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My chest clenches tight. “I know, sweetheart. That’s why we’re here. Let’s get you better.”
“Okay,” Kipp says tiredly.
The walk into the hospital takes a minute, and when we arrive, I’m fully prepared to lie about who Kipp is to me so that I can stay with him once he’s admitted. But then I realize… I don’t have to lie at all.
He’s my husband.
With Kipp’s help, I fill in his paperwork, and the receptionist tells us it will only be a minute before we’re brought back. Considering he’s vomiting blood, I’m not surprised there won’t be a long wait.
Kipp leans his head on my shoulder once I reclaim my seat beside him. His emergency bag is in my pocket, just in case.
“Teddy?” he says, eyes closed. He looks exhausted, with dark circles under his eyes and his usually bright complexion waxy and pale.
“Yeah, sweetheart?”
“I’d do it again, you know.”
Jesus. He sounds drunk.
“What’s that?” I ask, holding his hand between my own.
“Marry you.”
I draw in a breath, my heart trying to beat out of my chest.
“I’ve never wanted to marry someone before,” he says. “I never saw someone standing next to me in front of the mountains. But you’d look nice there.”
I swallow down the lump in my throat, knowing I can’t hold Kipp to those words. He’s not himself. He’s practically delirious with fluid loss and exhaustion.
But hell, how I wish he’d say them for real.
“I’d be proud to stand up there with you,” I tell him, meaning it, even if he doesn’t remember the words come tomorrow.
He hums happily. “My husband.”
I clear my throat. Kiss his temple. Squeeze his neck. “For however long you’ll have me.”
Chapter 20
Kipp
When I wake up, it’s clear I’m in a hospital. The why of it takes me a moment to remember.
Right. My inners trying to become outers.
I groan to myself quietly, but when I catch sight of Teddy asleep in a nearby chair, the sound dissipates. The furniture is barely big enough to hold him, and Teddy himself is slumped down, his head hanging back at an awkward angle. But fuck. He’s here.
And that means a lot.
As if sensing I’m awake, Teddy stirs. He cracks one eye open and then the other. “Hey,” he says, stretching and sitting upright. “You’re up.”
“Yeah, hi. Um… How long have we been here?”
Teddy checks the time on his phone, although the light streaming in through the window tells me it’s at least the next morning. “About ten hours. Are you feeling better? You were pretty out of it for a bit.”
“Yeah, I’m okay.” I think. I notice the IV drip and hold up my hand. “I’m guessing this has something to do with that.”
Teddy rubs his eyes as he stands and comes over to the bed. “Yeah. They gave you a bunch of fluids and some meds. You don’t remember?”
