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Tyler fishes his keys from his front pocket. “Take the car and go home and rest.”
“What about you?” I ask.
“I’ll be fine. Come back and get me in a few hours.”
I stare into Tyler’s eyes, and all I see is how caring and loving he is. He’s been amazing with Maddie and I know if I allow myself, I could fall madly in love with him very quickly.
I don’t know how I’m going to feel when they find that singer in his band and he has to go back on the road. It’ll crush me and I’m sure now that Maddie knows him, she’ll have a bunch of questions of her own when he’s no longer around a lot.
Just as I’m about to stand up, Blake’s fingers twitch in my grasp and I immediately freeze in place. “Blake? Can you hear me?”
They twitch again and I reach for the call button attached to the side of the bed to alert the staff that we need a nurse.
There’s a knock at the door and the petite, dark-haired nurse who’s on duty enters the room. “You needed something?”
“Yes!” I say and I can hear the excitement in my own voice. “He’s moving!”
She rushes over to his bedside and pulls a penlight from the front pocket of her scrubs. She lifts Blake’s eyelids and shines the light in his eyes one at a time. “Blake, I’m Anna, your nurse. I’m going to grab your hand. Give it a squeeze if you can hear me.” She takes the hand opposite of the one I’m holding and says to him, “That’s me touching you. Squeeze back if you can. Let me know that you can hear me.”
We wait with bated breath, but then something magical happens. Blake’s fingers twitch on the other hand and he squeezes not only the nurse’s hand but mine too.
“Good, Blake,” the nurse says and then leans over to adjust the IV tubing attached to him.
“You’re hot.” Blake’s scratchy voice comes out barely over a whisper.
The nurse’s cheeks
turn a deep shade of red. “It looks like someone is starting to feel better.”
“How are you feeling?” I ask Blake. “Is there anything I can get you?”
“Her phone number would make me feel a lot better.”
Tyler chuckles beside me. “And he’s back.”
The woman assesses Blake’s physical condition, all the while fending off his advances with smiles and shakes of her head. It’s obvious that this brain bleed isn’t going to keep him down for long.
When she’s through, the nurse smiles and addresses Blake directly. “Okay, try to take it easy. I’m going to alert your doctor that you’re awake. He’ll want to talk to you right away.”
“Okay.”
“Use the call light if you need me for anything,” she reminds him.
His eyebrow tweaks up and even though the swelling hides most of the expression on his face, it’s clear to see that his brain is thinking up some typical Blake ornery things to say. “You mean, when I want you, all I have to do is press this button and you’ll come to my room? Sweet. I need to talk to someone about getting one of these things installed at my house. I’d love to have you as my beck-and-call girl.”
She rolls her eyes. “Rest, and only the button if you need me for something pertaining to your health.”
“Sex is very much a part of a person’s overall health,” he argues.
The nurse gives him a pointed look and then leaves the room. Clearly she’s not going to fall for Blake’s bullshit.
As soon as the door shuts, Blake sighs. “She totally wants me.”
Tyler and I laugh in unison, and my heart is happy now that my friend is okay.
“It’s good to see the two of you together again. Did you finally let him meet Maddie?” Blake asks and I nod. “Good. I never felt right about keeping it secret, but it wasn’t my business to tell him about her. That was between the two of you.”
“Thank you, Blake. You’re a good friend.”
