Page 41 of Drive Me Crazy
I can’t help chuckling at the scene before me. Ella’s waving her McAllister pass in the face of a young nurse. The guy can’t be older than twenty-three years old and seems confused about whether he should feel threatened or not. He looks around for help, but everyone else is preoccupied.Poor kid.Ella’s McAllister pass doesn’t mean much to him, but she’s putting on an air of importance.
“I’m sorry, miss,” he stammers, the tips of his ears turning as red as his hair. “No visitors until he’s cleared.”
“Visitor my ass,” she fires back. “Do I look like a visitor to you, buddy?”
Oof.Ella means business when she calls somebody “buddy” or “buddy boy.”
“She’s fine to come back,” I call out to where they’re standing.
I shoot Ella as much of a smile as I can manage, but it looks more like a pained grimace. I don’t want her to be here, to see me weak, but I also don’t want to be alone. She pushes past the flustered kid and rushes over to the medical bed I’m in. Throwing her arms around me, she buries her face into the crook of my neck. I’m surprised by her public display of affection.
“Careful, sweetheart,” the doctor warns. “He’s a bit bumped and bruised.”
She quickly releases me, jumping back as if my body’s on fire. It may as well be with her being so close.
“It’s okay. Don’t think she can hurt me much considering she weighs no more than eight stone.”
The doctor gives a short laugh before giving us some space.
A frustrated noise escapes Ella’s lips as she turns herattention back to me. “How much is eight stone in pounds? I don’t know the metric system and it’s rude to talk about a woman’s weight, you know.” tion back to me. “How much is eight stone in pounds? I don’t know the metric system and it’s rude to talk about a woman’s weight, you know.”
She slowly scans my body, looking for any obvious injuries. There’s nothing sexual about the way she’s looking at me, but my body heats under her intense gaze. She looks flustered and stressed, her hair falling out of her scrunchie, and the laces on her trainers (or gym shoes as she calls them) undone.
“I’m glad you’re okay.” Her voice is barely audible.
“Hey,” I coax, pulling her toward me, “look at me.”
We’re face-to-face, her body nestled between my legs at the edge of the bed. I revel in the intimacy of having her so close. She bites her lip, avoiding eye contact.
“Don’t worry about me. Stuff like this has happened before and it’ll most likely happen again. Just part of the job. I promise I’m okay.”
Nobody likes crashing, but there’s always a chance of it. It’s a risk we take every time we get into the car, whether it be a practice, test drive, or race. It’s hard to explain, but crashing is a very small price to pay for the chance to get behind the wheel. With all the new safety features the cars have, it usually looks way worse than it is.
“Ever consider a new career path?”
“Ha.” My body starts to relax. “Not a chance in hell, love.” She leans her forehead against mine for a brief second, causing my breath to catch in my chest. It’s intimate and unexpected. Her scent is intoxicating, a mix of vanilla and honey. My hands snake around her waist like it’s the most natural thing in the world.
I pause, staring at her. Is my head more fucked up from the crash than I originally thought?
“Why are you looking at me like that?” she asks, tucking her hair behind her ears.
“Did you cry?”
“Ofcourse I cried, you idiot. Your car spun out, like, a million times and then you got fucking body slammed. Did you expect me to laugh?”
She frowns as if I said something offensive.
“Don’t worry, El. Seriously.” I offer up my signature smile, trying to lighten the mood. “Me and your paycheck are AOK.”
“You mean more to me than a paycheck and you know it. So don’t minimize my feelings.”
I mumble an apology, trying to hide how her words affect me. I know she cares, but fuck does it sound good to hear. I’ve never had an Ella before. Someone who waves her badge and goes full-blown Karen at a Ron Weasley looking kid just to make sure I’m okay. And who cries because she’s worried I got hurt. It’s starting to freak me out how much I like being around her.
Before I can think too much about it, Theo barges into the tent. The redhead doesn’t even attempt to stop him.
“Holy fuckin’ hell, mate.” Theo swears loudly as he makes his way over to me. Given his intense fear of hospitals and doctors, I’m surprised he came. “Are you all right?”
Ella immediately takes a step back upon seeing Theo. My arms feel empty as they release her body and fall back to my sides. I wish I could pull her back, but I’m already playing with fire. And she seems embarrassed by her out-of-character display of affection.
