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The whole time during the surgery, I focused on the task at hand, but I made sure to talk to him. Jensen tugged on my arm so I’d have to sit up. When I met his gaze, he had more tears in his eyes.
“It was strange because I couldn’t feel my body. But I heard your voice through the fog. You said you weren’t going to let anything take me away from you and that I had to live.”
I nodded; he was right, but there was more. “What else did I say?” I questioned.
He smiled and brought a hand to my face, his thumb gently caressing my lips. “You said you loved me and will always love me.” A tear fell down his cheek. “You also asked me to forgive you if you couldn’t save me. I could hear the pain in your voice.”
My lips trembled as I rested my forehead on his. “I was so afraid.”
Jensen’s gaze never wavered from mine. “I never doubted you for a second. I’m here and I’m not going anywhere.”
“Neither am I,” I promised. “You’re stuck with me.”
Jensen chuckled. “I can live with that.”
29
EVERLEIGH
Three days later, Jensen’s discharge day finally arrived. Although he was still weak and needed to take it easy for a few more weeks, his scans had come back clear and he was ready to go home.
I pulled his Bronco up to the hospital entrance where Jensen waited for me in a wheelchair with the nurse behind him. The look on his face was priceless. He was determined to walk out on his own, but the hospital staff wouldn’t let him. I got out and opened the door for him, trying my best not to laugh.
“Do you not like being looked after?” I asked, winking at the nurse before she pushed the wheelchair back inside.
Jensen scoffed as he got into the Bronco. “It makes me feel helpless. I’m always the one who takes care of things.”
Grinning, I shut the door and walked around to the driver’s side. “Get used to it for a few weeks,” I said as I hopped in. “I’m sure your parents and everyone else in town will be trying to help out.” I started the engine, and we were on our way. “You should see the refrigerator; it’s filled with casseroles and dinners.”
Jensen chuckled. “Good. I’m so tired of hospital food right now.” He reached over and gently clasped my hand, intertwining our fingers. His calloused palm was warm against mine as he smiled down at me. “You know, having you with me twenty-four seven over the next few weeks might not be a good thing. I’ll get spoiled.”
Tilting my head back, I laughed, feeling a warmth in my chest spread outward. “You better not take advantage of me, Mr. McLean.”
He winked mischievously. “Don’t worry. I think we’ll both benefit from this arrangement,” he said, his voice low. “Per my neurosurgeon’s request, I cannot work for twelve weeks.”
Although he probably could have returned to his job sooner, I wanted to ensure full recovery time.
I quirked an eyebrow playfully at him. “Your neurosurgeon is quite clever indeed.”
Jensen brought my hand up to his lips and kissed it before releasing it. “Yes, she is.”
When we arrived at his house, Seth’s pickup truck was already parked in the driveway, and he stood waiting on the front porch wearing a baseball cap with a wide grin on his face. I felt bad for him the past couple of days. Every time he visited Jensen at the hospital, he was asleep, so he hadn’t had the chance to talk to his best friend since the day of the hurricane.
Seth approached and walked around the car to open Jensen’s door with one hand while he patted him on the back with the other.
“How ya feeling, man?”
The corners of Jensen’s mouth twitched up into a smirk. “Not too bad.”
Seth stepped aside so that Jensen could climb out of the car and then shifted closer to him protectively as if expecting him to suddenly collapse at any moment.
Then Seth looked over at me and raised his eyebrows. “So, Everleigh, you did say there was still a brain in that skull of his, right?”
Snickering, I grabbed Jensen’s duffel bag from the back seat and hurried up the porch to unlock the front door for them.
“Yep, I saw it firsthand,” I said, laughing.
We walked inside and Seth stayed right beside Jensen as he walked over to the couch to sit down. With being out of work for twelve weeks, Jensen decided to pay his crew during his downtime. He didn’t want them to suffer financially because of his accident. Seeing how much he cared about his guys made me love him even more.
