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“Okay,” I reply.
Slowly the crying stops, the room goes deadly silent, and my wife falls asleep in my arms.
Tomorrow we will deal with this, but for now, we just finally need to breathe.
ChapterTwenty-Five
CASSIE
It's been a few days since everything went down at the hospital. Not that I was awake for the twenty-four hours afterwards. The sedation took a while to work its way out of my system. In a way, it was a blessing, because the emotional pain in my body was bad enough with the drugs; without them, it would have been horrendous.
Before I woke from the initial sedation, Ghost and Tate had me moved to another room that looked different and faced another direction, so what I was seeing out the window was all new. They didn’t want me in the room where I last saw my father. The memories of all the words that were said is hard enough.
Today, we are finally leaving the hospital and spending a few days back at Ashton’s spare apartment. I want to go home to my kids, but Tate and Ghost are both being bossy, insisting that with everything that has happened, the extra stress on my body, I must stay close by for just a little longer. I know it’s the right thing, but I want to be in my own bed, with Bessy and Eli curled up between Ghost and me, Ace and Bandit on the end of the bed, with the rest of the world shut out until I’m ready to see it again. Which might not be for a while.
All the reports that were leaked to the media, from Ghost and the FBI, listed that Leah Templeton died from a brain tumor in the hospital after her father had been arrested trying to murder her. They found another syringe in his pants pocket that had enough drugs in it to kill an elephant. Thank God he never got the chance to get anywhere near me with it. Tate signed the fake death certificate, and it’s been filed with all the government agencies. Because if Leah is dead, then she can’t testify in any court cases, so only the written testimonies of everything I knew will be admitted to the trial. Ghost is also watching the dark web for any alerts on the hits ordered to kill me that are still out there floating around. Once he is happy things have disappeared, life might be able to move forward like we always dreamed. I’m in no rush.
It’s a funny feeling reading about your own death, although to me, Leah died seven years ago, and I don’t want any part of that life again. The only good part of my past, I keep in my heart, the memories of my mother. And every time I say Bessy’s name, I will always smile thinking of her. There are so many stories I can’t wait to share with the kids as they grow up, about a grandma that they will never get to meet, but I’ll make sure they know her.
“You ready?” Ghost slips his hand into mine. I've been sitting in the recliner chair in the room the last few days getting used to being out of bed and moving around. I’m regaining my balance and confidence in walking and just being a normal human being.
“More than ready. Break me out of this place,” I say, standing and kissing him on the cheek.
“You better not be thinking of leaving without saying goodbye to the best surgeon in the world.” Tate walks in with the biggest smile on his face.
Ghost drops my hand and turns to greet him. “You really do need an ego check, don’t you.” Ghost laughs as he takes Tate in a bro hug. Something wordless is being said between them that I can’t hear, and Tate just gives him a chin lift as they pull back from each other.
“Does the patient get a hug too or is this just a bromance moment?” I tease, standing and waiting for them to look at me.
“That’s why I’m here.” Tate opens his arms out for me.
“Do all your patients get this sort of personal treatment? Or do they get the super-professional Doctor McIntyre, if he even exists?” I ask as I walk into his arms like a long-lost friend.
“Oh, he exists, just ask my interns. They will confirm I can be a grumpy asshole like the best of them. And yes, you are right, most of the time I try to keep my distance from my patients. It just gets too hard, because sadly, sometimes I can’t save them. But you, little lady, are such a fighter, someone special.” I hear his heart beating strongly in his chest, and I know he has a soft side that he doesn’t let out very often.
“You are one of the strongest women I know, Cassie. I’m always here if you ever need me.”
I'm trying not to cry on his doctor’s coat, even though they would be happy tears this time. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I don’t want to be your patient ever again.” Laughter breaks out from all of us as he releases me, and my overly protective, alpha husband pulls me closer to him. Not that Tate is any threat, you only have to see the way he looks at his wife. That man is totally off the market. Bella has him wrapped up nicely in their little love bubble. She has popped in a few times over the last few days just to sit and chat. It’s been nice to have another woman to talk to, besides Asha.
“But I would still love to be your friend, both of us would,” I say. We could use some friends to help us transition back into the real world once it’s time.
“Like you even have to ask. Wait until you meet the rest of our crazyframily, you might regret that request.”
“Your what?” Ghost asks, looking confused at the word, like Tate has mispronounced it.
“Oh, that’s a story for another time. I’ll let Daisy explain it when you meet her. It’s how the brain of a seven-year-old works. By the sounds of what you have told me about Bessy, the two of them will be perfect together.” Tate steps away to give us the space to finally leave this room.
Imagining Bessy with little friends to play with is something I didn’t ever let my mind wander to, but hopefully, that time is getting closer now.
“I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Now get out of here, we need this bed,” Tate says, waving us out of the room.
Ghost picks up his backpack with everything he needs in it, especially if the world is about to end. Putting it on his back and then picking up my bag, he takes my hand in his free one. Kissing me on the lips, we start for the doorway like we are heading into a whole new world, and in a way, we are.
* * *
Settled back in Ashton’s apartment, it feels like a home away from home. There is just a special vibe in this place.
“I often wonder what their story is,” I say, lying on Ghost's lap on the couch.
