“Not sure I could, but thank you.”
Clem
“We’re goingto keep an eye on him for a day or two to make sure, but I expect him to make a full recovery.”
“Thank God,” Tessa mutters in a soft voice.
I don’t say anything, but I share her relief.The kid was lucky, it could’ve been a lot worse than a concussion, some stitches, and a couple of bruised ribs.
“One more thing,” Dr.Sharma adds.“Your son claims he fell off his bike, but his injuries aren’t consistent with a fall.It’s consistent with a severe beating.I’m pretty sure he was kicked in the ribs, one of those contusions looks like the imprint of a boot.I had one of the nurses take pictures, just in case.”
Like hell he fell.
The condition of his face made that obvious, and aside from that, his bike was at least ten feet from where I found him.A fall is bullshit.
Why the hell would the boy lie about that?
“I appreciate that,” I hear Tessa say.“Can I see him?”
“Dana is just finishing up his stitches, and as soon as she’s done, she’ll get him settled into a room so you can sit with him.I’ll be back in the morning to check on him.”
Tessa politely thanks him again, but as soon as he turns his back, she wobbles on her feet and sags into me.The moment I turn and wrap my arms around her, she shoves her face in my neck and her whole body begins to shake.
“He’s gonna be okay,” I mumble in her hair.
I feel her nod against me.
This is not the moment to notice, but I really fucking like holding this woman.Her soft body feels fantastic in my arms.It’s been a while since I had such a strong physical reaction to a woman.
“Have a seat,” I suggest, quickly releasing her before she notices.
“I should probably give Linc a call.”
“Linc?”
“Remi’s brother,” she clarifies.“I didn’t want to alarm him until I had some information.”
“Understandable.”
“But he’s still going to be upset and will want to come.”
Not a surprise.I’m the older sibling, and as much as my younger brother, Chance, is a fuckup, my instinct is still to look out for him.
“If that’s what he wants, let him,” I suggest.“He probably wants to see Remi with his own eyes.”
“I’m just worried about him driving.”
“Call him,” I prompt her, getting to my feet.“I can go get him.”
“You don’t have to do that,” she protests.
I point at the phone in her hand.“Call him.”
I only hear her side of the brief conversation, but I can tell she’s doing her best to remain calm as she explains things to her son.When her eyes catch mine, as she tells the boy to expect a pickup, I take it as my cue.Reaching out to brush a strand of her hair from her face, I nod to confirm, and turn to the door.
In the parking lot I bump into Hugo Alexander.
“How is he?”
