Sea Breeze 01 - Breathe

He’s even sleeping nights now.”
    How did Sam end up at Ms. Mary’s? I stared at him, needing answers, but my dry throat had about reached its limit.
    “Jessica is getting help. She’s sick, Sadie. It’s called postpartum depression, and she has a very bad case. She is at the best clinic money can buy, and when she comes back to you, she’ll be just like new. I swear it.”
    I sank back against the bed, and I realized my head hurt fiercely. I flinched.
    “Hold on, I’m getting the nurse now. Do
not
close your eyes. Please keep them open.”
    I nodded and watched him walk out to the hall, where he yelled, “She’s awake.”
    He immediately turned and came right back to my side. “The nurses and doctors will probably kick me out in a minute, but I’m not going anywhere. I’m going to stay outside that door, and if you need me, I’ll be right there.”
    I nodded, and my heart raced when he leaned down and his breath tickled my ear. “I’ll never be able to leave again. I’m not that strong.”
    The doors opened and in came faces I had never seen before.
    “How long has she been awake?” A large nurse with dark brown hair cut in a spiky style asked as she rushed over to my side.
    Jax winked at me. “Um, a few minutes.”
    She shook her finger at him and said, “All right, pretty boy, that singing of yours must have done some good, but now I want you out of here. Her heart rate is all over the place. What were you doing to her? The girl has been in a coma.”
    “I said not to use that word,” he interrupted in a hard voice that surprised me.
    She sighed and shook her head. “Sorry, I forgot. She has been ‘unconscious’ for a week. She doesn’t need you in here making her heart race.”
    He seemed worried, and I wanted to send the lady away because she upset him.
    “Will it hurt her? Is she going to stay awake?”
    The nurse smiled at me, then turned back to Jax. “She’s going to be fine. Now go.”
    He looked at me one more time, and then he was pushed out of the room by another nurse coming in.
    “Jeesh, I sure am glad you’re awake,” the nurse continued. “That poor boy is about to drop from exhaustion. Although, I will admit, it was nice having our own little concert around here. We just kept your door open and listened while he sang to you. Sometimes he would spend hours just singing. I swear he sang that ‘Don’t Cry’ song a hundred times.”
    I smiled at the thought of Jax singing to me.
    “Yes, go ahead and grin. If I had a hot rock star singing to me and watching over me like a mother hen, I’d smile too,” she teased, and then reached for a glass of water. “Are you thirsty?”
    I nodded, knowing my throat was too dry for me to speak. She sat my bed up and instructed me to take small sips. I did for a few minutes.
    After I swallowed, I said, “My throat hurts.”
    The nurse nodded. “You’ve had a tube down your throat for a while. After you woke up briefly last night, we took it out in case you woke up again and panicked during the night.”
    I nodded and reached for the cup.
    “Remember, slow sips,” she warned, and then continued to work over me. She examined my head and nodded. “You’re going to be just fine, Miss White. Before you know it, you will be up and going again. However, this time things should be easier for you. That smitten rock star out there seems to be taking care of everything.”
    My heart swelled when I remembered Jax stood right outside my door.
    “You have quite a few other guests. He didn’t allow them in here for very long periods of time. I’m sure they’ll want to be contacted. You might have to encourage him to do that. I don’t know if he is going to want to share you right away.”
    I nodded and smiled. “Okay.”
    She took her supplies and opened the door. Jax glanced in at me, then back at her anxiously.
    “She’s fine. She’ll be out of here in a few days.” Jax seemed to almost slump in relief. He walked back into the room and closed the door behind him.
    “You okay?” he asked, and this time my throat worked much better.
    “Yes, I’m fine,” I assured him, and he beamed at me.
    He pulled his chair right up beside me again and took my hand. “Sadie, I’m sorry. I left you here thinking I was doing what was best for you, and I knew you didn’t have a stable home life. I wanted to leave you a car and money and”—he laughed bitterly—“I wanted to leave you everything you could ever need. But I knew you