Total pages in book: 49
Estimated words: 48187 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 241(@200wpm)___ 193(@250wpm)___ 161(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 48187 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 241(@200wpm)___ 193(@250wpm)___ 161(@300wpm)
“He did.”
“She’s a trooper.”
Someone loudly moans one curtain over. “Laurennnn.” Teddy.
I leave my wife to go check on her father. He’s lucid, but his eyes are wild. Rushing over to him, I grip his hand.
“She’s okay, Teddy. Lauren is right next door. Surgery was a success for both of you. They took out the diseased kidney too.”
He smiles and closes his eyes. Tears leak out of the corners of his eyes. “My baby girl is okay.” He scratches at his arm, frowning. “I itch. Why do I itch?” His unfocused eyes meet mine again, confusion swimming in them.
“You might be having a reaction to the morphine,” I say, peeking my head out of the curtain. “Mae, can you come here?”
Mae makes her way over to his bed and checks his chart. “Teddy Bear, we’re going to switch you to a different pain medication. Okay, honey?”
He doesn’t answer, simply claws at his arm some more. As soon as she scurries off, I take his hand again and pull out my phone with the other.
“Where’s my baby boy?” Teddy asks, his brows pinched.
“He’s waiting outside. He’ll come see you soon. I’m texting him now to let him know you’re okay. Anything you want me to tell him?”
He nods but doesn’t say anything, his eyes drooping. I quickly fire off a text to Landon to let him know his dad loves him. I’m sure if he’d stayed awake long enough, he would’ve told me. When Mae comes over to give him some meds, I slip away to check on Lauren again.
I sit with her for what feels like a long time, my anxiety high, until I hear it.
A whimper.
A soft cry.
Her beautiful face crumples as she comes to.
“Shhh,” I coo. “You made it, angel.”
“It hurts,” she whispers.
Mae walks over and checks her vitals. I can’t take my eyes off my wife’s face. She made it through. They both made it through.
“I’m going to get you some more pain meds, hon,” Mae promises. “Let this good doctor take care of you.”
I pull Lauren’s hand up and kiss the back of it before letting it rest. As she comes off the anesthesia, she becomes crabby and teary. Back and forth I go check on her and her father until Teddy gets discharged to a room. They push his bed past hers and stop it where she can see him.
“I love you, Daddy,” she chokes out. “Thank you.”
He smiles despite the pain he’s in. “Anything for you, baby girl.”
They steer his bed away.
“Where’s my boy?” Her brown eyes are filled with tears. “Where’s Taylor?”
I grin at her. “Probably beating his new grandma’s ass on Gold Fish.”
“He’s really good at that game.” She closes her eyes and smiles. “Landon?”
“Landon’s good. Everyone is here.”
“Jenna?”
“Cora’s sick, so they’re keeping her home. The last thing we need is you or Teddy catching something.”
She drifts off and I keep staring at her. So beautiful. Alive. Mine.
I’m in a zone when I hear a familiar voice.
“Awww, come on, Mae-Mae. You love me.”
“Boy, I will whoop your ass.”
I bite back a snort. Morris.
Leaving Lauren for a moment, I walk over to where Morris is leaned against the nurse station, smirking at Mae. She has her hands on her hips, shaking her head at him.
“Mae’s mean,” he tattles when I walk up. “How’s your girl?”
“She’s great. Perfect. And leave Mae alone,” I chide.
She nods. “Listen to the good doctor.”
“And what am I? The bad doctor?”
“You’re the dumbass doctor, boy. Get it right.”
“You keep calling me boy and I gotta say, Mae, I’m into it.” He waggles his brows at her. “How’s Monique? You want to let me take her out?”
“She already has a man, hon.”
“Ehh, she’s hot, though.”
“Monique is a diva, boy. She’d chew you up and swallow you whole.”
“Again, Mae, I’m totally into it.” He laughs.
“You’re into everything, freak,” I playfully grumble. “Leave Mae alone and come say hello to Lauren.”
I drag him away before Mae decides to knock his ass out. And I wouldn’t put it past her either. He sobers up when he sees Lauren, slipping into concerned doctor mode.
“They took the kidney or leave it in?”
“He took it.”
“I’m no surgeon, but I would have done the same,” he says in agreement. “How you doing, Barbie?”
She cracks her eyes open and manages to flip him off. He and I both laugh to see that her sense of humor is already returning.
A weight that has been crushing me since the day I laid eyes on the beautiful, but sick girl, finally lifts. I pull out a root beer sucker and place it in her hand. Brown eyes meet mine and she smiles.
“Thanks, Dr. Dum-Dum.”
“I’m winning,” Lauren says, wincing when she looks over her shoulder at her dad.
“Then it’s a good thing I’m here instead of Landon,” Teddy replies with a chuckle that makes him flinch in pain. “I’d never hear the end of it.”