“No,” I said, shaking my head. “I wanna see him.”
She smiled. “The nurse will make an exception to let us all back there. I told her we’re all family, and not having everyone together has been hard. I don’t know if she’s convinced, but it worked anyway. Let’s go.”
Josie took my hand and led me through the grim hallway. Lincoln and Bishop fell into step behind us, nearly barrelling into me as we abruptly stopped outside Dad’s door.
“—goddamn wires. Why’re there so many?”
“He’s awake?” I asked, staring up at my sister. “Why the hell didn’t you lead with that?”
“He wasn’t when I left,” she said, quickly pushing open the door.
Everyone looked up as we entered, but my eyes went straight to Dad. He was sitting up in his bed, hair sticking up a hundred different ways. His skin was still pale, especially under this shitty hospital lighting, but there was a definite flush to his face that hadn’t been there hours ago.
“There they are,” he croaked, offering a watery smile. “Bishop, why’re you lingering outside? Get your ass in here.”
I turned over my shoulder, noticing Bishop was still standing outside the room. I narrowed my eyes at him and he stepped in awkwardly, the door snicking shut behind him.
Looking back toward the bed, my chest tightened. “Dad,” I whispered, shoulders slumping as I stepped forward. Tears threatened to spill down my cheeks, but I tried to hold them at bay.
Oh god, he was awake. He was okay.
He took my hand, running his thumb over my skin. The callouses there were a comfort, a reminder that he was still here, that we had more time.
“Hey, Lenny Bug,” he said, smiling.
And then the tears fell. I couldn’t hold them back anymore. It didn’t matter what the doctors had said. I’d spent hours trying to rid myself of the anxiety plaguing my body, but now he was awake and it was the first ounce of relief I’d felt.
I dropped into the chair beside his bed, resting my forehead against his hand. “I know this fuss isn’t all about me.”
Lifting my head, I glared at him. “You know damn well it is, old man. You scared us.”
“I’m not going anywhere for a long time,” he said. “Don’t go countin’ me out now.”
I pressed a kiss to the back of his hand. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”
The door opened, and a tall man in a white jacket walked in. “Whoa, full room,” he said, eyes widening as he looked at each of us. “I’m Doctor Rhodes,” he said, offering a smile. “Looks like I’ll be your cardiologist for the time being.”
Dr. Rhodes stepped forward, shaking each of our hands. He was definitely more likable than the doctors we’d seen last night, not to mention much better looking. He had short, dark brown hair and hazel eyes that leaned brown over green.
Not like Bishop’s.
“How’s everyone doing this morning?” he asked, reaching for Dad’s chart at the end of the bed. His eyes scanned it quickly before looking over to me. “Do you mind if we switch places for a minute? Promise it won’t take long. Just need to check his vitals.”
“Oh, yeah. Of course,” I said, quickly pushing out of my chair. I tucked a loose piece of hair behind my ear, knowing I probably looked like a mess.
I stepped beside Josie, who obnoxiously wiggled hereyebrows as Dr. Rhodes listened to Dad’s chest. “He’s cuuuute,” she said, dragging out the word.
“Shut up,” I muttered, nudging her side. “You’re worse than your boyfriend.”
I mean, hewascute—handsome, even. He was the kind of guy you expected to see on an episode of Grey’s Anatomy. Maybe if the circumstances were different and we’d met anywhere else, I’d have flirted a bit. I’d never dated a doctor before; there were plenty of fun roleplaying scenarios I could think of. But I wasn’t thinking about a man in a lab coat, not really.
I was still craving the warmth of Bishop’s body on my skin.
As the doctor finished, he stepped back and placed his stethoscope around his neck. “What’s the verdict, doc?” Dad asked. “When can I get outta here?”
“Well, Mr. Hayes, do you want good or bad news first?”
My stomach dropped as Mom reached over and took Dad’s hand, the two of them bracing each other for the worst. “Give it to me straight,” my dad said. “Bad news first.”
