Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 74227 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 371(@200wpm)___ 297(@250wpm)___ 247(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74227 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 371(@200wpm)___ 297(@250wpm)___ 247(@300wpm)
I gladly stood and walked to his bed, stopping just out of reach.
He gave me a look that clearly said, ‘Don’t even think about it.’
Smiling, I walked until my thighs touched his bed, and he threaded an arm around my waist.
“Are you okay?”
“Okay.” I tested out the word. “No, but…I will be.”
He studied my face, then nodded in a way that made me think he was choosing his battles.
“Will you let Rafe take you home?”
I stared at Baylor blankly.
“Why?”
He let his eyes slide to the wall, and it was then I realized he was worried about Sal being this close to me.
“I just…I need to know that you’re not anywhere near him.”
I bit my lip, unwilling to tell him no, knowing that he needed this for his peace of mind.
But I didn’t want to leave him. I didn’t want him to have to stay by himself. I wanted to reassure myself that he was alive and well.
I couldn’t do that if I was at home.
But as I looked at his face and realized how serious he was about it, I couldn’t deny him.
“I’m coming back up here by eight.”
Baylor looked at Rafe, who nodded. “They say they’re moving him by seven. Her getting here at eight should be perfect.”
Baylor nodded, then turned back to me. “Okay. Deal.”
I sighed.
“I don’t want to go.”
He pulled me down until my face was level with his.
“I’m okay. You’re okay…I just need to make sure he’s gone. I need him gone before you’re back up here. I feel the pain meds they gave me starting to take effect, and I don’t want to leave you up here with me unaware.”
I closed my eyes in defeat.
“I’ll go.”
He lightly pushed on my butt, and I dropped until my face was next to his.
“Kiss me,” he ordered.
I didn’t so much as hesitate.
“Do I have to go now?”
He looked at Rafe.
“I’m leaving in ten minutes. I have a few things to take care of, then I’ll come back for you.”
Rafe left without another word, and I knew he’d only made up his excuse. He wanted to give Baylor and I a few minutes alone, which I was thankful for.
“If this ever happens again,” I said fiercely, “I’ll never forgive you.”
“Trust me, I don’t ever plan to step in front of a downward swinging sword again if I can help it.”
I shook my head. “That’s not what I mean. I mean that if you ever need to protect somebody again, make sure you don’t protect them with yourself…I need you.”
“Come down here and give me another kiss.”
I gave him the kiss he was seeking and didn’t stop until we were both breathless.
“They tell you about your belly?”
“A nurse came in while you were napping and said that it was pretty shallow on one side, but deeper on the other.”
I nodded. “It was. It was through the abdominal wall on your right side…I saw your intestines.”
I whispered that last part like it was a dirty secret nobody was meant to overhear.
He winced.
“Sorry.”
I waved his apology away.
“You have glue and staples, though. No stitches. The area was too big. They’re going to want you to take some antibiotics, but they say you should be just fine within six weeks. Moving better by two weeks.”
He nodded.
“And you got my blood!”
His brows rose.
“They were low, apparently. Since the hospital is so small, they weren’t equipped for two patients to come in needing the same blood type, as well as multiple units of blood. And since you are both O negative, they had to have the exact blood type. I told the lady that took mine that under no circumstances was she to give my blood to the ‘gunshot victim.’”
He smiled.
“It feels good to have you inside of me.”
Then his eyes grew heavy and he held out his hand.
“Go home. I love you.”
I pressed my lips to his one more time and backed out of the room.
Straight into a warm body.
“I’ll stay with him.”
My eyes widened when I saw Dante over my shoulder.
“You will?”
He nodded down at the baby who was still sleeping happily in her carrier.
“We will.”
“Can I…Can I call you to check on him?”
He nodded once.
“My number is probably in Baylor’s phone…you have all his stuff, right?”
I nodded.
With that, he walked around me, walked to the edge of the room, and took the chair that was beside Baylor’s bedside…the one I’d been curled up in earlier.
Then he bent down, unlatched the baby’s car seat, and pulled her out and onto his chest.
I continued to watch.
When his eyes met mine over the little girl’s head, I swallowed thickly, then waved.
I hoped he was back.
I think Baylor might like that.
“You ready?”
I looked over to find Rafe leaning against the wall.
“As I’ll ever be,” I muttered.
***
I deactivated the alarm using the code that Baylor had forced me to memorize the first night that I’d moved in and immediately started turning on lights.