“Got a shattered hand and a few wounds that are pretty infected. They’re hoping they can save his hand and keep him from going septic.”
“Oh, that poor man.”
“Yeah, it’s pretty rough.”
Officer Wade asked me a few more questions, but nothing I couldn’t answer. Something told me that I wouldn’t have gotten off so easy if it hadn’t been for Thomas. As promised, he paved the way, making it clear to everyone concerned I’d already been through enough and was off-limits. I was surprised that they’d agreed to leave me alone, especially with a case as important as this, but I could only assume he had enough on Mathews to put him away for a very long time. The officer asked for my contact information, then after stating he’d be in touch, he said his goodbyes and left.
I thought Noah and I would finally have a chance to catch our breath, but no such luck. Officer Wade hadn’t been gone for more than five minutes when my parents returned. Mom was talking a mile a minute about all the news reporters that were circling the front door. Like a bunch of hungry vultures, they were hoping to find some bit of information they could snatch up and put in their morning papers. I knew it wouldn’t be long before they were off to their next big story. Until then, I’d just have to lay low and keep my mouth shut—and my parents would have to do the same.
Once visiting hours were over, my parents said their goodbyes, hugging me tightly before they left to go home. Noah, on the other hand, had no intention of leaving. He made that clear when the shift nurse came in. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a tight bun, and her makeup was dark, making her look older than she really was. The second she spotted him standing next to the bed, her eyes skirted over his body with disapproval. She placed her hand on her round hip, making her snug scrubs look even smaller as she grumbled, “Visiting hours were over ten minutes ago.”
“I’m aware.”
“Good. Then, you know it’s time for you to go, sir.”
“About that.” Noah took a step towards her and smiled, showing off those sexy dimples and dashing blue eyes. “I don’t know if you’ve read her reports, but my girl has been through a lot, and she’s a little nervous about being left alone.”
“She has nothing to be nervous about, sir.” Her forceful tone was unwavering as she continued, “We will keep a close eye on her.”
“What did you say your name was?”
“I’m Abigail Heart, the head nightshift nurse.”
“Well, Abigail. I’m sure you would take very good care of Remington. You’re clearly the best nurse in this joint. Bet you keep everyone on their toes.”
“I do what I can.”
“I don’t doubt that, and as much as I appreciate that, I’d feel a lot better if I could stay here with her.” A slight smile crept over her round face, and I knew then, he’d won her over. Just for good measure, he gave her a quick wink, then motioned his hand over to the chair. “I’ll be quiet. You won’t even know I’m here. I swear it.”
“It’s against regulations, but I don’t guess it would hurt anything.” She pointed her pen in his direction as she told him, “If anyone asks, you’re her husband. Got it?”
“Sure do.” Noah smiled as he said, “Thank you, Abigail. I owe you one.”
After Abigail checked my vitals and filled out some needed paperwork, she stepped out to grab some blankets and a pillow, then brought them back for Noah. Before leaving, she pointed her finger at us like a scolding mother and said, “You two behave yourselves.”
“We’ll do our best.”
As soon as she was gone, Noah stepped to the edge of the bed. “You doing okay?”
“I’d be doing better if you’d lay down here next to me.”
“There’s no room for me, babe.”
“Sure, there is.”
I scooted over a little and patted the empty spot. “See. There’s plenty of room.”
As Noah lay down on the bed next to me, he asked, “Did you see how I won over Nurse Ratchet?”
“Oh, yeah. You’re a real charmer when you want to be.” I placed the palm of my hand on his jaw as I looked up at him and said, “And I love you for it.”
“And I love you too. Honestly didn’t know it was possible for me to love someone so much.” His eyes locked on mine as he said, “So, I’m really going to need you to stay out of trouble. At least for a little while.”
“Only if you promise to do the same.”
“You got yourself a deal.”
Shotgun
Remington had just finished signing her release papers and was waiting in her wheelchair for the nurse to take her downstairs. After an hour of back and forth with her folks, she’d convinced her parents she was fine and didn’t need to go home with them. Neither was happy about leaving her, and to be honest, I couldn’t blame them. They didn’t know shit about me, but I gave them my word I’d take good care of her and was relieved when they finally gave in. Once they were gone, we gathered up all of Remington’s things and were waiting on the nurse to take her downstairs when she looked over to me and asked, “Would you mind if we stopped by to visit Thomas before we leave? I’d really like to see how he’s doing.”
“You sure you’re feeling up to it?”
“I wouldn’t have asked if I wasn’t.” When his eyes narrowed, I knew he wasn’t exactly keen on the idea, so I pushed a little harder. “I just want to know that he’s going to be okay. Besides, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to make sure we’re still on the same page as far as all this stuff with Mathews.”
“Okay, we’ll go see about him, but only for a few minutes.”
“Understood.”
I wheeled her out of the room and over to the nurses’ station to get Long’s room number. Once they’d looked it up, I let them know we’d be going to see him and wouldn’t need any further assistance. As soon as we were in the elevator, Remington stood and pushed the wheelchair aside. “I’ve had enough of this thing.”
“That’s too bad. I kinda liked the idea of wheeling you around.”
“Yeah, sure you did.” She stepped over to me and wound her arm around me, waiting patiently for us to reach Long’s floor. When the doors finally opened, she followed me down the hall and into Long’s room. I stood back and watched as she crept over to his bedside. While he looked better than he had the day before, he was still a fucking mess. His forehead was wrapped in gauze, his hand was in a cast, and there were various bruises and bandages all over his arms and legs. His face was still swollen beyond recognition and his eyes were closed, but that didn’t stop Remington from whispering, “Thomas? It’s Remington.”
“Hey.” He kept his eyes closed as he muttered, “Didn’t expect to see you here.”
“I couldn’t leave without checking in. I wanted to see how you were.”
“You didn’t have to do that.”
“Well, I’m here just the same.” Her eyes skirted over his broken body, and she winced when her eyes landed on the cast that extended from his knuckles to his elbow. “So, how are you doing?”