“He is on assignment, but he’s not out of the country, so he’ll be able to call you back later tonight as far as I know.”
“Thanks again. I’ll talk to you soon.”
“Okay, sweetie,” she replied before hanging up.
A moment later, Jackson sent a text with Paul’s phone number. I didn’t relish the fact that the first time I was calling him was to let him know his little sister had been in a car wreck, and it very likely could have been my fault, but I dialed him anyway. I left him a message letting him know about Abbi and that I’d call again when I had news.
With nothing else to do, I leaned back in my seat and closed my eyes, but couldn’t keep them closed. Every time they shut, I saw Abbi’s beautiful face bruised and battered and the fear in her eyes as they took her away.
I was lucky there was no one else in the room where they’d put me. I was sure I would have driven anyone who’d been in the room crazy as I paced from one end to the other. Every time I saw someone walking down the hall, I would stop and watch them pass by without them ever looking in my direction.
After two hours, a nurse finally came inside. “Are you, Mr. Jenner?”
“Yes,” I jumped up from my seat. “Is Abbi okay?”
“She’s fine. We were lucky to have been able to take her spleen laparoscopically, and the orthopedic surgeon is almost done working on her leg. I’ll be back once he’s finished.”
“When can I see her?”
“After she wakes up from the anesthesia, we can bring you back for a short time. She’ll still need to rest, but be reassured she’s in good hands.”
“Thank you.”
I wasn’t sure if they knew who I was or not, but somehow I had that room all to myself for four very long hours. No one ever looked in unless they were coming in to let me know the status of Abbi. A little before eleven o’clock at night, a new face showed up. One that looked like he wanted to skin me alive and feed me to the dogs. His eyes were dark, almost black. His entire face was grim as he took me in from head to toe and found me wanting.
“Are you the motherfucker who married my little sister without my blessing?”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Abbi
I woke to the steady beep of a machine and the smell of antiseptic cleaner. Both of my arms were splayed out with a hand attached to each side. My mind fought against itself, trying to remember how I got here and why.
“I think she’s waking up,” a deep voice rumbled.
“No, shit, you fucking dip shit,” another familiar voice said.
“Maybe we shouldn’t be fighting when she wakes up.”
A voice that sounded an awful lot like Paul’s spoke. “And maybe you should go.”
It took some work, but I pried my eyes open to find Jenner and Paul glaring at each other from across the bed.
“You never told me how you got here so fast. I thought you were in Virginia or somewhere in the Middle East.”
“I’m sure you were hoping I wouldn’t show up so you could keep her all to yourself. Taint her pure heart with all your deplorable deeds,” my brother growled out.
“Paul, leave my husband alone,” I croaked out. I couldn’t listen to another minute of their bickering.
“My sweet Abbi, what have they done to you?” he whispered against my cheek before he kissed it softly.
Turning my head, I looked at Jenner’s tired face. His eyes were bloodshot and sad as he regarded me.
Bringing his head down to our joined hands, he kissed the back of my hand before he rested his forehead to it. “It’s good to see you awake, baby girl. How are you feeling?”
“Drugged,” I succeeded in getting out. My head felt light as a cloud, and where I should have felt pain, I only felt numb.
Jenner smiled down at me. His brown hair was tousled as if he’d been running his hands through it. “They gave you the good stuff.”
“You look like you could use some sleep.” I managed to get the words past my scratchy throat. “Thanks for calling my brother.”
“Of course.” He gave me a timid smile. “I’m so happy you’re okay. Do you remember what happened? You said a car ran you off the road.”
“I was—”
“Now’s not the time. She can answer questions once she’s back home and safe,” Paul interrupted.
“It’s okay,” I started again, only for this time to be interrupted by Jenner.
“He’s right. You should rest. We’ll have plenty of time to talk later. Do you need anything?”
I wasn’t sure what he thought I needed, but it was sweet. Especially since he never went to the store. If he had an assistant, I was sure he would have them get it instead. Maybe now that I was out of commission for a short while, he’d have to get one.
“No, I’m just tired. Will you be here when I wake up?” I looked from one to the other as best as I could while my eyes started to droop, hoping they’d both be here. Even though Jenner had only been in my life a short time, he’d become an important part of it.
“I’m not going anywhere,” Jenner answered before his eyes flicked up to Paul.
“Please be nice to him. If you give him a chance, you’ll see he’s a good guy.”
“I’ll try. For you,” he frowned down at me.
“Where are you staying, Paul?”
“Um . . . I haven’t gotten that far. I came straight from the job I was on.”
“Let’s not get into why you were here and didn’t bother to tell me we were in the same state. As for where you’re staying, you can stay with us. There’s a nice spare bedroom for you to use. Right?” I lazily turned my head to the side Jenner was sitting on.
“Of course, he’s your family.” His words didn’t match how tight his jaw was as he uttered the words.
“He’s your family now too.” His nostrils flared, but he stayed quiet. Yawning, I tried to talk it through. “I think I’m going to go to sleep now.”
“We’ll be here,” Paul said quietly against my temple.
The last thing I felt was a soft kiss before I was back into the land of peaceful darkness.
I was finally home and in Jenner’s comfy bed after spending three days in the hospital when I heard Paul and Jenner fighting somewhere in the house. It was easy for sound to travel when we kept the area open to the outdoors.
They tried to keep their fighting away from me, but they hadn’t been successful. I’d overheard them on more than one occasion. Paul wanted me to go stay with him in Virginia while I healed. He hadn’t seemed to process that I wasn’t a little girl anymore, or that I had a husband and a job now.
Letting out an irritated huff, I sat up as gently as I could. Even though I’d had my spleen taken out laparoscopically, they’d still gone through my stomach muscles, and they hurt like a bitch when I sat up or turned a certain way. Instead of using my crutches, I used the little scooter Jenner had gotten me.
Leaving the bedroom, I found them in a standoff in the kitchen where Paul was making what looked like two sandwiches. They didn’t even notice me until I rolled over to Jenner’s side. I hated that I needed to take sides, but Paul was unreasonable in every demand he made. He still thought he had a say in what I did and how I did it.