Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 75240 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 376(@200wpm)___ 301(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75240 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 376(@200wpm)___ 301(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
A grin tugged at the corner of my lips.
“You have her bag?” I asked.
He nodded, pointing to something that was outside of the door.
I craned my head around, spotting my stroller, and nodded. “Thank you.”
Alec pulled me into a hug, dropping a kiss to the middle of my forehead.
“I’m glad he did that today,” he rumbled for only me to hear. “Sucks that Bowe got hurt in the process, but now that means that sick fuck’s going to spend time in jail, and I can’t find it in my heart to give a damn.”
I patted my brother’s hand, and then let him go completely.
“Love you.”
Then he was gone.
I turned around, Elise’s heavy weight in my arms, and smiled at Alan, who was smiling at me.
“Got me a grandbaby,” he grinned. “How old is she?”
“Would you mind bringing the stroller inside here?” I pointed at the door.
He nodded and disappeared, reappearing moments later.
“Elise is a little over seven months old,” I told him as he put the stroller at the end of Bowe’s bed. “She’s the best accident I’ve ever made.”
Alan grinned even wider. “You can’t stay here.”
I shrugged. “Elise is used to sleeping wherever. And there’s no way I’m leaving. Not until I know he’s all right.”
Alan studied my face.
“I’ll have the nurse bring in a recliner for you,” he cleared his throat. “And if you promise to call me the moment you hear something, I’ll leave you alone for the night.”
I nodded my head.
“I promise.”
***
Four days, and one brain surgery later, Bowe was finally showing some progress.
The night I’d first stayed with him had been terrible. Bowe had started to run a fever about six hours after the blow to his head, and then his condition had deteriorated from there.
Then the swelling had worsened, and they’d taken him in for surgery.
The swelling had gone down after that, but then he’d started to convulse.
After some more testing they realized that the incision had become infected.
Luckily, they’d managed to get that under control, too, and now he was doing much better every hour.
Which led us to now, in the middle of day four.
After taking some time off from my job at the hospital, I was now sitting there, waiting for him to wake up.
Elise had become a permanent fixture of the hospital room as well.
Turns out my brother hadn’t been immune to his wife’s stomach bug, which he’d caught, followed shortly by all of his children. My mom had gone over to help, and unsurprisingly, she’d caught it just after them.
Now all my babysitters were incapacitated and I was left without a sitter for my child.
I was Elise’s main caregiver, although my mom, my brother and his family, and The Jackwad’s mom got her from time to time.
The first night that Elise had stayed the night with The Jackwad’s (aka Troy’s) mother, Tonya, had been harrowing at best.
She had never spent the night away from me or my mother before. I’d been beside myself with worry the entire time she was away from me.
Tonya, though, was a good woman. She deserved to be in her granddaughter’s life, even if her son was a complete dick.
Elise was laying on my arm, her head lolling to the side as she slept, and my phone started to ring in my pocket, luckily on silent.
Not really putting much thought into what I was doing, I moved Elise until she was laying on her side directly next to Bowe.
Bowe’s hand was down by Elise’s head, a pillow shoved between his leg and the side rail.
Being sure she was tucked securely, I picked up my phone and answered it as quietly as I could, not sure why I had.
I wanted Bowe to wake up.
Why I was speaking in whispers, I didn’t know, but I was.
“Hello?” I answered.
“Yo,” PD chirped. “How’s Bowe?”
I looked over at Bowe’s face, which was swollen from his surgery.
“He’s not up yet,” I told him, letting my eyes drop to Elise’s sleeping face. “He’s doing good, though. No fever. No swelling. Very little drainage as well.”
“Good, good,” he paused. “I’ll be up there in the morning. July wants to know whether you want me to bring a change of clothes or something for Elise.”
“No,” I smiled, lifting my hand to run it along the vein that stood out against Bowe’s hand, right next to the IV that was puncturing his skin. “I have to go home tomorrow anyway. I need some more formula. And I need to do some laundry. I’ll be back up here tomorrow afternoon.”
As my fingers played with Bowe’s veins, my eyes stayed on Elise.
Then PD said something that surprised the crap out of me.
“You want us to take Elise for the day tomorrow? Give you some time to get your errands done?” he offered.
My hand left Bowe’s hand while I considered that for a moment.