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The next time I lifted my eyelids, the room was dim. My heart started pounding as I glanced around for Jos.
Seeing her slumped down in a chair, snoring softly, I let out a relieved breath. Her hair was in her face, her arms crossed over her chest like she was cold. I shifted in bed, wanting to cover her with the blanket that was on me, but even that small movement made my body protest.
My involuntary groan was loud enough to wake her, and she sat up straight, pushing her hair back from her beautiful face. “What do you need?” she whispered as she stood and leaned over me. “Is the pain worse? Should I get the nurse?”
I caught her hand in my right one and pulled it to my chest. “I’m good,” I lied, pretending I wasn’t in complete misery, and forced a smile to lips. “Want to lie down beside me and sleep?”
“No way,” she said with a shake of her blond head. “That is your bed. You need your space and sleep. Your heart rate is starting to get better.”
I scanned my eyes over the parts of her body I could see with her leaning over me like she was. The top she was wearing wasn’t the one I remembered, but at least it was long-sleeved like the other one. Even in the dim lighting, I could see a stain of some kind across her amazing tits.
“You turn into a messy eater?” I teased, lifting my splinted arm so I could skim my fingers over one tit, my thumb playing with her nipple as I traced part of the stain with my index finger.
She gasped and covered my hand, pushing it away. “Funny. Don’t start something you’re in no shape to finish.”
Sighing, I pulled my hand away, only to grasp the back of her hair and tug her down closer. Her mouth fell open as I stopped her an inch from mine. “Just thinking about you makes me ready to prove you wrong, sweetheart.”
Her lips pressed to mine, surprising me. But before I could kiss her back, she was pulling away and stepping back. “You’ve been in this ICU ward for five days, dummy. During that time, you’ve had some crazy-as-hell hallucinations and a fever that only broke yesterday. You died twice and had to be brought back. The doctors thought you wouldn’t even make it through the fucking night after that first code.” Tears spilled from her eyes, surprising me even more than the kiss. “When you get out of this fucking hospital, I’ll let you prove it as many times as you want. But until then, save all your energy and focus on getting back to the Tanner I remember.”
Her tears were killing me. “Baby, don’t cry,” I pleaded. “It hurts me.”
She quickly wiped her eyes and nose on the sleeve of her shirt. “Sorry. I’ve just been really worried about you. The last five days have been hell. And every time I tried to so much as leave this room, your hallucinations only got worse.”
I patted the edge of the bed, beckoning her to sit beside me. When she did, I tugged her head down to my chest, forcing her to stretch out beside me to be comfortable. “I’m sorry. But thank you for not leaving me.”
“As if I could,” she grumbled with her face pressed into the hospital gown covering my chest.
“What does that mean?” I whispered, my heart stopping as I waited for her answer.
The swooshing sound of a sliding door opening had me tightening my hold on Jos as a tall woman in scrubs walked into the room with determined steps. The light over my head was switched on, bathing the room in bright light. I blinked at the harshness of the fluorescent bulbs and shot the woman a glare.
“Go the hell away,” I snapped at her.
“Mr. Reid, I’ve told you a dozen times already that the bed is for you and you alone.” The woman, I couldn’t tell if she was a nurse or a doctor, sounded like a patient schoolteacher trying to explain the rules of the classroom. Her face was kind and only slightly wrinkled by time. Her hair, lightly sprinkled with gray, was pulled into an old-school twist at the back of her head. She reminded me a little of Aggie, and I found myself relaxing a bit.
“Ma’am, if you had an angel who was as pretty as Jos, wouldn’t you want her to share your bed too?” I asked in my best charming tone, winking up at her. Pleased when she blushed, I grinned. “Besides, it makes me feel better when she’s this close.”
Jos pushed away from me and sat up before standing. “Dr. Gregory, I’m sorry. I know—”
The doctor lifted a hand, shaking her head, the pink beginning to fade from her cheeks. “It’s okay, Joslyn. I’m just glad he seems to be feeling better today.” She lifted a chart I hadn’t realized she was holding and glanced over the words before her. “I’m really impressed with the improvement he’s made. His heart seems stronger now, so I would like to get ortho in to do the first surgery on his arm.”
“Excuse me,” I groused from the bed. “I’ll just lie here and let you two talk about me like I’m invisible.”
The two females shared a look, then the doctor walked over to the bed. Pulling her stethoscope from around her neck, the doctor pressed it to my chest. “I’m thinking of writing a paper on the strength and tenacity of the average MC member and how stubborn they are not to stay dead.”
“I’m not the average member,” I boasted with a wink.
She shook her head. “I don’t suppose you are, Mr. Reid.”
“Name’s Tanner, sweetheart.”
Jos grumbled something under her breath.
“Speak up, baby.”
