AllFreeNovel
Share Us
* * *
Her throat wassore from shouting, and the rest of her body ached to match. She’d come around about an hour ago and the nurse had practically pinned her to the bed when Rose had made a move to get up and find her father. Of course, she wouldn’t have gotten far with her head spinning and nausea swirling whenever she was upright. Mild concussion, they’d said. She was lucky. The car had been aiming for the driver’s side, and if not for the flip, she probably would have been up and about faster. Rose had tried to ask about Blake and Stevie, but the nurse couldn’t tell her much beyond that they were both alive. For now, she’d been forced into bedrest until she could stand without needing to puke.
Thankfully, she didn’t need to be able to stand in order to yell down the phone at Jones for about twenty minutes. She could admit that she’d been an idiot and hadn’t really taken the threat seriously enough. Sure, it was possible the car that had hit them had been a coincidence and sheer bad luck, except for the flowers that had arrived just before she’d woken up. Twelve solid pink roses with an apology note and a photograph. It was her, unconscious in the car with blood on her face. The nurse had gone pale when she’d seen it, but Rose had just clenched her jaw before turning it around to find a drawn-on sad face and apology message. After that, she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about those boots. Had that been the person who’d taken the picture? If so, then why not kill her then and there? Did they think it would attract too much attention? But then how did they get close enough to take the photo of her without anyone seeing? The only thing she could think of was that the man in the boots had to have been the currently-missing driver of the other car. Jones had fucked up not once with the car crash, but twice in allowing his perimeter to somehow be breached enough for the flowers to get through. But it did make her wonder just how this guy was slipping into all these places unseen or unquestioned.
She’d also contacted her lawyer who had assured her that they would sort out the mess with the reporter from theCincinnati Times,and Jones had promised to liaise with them about the tip-off that they were assuming had been used in an effort to lure Rose and David out of the house. And it had worked, thanks to her. But after one CT scan and three more hours of resting, Rose couldn’t regret the decision to leave, not when she was finally able to stand and make her way to her dad’s room.
The beeping in there was louder than in her room, and several wires peeked out from under the hospital garb they had him in, washing out his usually tanned features. Seeing him there, eyes closed and face relaxed, made her notice the details she’d been overlooking for years – the new lines, the gray hair at his temples, and the circles beneath his eyes. Much like Rose, her parents didn’tneedto work, and it was beyond clear to her now that it was taking a toll on them more than ever. She was going to have to have a conversation with them about slowing down. It wasn’t just herself that she’d been neglecting, she now realized. It was her job to make sure they were okay, to look out for them. Maybe it was time to have a chat with her cousin about how they could be doing more for the business.
“I can feel you worrying from here,” her dad said without opening his eyes, but a small smile twitched his lips until, finally, eyes the same shade of brown as hers opened and twinkled at her. “Your mother went on a coffee run.”
“I saw her earlier,” she said, moving closer and sitting down in the empty seat by his bed, wincing at the soreness in her back and side as she did so.
“How are you doing?” His hand was soft as it covered her own and she squeezed it lightly.
“I think I’m supposed to be the one asking you that.”
He laughed but stopped quickly as a pinch of pain showed on his face. “I’m the parent here, darling. Now, don’t worry your old dad, hm? How’s Blake?”
Mom had clearly filled him in on what had been going on and she blew out a long breath at not having to re-hash it all again so soon. “I don’t know yet. They haven’t told me anything.”
“And what about you?”
“They’ve said I can likely be discharged by this evening as long as my scans come back clear.”
“That’s great!”
“Yeah…”
“You don’t sound pleased,” he said with a raised eyebrow and Rose grimaced.
“I don’t want to leave without him,” she said and kept her eyes on the ceiling, ignoring her dad’s quiet chuckle that somehow managed to sound smug. “Well, it is his house,” she went on, ignoring her blush, “it feels weird to be there without him.”
“I see,” he said carefully, and thankfully she was spared from responding as her mom swept back into the room with a coffee in each hand. Her dad eyed the cups hopefully, making his wife glower.
“No, Graham. You know the doctors said no caffeine!”
“Ever?” she asked, horrified, and squeezed her dad’s hand tighter when he nodded.
“They’re putting a stent into his heart,” her mom told Rose for the third time, but she didn’t mind, knowing her mom was saying it more for herself than for Rose. “So he’s going on a strict diet until the surgery.”
“What about after?”
A stern look was leveled at both her and her dad. “We’ll see.”
Her mom fussed about with her dad’s covers and Rose looked up at the white, chunky clock that looked like it’d been glued to the gray wall. “They told me they’d have more news about Blake and Stevie around seven, so I’m going to go and pester the nurse again.” She wrapped her mom in a hug and pressed a quick kiss to her cheek before doing the same for her dad. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”
“Me too, darling.”
The corridors were quiet, and Rose walked as quickly as her bruised body would let her, the sound of her footsteps echoing and raising the hairs on her arms until the nurse’s station was in sight and she paused at the tall figure standing there. He paced back and forth anxiously, like he’d been waiting for a while, and her mouth went dry as she watched from a safe distance before slowly walking forward again.
The nurse behind the desk looked up with a smile and nodded to her left. “He’s almost as persistent as you.”
Rose laughed but it sounded breathless and finally he looked up and saw her, face breaking out in the relief that was mirrored inside her too as Blake swept forward and pulled her against him.
“Thank god.” He pressed the words into the top of her head and the warmth of his breath made her shiver as his hands ghosted over her sides, stroking upwards until they found her face. “Are you alright?”
There was a deep gash on his forehead and one of his lips had a split that she touched lightly as she nodded and Blake relaxed, like he’d been waiting for her to confirm it before he’d believe it.
