Play Me (Jaded Ivory Book 5) Read online

  “Ready?” I didn’t know when Megan came back in, but I did my best to give her as little attention as possible.

  I nodded and moved over to the wheelchair she’d pushed next to the bed. Once the foot pedals were in place, I closed my eyes again. My eyelids were almost like my defense against her. Conversations filled my ears as we made our way down the hall. Such a contrast to the tense silence that sat between us.

  It wasn’t until I heard the ding of the elevator that I knew I’d be stuck in the small space alone with her.

  My eyes flew open. “Take me back to my room. Another nurse can bring me upstairs.”

  The doors opened and she pushed me in.

  “No.” She kept her back to me until the doors closed. When the last sliver of the hallway disappeared, she whirled around. “I have spent months…years of my life trying to find you and explain why I disappeared, and now that we’re in the same room, you won’t listen.”

  I shrugged, trying to play off the movement and show her how much I didn’t care, when in reality, I thought Heath was right, I cared way more than I should. “Why should I? It’s over. You left.” I laughed humorlessly. “I will admit, though, sneaking your shit off campus, that’s dedication. Wouldn’t it have been easier to just break up with me?”

  Her brows practically hit her hairline. “I didn’t want to break up with you. I had to leave.”

  I snickered. “Sure, you had to leave. But no call, no text to tell me where you were going?”

  “I couldn’t call or text. I couldn’t do anything.”

  “You know what, Megan, I really don’t give a shit. Now that my name is all over the place you suddenly reappear in my life. Sounds like some bullshit to me. Just take me to the X-ray so I can get back to my friends.”

  She growled, clenching her fists at her sides. “I got arrested and thrown out of school.”

  I never imagined a point in my life where I’d be an absolute dick to anyone, but for the second time I did it. Unlike Allana, Megan deserved whatever shit headed her way.

  I opened my mouth and started laughing.

  Except, nothing about this situation was funny.

  “Let me guess, you had to stay longer than expected.” A snarl curved the corner of my lip.

  “Dammit, Jackson, I had to join the army to finish my degree.”

  I leaned so far forward in the chair that if I wasn’t careful, I’d fall right out of it.

  “This sob story might work with the other guys you want in your bed, but it’s sure as shit not going to work with me. Now, get me to the damn X-ray and keep your mouth shut. There’s nothing else I want to hear from you.”

  I crossed my arms over my chest and sat back in the chair.

  “You don’t believe me?” she whispered.

  I had no idea if it was a statement or question, but I decided to answer anyway.

  “There’s no force on this planet that could make me believe a single word out of your mouth.”

  The elevator dinged, giving her no choice but to give up and push me down the hall to X-ray. What I didn’t understand was why bother making things up in the first place. We had two different lives and nothing was going to change that.

  5

  Jackson

  The elevator doors opened. Thank God. Only a few more minutes of being alone with her and her ridiculous lie. Why would she think I would ever believe that?

  The entire time they were doing the X-rays, she sat in the corner of the viewing room, arms across her chest, watching me. She pushed me down the hall a little faster than when we left the elevator upstairs. Fine with me. The sooner I got away from her the better. I might not believe all her bullshit, but it didn’t mean seeing her didn’t bring back memories of things I tried to forget.

  When we moved through the doorway, I saw Heath leaning against the wall, while Monty was slouched down in the chair. His eyes lifted to me and then moved over my shoulder. He jumped out of his seat like his ass was on fire.

  As Megan turned the chair and backed it up next to the bed, I saw the way Monty’s jaw clenched and the rigid set of his shoulders. Apparently, Heath hadn’t mentioned to him that Megan had been assigned as my nurse. It wasn’t often you saw Monty lose his temper, but when he did, you better stay out of the way.

  “Are you fucking stalking him?” Monty snapped.

  Megan lifted her badge. “No. I work here.”

  Monty scoffed. “And you conveniently got assigned to Jackson. I don’t think so. Why don’t you leave him the hell alone? You had no problem doing it once before and you have plenty of practice at turning your back on him. Do us a favor and keep your streak,” he snarled.

  Megan glanced over her shoulder at Monty and Heath, then back at me before dropping her head and walking out the door.

  “Jesus, Monty, did you need to be a complete dick to her?” Heath ran a hand down his face.

  “That wasn’t even close to what she deserved,” Monty argued.

  “But—” Heath started.

  “No buts. You weren’t there to see the destruction she left in her wake.”

  Heath turned to me. “What the hell did she do that was so bad?”

  I crossed my arms over my chest. “She left.”

  Heath’s brows drew together. “You’re this pissed off ’cause some girl broke your heart?” He shook his head. “You need some counseling, man. People break up all the time.”

  “You’re right. People break up all the time. But, not when they’re talking about getting married. And they definitely don’t leave in the middle of the night, dropping out of college just to avoid telling you they don’t want to be together anymore.”

  Heath’s mouth dropped open and closed again. “Wait…she what?”

  I gave Heath the rundown of what happened. Heath walked over and dropped down onto the chair Monty had vacated when we came back to the room. “Damn. That’s pretty fucked up.”

  “You can say that again,” Monty agreed.

  “Yep,” I said.

  Monty glanced down at his phone and stood. “Sawyer’s here. I’ll go get him.”

  I watched Megan’s blond hair as she walked by the door and around the corner. The desire to punch something overwhelmed me. The fucking army.

  Of all the shit she could’ve made up to get me to listen to her, she went with getting arrested and joining the army. The two most unlikely scenarios on the planet. Blood pounded through my ears and my temples throbbed. Making up lies instead of owning what she did. That was the exact reason I didn’t trust most women. Most of them said or did whatever would benefit them the most.

  “Pain meds not working?” Heath asked from the doorway.

  I groaned. “No, they’re working fine.”

  “Then why do you look like you’re ready to start throwing shit across the room?”

  “Fucking Megan.”

  “Oh, so now we’re fucking Megan again?”

  “Don’t start, asshole. You’re the one who left me alone with her.”

  “You better not even consider fucking that bitch again.” Monty stepped into the room with Sawyer.

  “Don’t blame me. This dickhead”—I pointed my thumb at Heath—“left me alone with her.”

  Monty narrowed his eyes at Heath. “For fuck’s sake, why would you do that to him?”

  Heath shrugged at Monty. “I think he needed to hear what she had to say.”

  Sawyer sat down on the edge of the bed. “Sounds like karma came back to bite you in the ass.”

  “Maybe, but I think Mari’s pretty happy with the way things turned out.”

  He rolled his eyes. “That’s ’cause good came out of it.”

  “Yeah, well, I’m not so sure anything good can come from her lying mouth.”

  “Since you got stuck with her”—Monty’s eyes shot daggers in Heath’s direction—“what was her ‘excuse’ for leaving?” he asked, air quotes and all.

  I scoffed. “That she got arrested and lost her scholarship.”
>
  Monty burst into a humorless laugh. “Megan got arrested. Are we sure we’re talking about Megan Randall?”

  At least I wasn’t the only one who had the same reaction to her bullshit. “Exactly what I said.”

  Heath’s head bounced back and forth between us. “What am I missing?”

  Monty turned to her. “Megan was as straitlaced as they came. Did her homework on time, never missed a class, cried if she got anything below an A, and never touched anything but a drop of alcohol at the parties we went to. Someone like that doesn’t get arrested over winter break.”

  “And that wasn’t even the worst of the lies. She actually had the nerve to tell me she joined the army when she couldn’t get her scholarship back.”

  Monty ran a hand over his face. “Is there no end to her shit? I think that woman might have balls bigger than me.”

  A sniffle sounded from the door and I looked up to see Megan standing there with a bunch of films in her hand. For the briefest of moments, there was something in her eyes that almost made me want to feel bad for her. It disappeared as quickly as the memories of her leaving resurfaced. She was just upset she got caught in the lie.

  She rolled her shoulders back and stepped into the room, her eyes bouncing around between the four of us.

  “Here are your films. The doctor will be back in to read them.” When her gaze moved to mine, she said, “Is there anything else I can get you?”

  I almost said get your ass out of my room, but I bit the inside of my cheek. I’d already dealt with her enough for one day. Once the doctor came back, I’d be out of here and far the hell away from her.

  When she was gone, Sawyer turned to me, wide-eyed. “That’s Megan? I couldn’t really see her last night.”

  “That’s her. If only she was as beautiful on the inside as on the outside.”

  He shook his head. “I don’t want to jump to conclusions like we did with Allana—”

  “Thank fuck,” Monty cut him off.

  Sawyer narrowed his eyes at him. “But,” he emphasized, “I honestly can’t imagine that woman in the military.”

  “And now you know why I haven’t believed a damn word that’s come out of her mouth since I got here.”

  “Where’s Mari, by the way?” Monty asked.

  “I sent her home. There’s something she needs to take care of.” Sawyer shrugged.

  I laid my head back. “Lucky her. I want to go home and take care of a bottle of Crown.”

  “Well, I heard the films are ready. Let’s take a look.”

  The door pushed open. Dr. Rickett walked in with Megan trailing behind him. He put the X-ray in the lighted frame hanging on the wall.

  I lifted my head as the doctor flipped on the light board and began to examine the different angles of my ankle. I was no doctor, but there didn’t seem to be anything broken, except I didn’t have a clue what to look for.

  “Well, what’s the word, Doc? Is it broken?”

  He placed the last film on the board and studied it. “I don’t see any obvious breaks.” He turned back to face me. “What I think we have here is a severe sprain, but I want to send you to an orthopedic doctor just to be sure.”

  “I can do that. What does that mean for us to play tomorrow night?”

  He lifted the chart and jotted some notes down. “I don’t think that will be a problem as long as you can sit and keep your foot somewhat elevated. You’re not playing for hours, right?”

  Heath stood and walked over to the bed. “No, it’s a short set since there’s a bunch of other bands playing.”

  “Good. Good. I don’t see it being a problem. I’m going to get someone to come in and splint your ankle and get you set up on crutches.”

  “Great, I’m gonna break my other leg getting up on stage with crutches.”

  “I wouldn’t whine,” Monty warned. “It could’ve been broken with you looking at surgery to fix it.”

  “As much as I don’t want to admit it, you have a point.”

  The doctor nodded. “I’ll send someone in to get you set up and out of here. While they’re doing that, I’ll have one of the nurses get you the paperwork and referral for the orthopedist.”

  “Sounds good. Thanks, Doc.”

  “You’re welcome and good luck tomorrow night.”

  The doctor shook hands with all of us and walked out the door.

  “Well, at least it’s not broken.” I sighed with relief.

  Sawyer tapped away on his phone. “Cole says a bad sprain may take a couple weeks to heal, but it’s ten times better than a break.”

  “I’ll trust his judgement. I’m sure more than one member of his team has had a sprain in the last few years.”

  “They have,” he agreed.

  “Hey,” a voice came from the door. I glanced up to see another guy in scrubs with a set of crutches in his hand. “I’m Michael. I’m here to get you in a splint and set your crutches.”

  “Works for me. The sooner I can get out of here the better.”

  Wrapped in a boot with crutches leaning against the bed, I waited for someone to bring my discharge paperwork. Why did everything in a hospital have to take so long?

  The door opened again and I almost groaned aloud when Megan stepped back into the room with her hands full of paperwork. At least now I’d be able to get the hell out of here and never have to see her again.

  She handed over a clipboard, her face devoid of any emotion. “This is all the information about the care. Ice it tonight and take the pain medication as needed. Dr. Rickett is okay with you playing tomorrow night, as long as you keep the foot elevated, unless the orthopedist says something different. Make sure you call them in the morning.” She pointed to two lines on the last paper. “I need you to sign here and here. Then you’ll be all set to go.”

  I took the pen from her, signing my name in record time. When I handed both back to her, I thought I saw her eyes shimmering in the light, but when I looked over at Heath and Monty, then looked back it was gone. Damn Megan, screwing with my head again.

  She took the clipboard. “Someone will be back to wheel you out.”

  “Thank god, I need to get the hell out of here.” I dropped my head on the back of the chair.

  Monty sighed. “Yeah, I don’t blame you. I’ve had enough of this place. I’ll grab the car and bring it around.”

  “Perfect.”

  Monty pulled the keys from his pocket. He and Sawyer walked out the door.

  Heath looked over at me and I could see it in his eyes, even before he spoke. “Are you sure you don’t at least want to talk to her? Find out why she bolted?”

  I closed my eyes and sighed. “No. If I was some guy off the street, I guarantee she wouldn’t give a shit. The only reason she cares now is because of who we are.” I lifted my head and opened my eyes. “If I want a groupie or fame chaser in my bed, I can get one anytime we play. Hell, Monty perfected that shit. But I don’t, so can we drop it? I never have to deal with her lies again.”

  Heath nodded. “We can drop it.”

  “Hey.” A different nurse peeked her head through the door. “My name is Cassie. They asked me to wheel you out if that’s okay with you.” The short blonde smiled.

  “That sounds absolutely perfect.”

  “Then let’s get you on your way. Is someone bringing around the car?”

  Heath stood. “Yep, he should be out front waiting for us.”

  “Great.” Cassie walked around the back of the chair and released the brake. She started forward but stopped at the doorway for a stretcher that was being rolled back out to the front.

  “Can I just say I love your music?” she said when we started moving again.

  “Absolutely.” I smiled. Not because of the compliment, which was why I should have been smiling, but the farther she wheeled me away from Megan the more relaxed I became, even with the throbbing of my ankle now firmly encased in the boot. “We always loved to hear that.”

  “Does that mean I can
get the inside scoop on whether you’re still playing tomorrow night? I already have my ticket.” She giggled.

  The automatic doors at the front of the emergency room opened and I breathed a sigh of relief. “We’re still playing.”

  “Great.” She wheeled me up next to the rear passenger side door of the Range Rover Monty had open and waiting.

  Keeping my weight off my left foot, I used my arms to push myself to standing while Cassie held the chair steady.

  She glanced up at me, now that I stood at my full height. “I’m not sure I’ll be able to help you up.”

  “Don’t worry, I got it,” Monty said, moving forward to take one of my arms over his shoulder. He wrapped the other around my waist, helping me to shift my weight up until I could get the seat under my butt.

  When I was finally situated, I reached for my pocket to pull out my phone. “Shit.”

  “Are you okay? Do we need to head back inside?” Monty asked.

  I shook my head. “No, but I left my damn phone on the bed in the room.”

  “I’ll grab it,” Heath offered at the same time as Monty.

  “No way in hell are you going back in there,” I said, pointing to Monty. “Last thing I need is for you to start trouble. Can you grab it?” I asked Heath.

  “Yeah, I’ll be right back.”

  Cassie smiled. “Come on, I’ll walk you through triage so you don’t have to wait.”

  “Thanks.”

  I shut the door and rested my head back against the seat. With my luck, Monty would have used it as an excuse to go start more shit with Megan, when all I really wanted to do was go home, take the pain medication, and forget about all of this.

  6

  Megan

  You need to get back to work.

  I tried to tell myself over and over again, but I just couldn’t make myself move. I’d gone back to the room to reset it for the next patient. Anything to keep my mind focused on something other than Jackson’s disgust and denial.

  For so many years I thought that if I ever saw him again, I’d be honest, he’d listen, forgive me, and we could move on as friends. Never in all of my imaginings of this day did I see him calling me a liar.