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“If you don’t fire her, I’m suing her,” she says, her eyes tired but still flashing up at me.
“Do you hear yourself?” I lean back against the counter and sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose. “Go ahead. You’d lose and I wouldn’t help you pay for this lawsuit. There would be two witnesses who were actually there to corroborate my testimony. Not to mention, Owen, who, by the time a hearing took place, would be healed and singing Felicity’s praises. You don’t have a case, and it’ll just make him dislike you in the process.”
“He already dislikes me, but I’d be keeping him safe.” She sighs and leans her head against her propped-up hand.
“The way he feels about you is no one’s fault but yours.” I stare at her when I say this, and she blinks back her surprise. “And only you have the power to change that.”
It’s quiet for a moment and I hold up the full coffeepot. She nods and I get two mugs and fill them. I take hers to the table with the cream before I go back to mine. I close my eyes when I take a sip, exhaustion catching up with me.
Hearing footsteps upstairs, I set the coffee down and go up there. Owen is getting done in the bathroom and he washes his free hand.
“Hey, Dad. How’s Felicity?”
“Good morning, Ace.”
He grins every time I call him that, and it makes me even happier that Felicity is in our life. God, to think she almost wasn’t.
I get a sudden zing of clarity. I’ve tried to curtail my future with her because of her being young and what that means for my reputation.
How utterly fucking stupid.
If one day she doesn’t want me, then so be it, but I’m going to love her every day between now and then, and beyond.
“The last I spoke to her, she was doing all right. Mostly worried about you, and I think her head is bothering her more than she’s saying. How are you feeling?” I lift his chin in my fingers, studying the cheek that was red and raw last night. “Your cheek looks a little better.”
“Yeah, it just feels a little hot still, but it’s better than last night. My arm hurts,” he says, frowning.
“Well, it’s time to take some medicine. Let’s get something in your stomach first.”
“And then we can go see Felicity?”
“Your mom is downstairs and would like to see you.”
His face falls. “But I need to see Felicity. We said we’d be back this morning.”
I put my arm on his shoulder. “Give your mom some time and I’ll make sure you see Felicity too. I’m not positive when that will be since I didn’t know your mom would be here this early, but I’ll get you there.”
He looks at me with dread and I pat the cheek that isn’t sore.
“I’ll be right here with you, okay?” As much as I want to rush to the hospital, I’m not leaving Owen with Tracy when she’s in this mood.
He nods, and we go downstairs.
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
MEDICAL JOURNALS, OH MY
FELICITY
It’s hard to tell morning from night in the hospital, but my mom comes in looking refreshed after sleeping a few hours, and a different nurse comes in, announcing a new day. I feel like I’ve been dragged by a horse and stomped with combat boots or something else that equalsbrutal.
Wyatt checked on me before he left and Dr. James has been in this morning. I was surprised to find out that they’re not releasing me today and maybe not tomorrow either. It must be a really slow week at Pine Community Hospital.
Sutton and Owen show up after I’ve eaten a few bites of breakfast and they’re a bright spot in my morning. They don’t stay long, but Sutton promises they’ll be back. He explains that Tracy is in town and he doesn’t say it, but I get the impression that she’s not happy.
Shit. I wouldn’t be either if I were her.
My parents make a few comments about how nice Sutton’s being, and they ask if I think he’ll sue. I tell them he won’t and if I were feeling better, I think they’d probably be saying more, but they let me rest.
