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“Probably, babyboy,” Tanner muttered before his chest rose and fell in a slow pattern, indicating he was asleep. I hoped he wasn’t in too much pain.
“Yeah, Dane, he did. That’s also a story all on its own.” Jesse sighed as he finished, jotting down numbers on a small pad and handing it to Marissa who nodded.
“His vitals are better than they were at the hospital, but they aren’t where the doctors wanted them.”
“We can stop by later tonight and tomorrow during the day to check on him,” Jesse offered. “Elias is off tomorrow night and the next day, and he’ll stop by when we can’t. Thankfully, the nurses convinced Tanner to stay long enough for us to get there. I didn’t mean to keep you out of the loop, Dane and I’ll fill you in.”
“Thanks, Jesse.” Dane let out a breath, but I didn’t know what was on his mind. I hoped he wasn’t too upset.
“It’s not as bad as you’re making it sound, but I’ll explain.” Marissa looped her arm in mine and nodded toward the kitchen. “May I have a cup of coffee?”
“Decaf,” Jesse corrected.
“Ugh.” Marissa rolled her eyes. “Decaf tastes like mud.”
“It’s that or nothing, goldilocks,” Jesse announced gruffly.
“I’ve got a brand that tastes amazing. You can take the pods if you like it,” Dane pointed toward the far left. “Tia, they’re in the large black canister.”
“Yeah, I’ll make some. Do you want coffee, Daddy?”
“Yes, please.” He nodded.
“Uncle Jesse?”
“Yeah, buttercup. Coffee sounds great, thank you.”
I tried not to worry too much about Tanner, though I wanted to embrace him and snuggle up against his chest and never leave his side again. “I’ve been a mess waiting to hear an update.”
Marissa took my hands. “Tanner is strong, and medically speaking he’s in great shape.”
“Is there a medical term for stubborn?” I asked dryly.
“If it were up to me, I’d have wanted him to stay a few more days for observation, but he will be just fine. Someone will come here over the next few days to change the bandages and check the wound, along with his vitals.”
“Thanks, Rissa.” I let go of her hands and returned to my task. “Why can’t you have regular coffee?”
“Jesse read some article about how caffeine can have a negative effect on the baby, and because I’m in my mid-thirties, he doesn’t want me taking any unnecessary risks.” She sat down at the breakfast nook. “He’s right, since I don’t want to end up on bedrest.”
“Jesse is usually right.” My statement earned a laugh from both Dane and Jesse before they continued their conversation. I put my energy into selecting mugs for everyone and fixing their coffee the way each of them enjoyed it. “How much longer are you out of work?”
“If Tate has any say, I won’t be going back until after the baby is born, and maybe not even after that.” She sighed. “I was already on medical leave. To be honest, I don’t miss the operating room. I like my job but my body doesn’t miss the stressful conditions.”
“Are you happy, Rissa?” I brought the mugs over to the table. “Because you seem like you are.”
“I’m happier than I’ve ever been in my whole life.” She beamed at me. “And regardless of all the craziness that’s been going on, you seem happier, too.”
She was one hundred percent on the money. I nodded, sitting next to her and leaning my head on her shoulder.
“Yeah, I really am.”
All I needed was for Tanner to get better and for Dane to tell me what plan he’d been working on. It sounded like he was about to leave the company, but there were a lot of unknowns. My thoughts lingered on Tanner, but for the moment I had hope that everything would be okay.
Chapter 17
Dane
Leaving the corporate business world to offer private horse riding lessons would bring me joy especially by allowing me to spend more time with Tanner and Tiana. Tanner was out of the woods medically speaking, and he insisted I wrap up whatever I needed to be happy and fulfilled.
