If We Jump

"You are really, really good at that" I said, breathing heavily as he came back up from under the covers. He smiled as he started kissing my neck and switched to his fingers.

After we had both finished, we laid naked next to each other in his bed for a while, my hands trailing lightly up and down his stomach. About an hour later, he jumped up.

"Get dressed we're going somewhere" he smiled.

"It's 1:00 in the morning, if you're trying to kick me out, you could do better" I laughed and he just rolled his eyes. I gave in and started putting my clothes back on. He took my hand and walked me out of the hotel.

"Where are we going?" I asked as we rounded a corner.

"I don't know yet. I just think cities are so much more interesting in the middle the night. The lights are off, the people are quiet, and you can see it for what it really is" he told me. "Can you hop a fence?" He added at the end, stopping in front of one.

He grabbed it and started climbing. When he got the top, he turned and waited for me to start before jumping down. It wasn't easy but I made it there, twisting my ankle a little as landed. I followed him and realized we were behind an old elementary school. We played on the monkey bars for a little while, and he told me to meet him at the top of the slide. When I got up there, he took me in his arms and gave me a long, hard kiss. His mouth opened and I pushed my tongue in. A few seconds later, his hands were going up my shirt.

"Not here" I said, pulling away. He nodded and smirked. He got on one of the swings and started kicking his legs back and forth.

"How high can you go?" He asked, starting a little competition. We both got our swings up pretty high, and when my legs got tired, I told him to jump. He laughed before flying off and sticking the landing. "Your turn".

"Not really the jumping type" I told him, trying and failing to slow down my swing.

"C'mon, you could do it" he smiled.

"If I break my ankle it's on you" I told him as I took a deep breath and jumped. My feet hit the ground and for a split second I thought I landed it, until my ankle buckled causing me to fall forward.

"Holy shit, did you plan that?" He said, causing me to laugh as he came over to check on me.

"I'll be fine, I think I just twisted it" I told him. He helped me up and looked around for a way out of the school that didn't require jumping a fence. There wasn't one. He helped me get over as best as he could and brought me back to the hotel.

"You can't drive with that foot, come up with me I'll get you some ice." I agreed and we got into the elevator. He took out his phone and told me he was asking someone to come get me.

I sat on his bed waiting for him to come back with a bag of ice. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get you hurt. Anything I else I can do?" He asked. I shook my head and he plopped onto the bed next to where I was sitting.

"I think it's just twisted, it'll be fine by tomorrow" I told him. About 20 minutes later, there was a knock on the door.

"Where is she? Is she okay?" I heard as soon as he opened it. If I had known it was gonna be Stephen picking me up, I would have insisted on driving myself to avoid this freak out.

"What did he do?" He said walking over to me.

"Nothing Stephen, I tripped and twisted it. He wouldn't let me drive myself home, but my ankle will be fine by tomorrow."

"Thanks for calling me" he nodded at Morgan, who gave him a wave back. Stephen picked up the ice to look at my ankle. It was swollen and starting to bruise.

"We need to get that checked out, it looks bad" he told me and my heart dropped. I was terrified of hospitals. I always had been. They full of sick, dying people and no one ever leaves healthy.

"No Stephen it'll be fine by tomorrow. Don't you dare take me to a hospital tonight". He argued back and forth with me for a while before giving in.

"Then your staying at my place tonight" he said. Once I agreed, he helped me get up. He had to support most of my weight but we eventually made it back to his car.

On the ride back home, he kept asking me about how it happened. "Wait, you hopped a fence?" He laughed, taking is eyes off the road at a stop light to look at me. His eyebrows furrowed and moved my hair off my shoulder. "Is that a hickey?" He asked. I pulled down to visor mirror to look.

"Fuck" I said under my breath. Right above my collarbone was a small purplish-red hickey from Morgan.

"You slept with Riz?" He asked, not sounding to happy.

"And you're gonna tell me you haven't had sex with anybody in the last 4 years?" I said. I know for a fact that he has, so he didn't have a right to judge me.

"It's just not who I expected you to be with" he said, staying quiet the rest of the way to his house. I told him he could just drop me off at home but he refused.

"I'm not letting you give up your bed again." I told him as I sat down on it. He rolled his eyes and handed me an ice pack. He took some clothes out his dresser and handed them to me.

"I really don't mean to make this awkward, but I don't know if these pants are going to get over my foot" I said, pointing at my skinny jeans.

"It's not the first time I've undressed you" he smirked, and I lightly smacked him in the arm. He got them off with minimal pain and went into the bathroom to change his own clothes.

When he came back out, he flicked off the light and laid down on the other side of the bed.

I woke up by myself in his bed, having to pee really bad. As soon as I stood up, I immediately fell to the floor, crying out in pain without meaning to. Stephen came running out of the bathroom to me.

"Kodah, what happened?" He said frantically. I was in so much pain I couldn't even answer him and tears wouldn't stop coming out. "I'm taking you to a hospital" he said and picked me up off the ground. I was crying harder now that I had to go there. He placed my down on the bed while he put on his shoes and looked for keys. He scooped me up and carried me out to the car.

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I called her mom on the way there and told her everything that happened. Now her and I were sitting in the waiting room while Dakotah got her X-rays done. Almost 45 minutes later, a doctor came out to talk to us.

"Her ankles broken in two places. It's not severe enough to need surgery but I have placed her in a cast and she'll need crutches for a little while. I want her on 7.5 mg of hydrocodone every 3 hours for 3 days and then as needed for pain. She's going to be pretty loopy for a while so someone will need to be with for the next few days."

"That's fine, can we see her?" Her mom asked him.

"You're both family?" He said, looking at me. I wasn't sure what to say but thankfully her mom said yes and I was allowed in with her.

On the way to Dakotah's room, her mom turned to me. "I have double shifts all week at the salon. As much as I want to, I can't afford to call out. Would you be able to look after her just for tomorrow, until I can figure something out?" She asked nervously.

"Of course. I'll be there the whole time if you need me it's not a problem" she breathed a sigh of relief and gave me a hug before we walked in.

Dakotah looked like she was sleeping but as soon as we got close to her her eyes popped open.

"Hey Kodah. How are you feeling?"

"Fucking great. I'm like Iron Man now" she said pointing at her cast. I guess the doctor wasn't kidding about her being loopy.

"Sweetie, I have double shifts at work this week, so Stephens going to stay at our house to look after you. Is that okay?" Her mom asked.

"Iron Woman don't need no babysitter ma." She responded, dramatically crossing her overs her chest.

"I guess she's fine with it" her mom said to me, laughing. A few minutes later, a nurse came in with a wheelchair to bring her to the car. Once we got her home and settled into her bed, her mom gave her a kiss on the cheek and told her she had to get back to work.

"How are you feeling Kodah?" I asked her after her mom pulled away.

"Don't call me that" she said.

"Why not?"

"Only people who love me are allowed to say that" she frowned.

"I know. But Riz calls you that too. Does he love you?" I asked her, trying not to laugh at how funny she was drugged up.

"I hope not. He's too cute for me" she huffed.

"Oh and I'm not?" I said and pretended to be offended.

"You're fucking gorgeous dude, why are you here?"

"Because you need someone to take care of you" I laughed. "So are you dating him now?"

"I took an oath but I'm giving it up, you didn't have to see things my way! Nothing more than a casual fuck isn't that just how we operate!" She sang along to All Time Low and I couldn't help but laugh.

"Why don't you get some sleep Dakotah?" I said, still laughing.

"No that's weird I like the other name better" she told me.

"Okay Kodah, now get some rest" I kissed the top of her head and walked out of her room. She was still sleeping when I went to check on her a few hours later so I went back to the living room. I called Morgan to fill him on what they said at the hospital. He felt really bad about everything and told me to tell her that he hopes she feels better. Honestly I didn't like she hooked up with him. Hell, I didn't like thinking she hooked up with anybody. But I couldn't be mad at either of them. I'm not with her, so I don't really get a say in who she doesn't or doesn't get close to.

I liked at the clock when I hung up with him and saw that it was time for her meds. She was still asleep when I walked into her room, but I knew if I didn't wake her up now, she'd be in a lot of pain when she did later.

"Kodah, wake up" I said quietly, gently shaking her shoulder. Her eyes fluttered open and she looked confused.

"Hey. How's your ankle?" I asked her, handing her her pill and a glass of water. She took them and patted the spot next to her on the bed. I sat down and she moved so her head was in my lap. I ran my fingers through her hair and she sighed. "What's the matter?"

"Why are you so good to me?" She said, making me laugh.

"I already told you"

"Tell me again" she said. I explained to her the same thing I said a couple days earlier. She's my Kodah. A few hours later, we both ended up falling asleep.

"You hungry, baby?" I said, still half asleep as I felt her move next to me. I looked at the clock and we had both been out all night and it was past time for her meds. "Shit" I said, jumping up to grab them for her.

She took them quickly and thanked me. "You just called me baby." She said and I swear I saw a glimpse of a smile.

"Yeah uh, sorry" I said. I hadn't realized I said it. Her meds hadn't kicked in yet, so I wasn't sure what she'd say about it. "I should go call your mom, tell her how you're doing".

I went outside onto the front steps and lit a cigarette. I started having second thoughts about being the one to watch over her. It made me miss her too much. I knew I needed to move on. I did for a little bit, dated around over the last year or so, but everything always led back to her. Just a few more days, I told myself before going back inside.

I walked in to see her standing in the kitchen with he crutches, staring into the fridge. "You need to sit down, I don't want you to fall" I said, guiding her to a chair. I think she was starting to get used to her pain medicine. She seemed more aware than she was the day before. Still not totally there, but there. Before she sat down, she grabbed my shirt and pulled me close, putting her lips on mine. A second or two later, I pulled back. "You don't want to do that" I told her and turned away to make her some food.

She sat in the chair and a couple minutes later while I was waiting for a pot of water to boil, she got up with he crutches and went back into her room, closing the door behind her. "Fuck" I said quietly. Either way, I couldn't win.

She didn't answer when I knocked on the door so I opened it, bringing her in a bowl of mac and cheese. She was laying on her bed, blankly staring at the muted television.

"I brought you some food"

"I'm not really that hungry" she said not looking away from the tv.

"You need to eat" I said sitting on the bed. She didn't answer and still wasn't looking at me. I took a spoonful out of bowl and held it near her mouth. "What the matter?" I sighed, putting the bowl on the nightstand.

"Nothing. I'm just tired" she said flatly.

"I know when you're lying" I told her. She still didn't answer or look up. "What do you want Dakotah? Either way, I can't win with you." That seemed to earn her attention.

"What are you talking about?"

"You can't make up your mind. You want to be with me and then you don't and then you do and then you don't. And now you do, but only on meds. And tomorrow you won't."

"I'm not on meds"

"Yes you are, I saw you take it. Otherwise you'd be 10 feet away from at all times."

"No. I didn't take it. Count them if you don't believe me." She said, tossing me the bottle. I tossed it back on the bed. "You can go home. I'll call someone else" she said, turning to face away from me. When I didn't leave she spoke again. "You were the one who wanted a second chance so bad"

"Yeah? Your feelings had nothing to do with it?"

"I don't have any feelings." She said coldly. Ouch.

"So you dated me, fucked riz, and made out with my brother. Who's next on your list?" I said angrily, standing up.

"Get the fuck out of my house".

"I guess you can't run away this time" I said, pointing at her cast before leaving.