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“No.”
“Yes.” Someone calls out from the other side of the curtain. “Now, do you mind shutting up? Some of us are trying to get some sleep over here after having our stomach pumped.”
Fuck this place and the people in here. “We’re leaving.”
“Not so fast. You can’t leave before I check you out.” The doctor strolls in and points at the bed with his clipboard.
Iris remains tight-lipped as the doctor checks her chart. He asks her some questions about how she got hurt, all while staring me up and down like I’m the person she was trying to injure. She is taken away for a few scans, and my breathing doesn’t return to normal until the nurse brings her back.
That should be my first sign that things are getting out of hand on my end. I’m inching closer to an emotional minefield without any kind of map, only one wrong step away from exploding.
The doctor checks the scans. “It looks like you have a boxer’s fracture.”
Her face brightens. “That sounds badass.”
I glare at her. “Calm down, Muhammad Ali. I wouldn’t count today as a victory by any means.”
The doctor’s eyes lighten. “Next time, avoid any initial contact on the fourth and fifth knuckles.”
“Please don’t encourage her.”
The doctor shakes his head with a laugh before giving Iris a detailed set of instructions regarding the healing time. I’m skeptical about the whole visit and, given the setting, doubtful about the level of care. I’ll be damned if Iris sustains permanent injuries because of my father. My chest tightens at the idea.
“Great! Thanks, Doc!” She hops off the bed, but I hold my arm out, stopping her.
“I’d like a second opinion.” The command bursts out of me without any rhyme or reason. Deep down, I know a boxer’s fracture isn’t the worst thing that could have happened. But things aren’t right in my head where Iris is concerned. At least not anymore.
Both of the doctor’s eyebrows arch. “For a small fracture?”
“Don’t mind him. He tends to be a bit overbearing.” She shoots me a look as if I’m the crazy one out of the two of us.
“Okay…” the doctor says.
Maybe I am losing it because why else would I care?
You hate when she cries.
You wouldn’t mind murdering someone who hurt her.
You took her to the hospital even though you despise them with every fiber of your being.
The signs all point to one thing: our situation is quickly crumbling, and I’m the only one to blame.
Iris interrupts my thoughts. “I’ll be sure to wear the brace for a few weeks and avoid any kind of activities that could aggravate the injury.”
“Perfect. And don’t forget to schedule a follow-up visit with your physician.” The doctor gives me one last look before handing Iris the discharge paperwork. “Nice meeting you, Mrs. Kane.”
“Will you help me with this?” She holds out the clipboard with her left hand as the doctor leaves.
I huff as I grab it from her and fill it out.
She checks the time on her phone. “Well, at least that didn’t take as long as I thought it would. I’m sure you’re dying to get back to work.”
That’s the scary thing. I didn’t think about my job once during our entire time here because making sure she was taken care of was my only concern. I’ve spent the past fourteen years of my life thinking solely about work, and all it took was one woman to make me completely forget about my responsibilities for a few hours.
As if that doesn’t scare me enough, it only takes one glance at her makeshift brace to make my blood burn hot under my skin. I know exactly why her injury angers me more than anything else. It’s the same reason I feel an urge to push Cal away from her whenever he gets too close or the way I unexplainably need to see her whenever she is out of my sight for longer than a few hours.
You care about her.
