Beneath The Waves (bxb)

4. Putting Two and Two Together...Fast

"Parker?"

"Hey, Park, need you awake, man."

I moved a little in my bed, or at least began to. Pain jolted up my leg from my ankle, and my ribs smarted just as badly.

"There you are. Thought I'd have to kiss you to get you up."

"you and... your stupid... gay jokes, Oliver."

"You know it. Anyways, your roomie's outside, so you don't need to worry about him finding out."

"He's so dense, I doubt he'd figure it out even if I set up a huge flashing sign in our living room stating the obvious."

"Hey, guys, stating what obvious?" Jayson asked as he walked into the room.

I grumbled under my breath and let my good eye blink open.

"That you're the biggest dork I've ever met."

His brows rose into his messy bangs as he quirked a tired smile. Huh... his eyes were rimmed with dark circles and his complexion was pale.

"Are you okay?"

I tried to sit up, but my body just wouldn't have it.

"Yeah, you, on the other hand, look like someone painted you purple."

Oliver rolled his eyes as he picked up a big black bag.

Ah, his medical supplies.

"I'll just leave you two alone and go watch the mer."

"O-Oh! What happened earlier? I-I remember him dragging me around, but then I passed out."

Jayson chuckled a little, his shoulders rising and falling with the action while he got himself settled on the edge of my bed. He lifted his right hand toward me but then let it drop back down as he began to speak.

"Well, he definitely grabbed you and pulled you around the pool. You hit both rock formations, one got your cheek, the other hit your ribs."

Well, that explains why my chest hurts so badly and my face stings.

"I guess he hurt my ankle, too, since that's definitely not feeling so great."

"Yeah, Oliver checked it, though, and it's not broken. It's likely sprained pretty well so you need to stay off of it for a few days."

I snickered, getting a glare in response.

"You're just going to ignore him, of course."

"Of course. Um, so, did you guys get the mer's injuries treated?"

"Yeah. As he was pulling you around the pool, Oliver managed to get another dart in him, which is probably why he released you."

I nodded. That made sense.

"I dove in as soon as the mer began floating upward and pulled you out. Then, uh, CPR happened, but I'm not going into those details..."

He made a face, making my heart give an extra thump against my sore ribs. He had kissed me, and I hadn't even been awake for it.

"Anyways, Oliver and I got the mer out of the water once he changed back from the drugs. Oliver said he was likely closer to three hundred and fifty pounds, considering the amount of drugs he had to use, not the two fifty we had assumed. That's probably why the first shot didn't knock him out. When he swam to the bottom, he was likely just trying to get away from the possibility of being shot again."

I gave a slight nod before giving the prospect of sitting a second go. Thankfully, this time I was able to, with some help from Jayson.

"Okay, um, did you guys put the mer back in the water?"