Her eyes close as she nods weakly. “Okay.”
“What were y’all up to today?” I ask, desperate to keep her talking so she doesn’t pass out on me. Her eyes open and she meets my gaze but I can tell that she’s struggling.
“Just got off work.”
I wrap both my hands around her hands and rub. Hopefully, that will give her something to focus on so she doesn’t lose consciousness. “Yeah? What do you do?”
“I’m an event planner.”
“Sounds like a whole lot more fun than my job.”
She snorts and lays her head back against the headrest. “And what do you do?”
“I’m a private investigator.”
“You’re right,” she replies, wrinkling her nose as she fights back a grin. Goddamn, she’s adorable. “That sounds terrible.”
My mouth pops open. “Oh, I see how it is. This is what I get for being a nice guy, huh?”
“Sorry,” she breathes as her face scrunches up in pain.
An ambulance and a fire truck stop behind her car and I breathe a sigh of relief as she squeezes my hand, drawing my gaze back to her. “Don’t leave me.”
The fear in her eyes and her pleading voice stab through me and I nod, squeezing her hand back. “I’m not going anywhere, darlin’.”
Two paramedics race over to the car and I take a step back so they can get to her but make sure that she can see I’m still there the whole time as they check her over and the firefighters work to get her and Brooklyn out of the totaled car. Brooklyn comes out fairly easily since her side wasn’t the one that was hit and one of the firefighters carries her over to the ambulance in her car seat.
“I think there’s some internal bleeding.” I hear one of the paramedics say and my heart clenches as I meet Quinn’s gaze. She looks fucking terrified and something about it makes me want to rush over to her, knock the paramedics out of the way, and pull her into my arms. What the hell is going on with me?
They get her loaded up onto a gurney and as they pass by me, she grabs my hand again. The paramedics stop and look at me.
“Family only, man.”
“I’m her husband,” I reply without thinking. I promised her I wasn’t leaving her and it’s one promise I intend to keep. He studies me for a second before nodding,
“Let’s go, then.”
“Thank you,” she whispers to me as they start pushing her toward the back of the ambulance. I glance down at her and nod.
“Promised you I wouldn’t leave you and I meant it.”
Her smile is weak but beautiful as she gives my hand another squeeze. I have to release her as the paramedics load her into the back of the ambulance but as soon as I climb in, she’s reaching for me again and I can’t stop myself from giving her anything she wants. The ambulance pulls away from the accident, racing toward the hospital and I can’t tear my gaze away from her eyes.
Fuck, what is this girl doing to me?
Chapter Three
Quinn
Knock!
Knock!
“Come on in,” Alice calls as she bounces a sleepy Brooklyn in her lap. Bonnie, my nurse for the evening, opens the door and steps into the room, flashing me a warm smile. I try to reciprocate but I’m in too much pain to manage it.
“How are you feeling, sweetie?” she asks, turning toward the heart monitor on the wall above my head. I grimace.
“I’m in a little bit of pain.”
That’s a lie. My entire body aches and I fully understand what people mean when they say they feel like they’ve been hit by a truck.
“Oh, here.” She reaches down on the side of the bed, pulls out a little clicker, and presses the button on top. “Just press this and you’ll get a dose of morphine.”
Relief washes through me as the medicine starts doing its job and I relax back into the bed with a sigh. “Thank you.”
“Of course. And don’t be stingy with it either. You want to stay ahead of the pain and it’s programmed so you can’t give yourself too much.”
I nod and she turns back to the monitor, jotting a few things down in her pocket-sized notebook before she turns to check my IV over.
“Now, I’m on for the next fifteen hours so if you need anything at all, you just press that button right there,” she instructs, pointing to the call button on the side of the bed. I nod.
“Okay. How long do you think I’ll have to stay here?”
“Hopefully, just tonight, Hun. You’ve got some minor internal bleeding that the doc wants to keep an eye on overnight.”
Alice clears her throat and we both turn to look at her. Her face is pale and her hands are trembling as she clings to Brooklyn and it hits me how scary this must be for her after all the loved ones we’ve had to say good-bye to in our lives. “She’s okay though, right?”
“Oh, I’m sure she’ll be just fine, honey,” Bonnie assures her. Alice’s gaze flicks to me and I plaster a smile on my face despite how exhausted I am. “We just want to make sure the bleeding doesn’t get any worse.”
I didn’t think it was possible but Alice’s face pales even further and she meets my eyes as Brooklyn fusses and slaps her little hands against her aunt’s chest. I understand her worry all too well and I wish I had the energy to reassure her right now but between the pain meds and my long day, I’m not going to make it much longer. Plus, the last thing I want to do is think about the accident right now.
My mind drifts to Lucas, the mysterious stranger who went above and beyond to not only make sure I was okay but to also keep me calm through the whole ordeal. I don’t know what it was about him but despite never meeting him before, he made me feel completely safe in the chaos of the accident and I’m disappointed that I didn’t even get a chance to thank him for everything he did for me. When we got to the hospital, they rushed me back into the emergency room and I lost him in the shuffle.
“What if it does get worse, though?” Alice asks, her shaky voice breaking through my thoughts.
Bonnie reaches over and pats her hand. “Why don’t we just cross that bridge if and when we come to it, okay? I have faith that your sister will be just fine and back home tomorrow.”
“Okay.” Alice nods but she doesn’t look all that convinced.
“All in all,” Bonnie continues, turning back to me. “You are one lucky girl, Miss Dawson. I saw the photos from the accident and I’m convinced that you’ve got someone watching over you.”
I smile, thinking of at least three angels I know are watching over me. “Yes, I think I do.”
She grabs my hand and gives it a squeeze before backing away from the bed. “All right, now. I’ll be back in an hour to check your vitals but try and get some sleep, okay?”
I nod and she turns to Alice.
“Visiting hours are almost over, honey.”
“Okay,” Alice sighs as Brooklyn yawns and lays her head on her shoulder. “I better get this little one home anyway.”
Bonnie ducks out of the room as Alice stands and brings Brooklyn over to the side of my bed. She reaches for me and I take her from Alice’s arms before gently folding her into mine, despite the pain it causes me. Her little head plops down on my chest and I bury my nose in her hair and close my eyes.