, at the end of the day, he needed to understand that I was no damsel in distress. He may have regarded me as his swan but I was not fragile even with my hands unable to move I could still fend for myself. I didn't like the awkward tension between us. It wasn't something that I expected but it was som