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“Too long. You’re about to be fired if you don’t get back to the station this week.” Angelina calls out as she enters the hospital room.
“Oh baby chief, such a softie, just like your dad.”
Angelina flips him off and he chuckles, then groans. She picks up her pace and is next to his bed immediately. “You have to be easy, Cash.” She adjusts his pillow and he never takes his eyes from her. “Can I check the bandage?”
“You’re the doc, go for it.”
She twists her lips. “I’m not the doc yet. But I am going to be your worst nightmare come PT time!” She throws her head back and laughs like Count Dracula, rubbing her hands together.
“Bring it, baby doc!”
My eyes narrow at their interaction but no one else seems to notice. Did I misinterpret the way Cash perked up the moment Angelina walked in?
It gets quiet again as Angelina begins to change his bandage. I can’t believe I’m sitting in the hospital room with one of my best guys on the job, and best friends in real life, lying in the bed after being shot. Cash was extremely lucky. The bullet entered at an angle, sliding under his vest at the shoulder, nicking an artery. It was deep enough to create a hole, and he could have bled out. The shock of it was enough to stop his heart.
And stop ours, too.
He was rushed into surgery. They opened him up, retracted the bullet, and sewed him back up. He’ll be out for a good eight weeks. But the good news is, with a little rehab, he’ll regain full motion of his shoulder and have no lasting effects.
Twenty-four hours later, Tom and I are sitting in his room. We’ve been here for over an hour. I’m tense, hating that I’m sitting in this stagnant, white walled room but not wanting to leave either.
When Daisy walks in, I relax slightly until I see her arm and bicep bandaged. My heart races all over again.
“There’s my girl!” Angelina turn at her voice and rushes her.
“Oh, I’m so glad to see you!” They hug tightly, neither one letting go. “With all the chaos last night, and patients coming in, I couldn’t get off rotation to check on you.”
“You checked on me!”
“A text was not enough.” They’re still holding each other.
“Hey! I’m the one who got shot! Where’s my hug?”
The girls giggle and relinquish their hold. Daisy walks directly to me first, ignoring Cash’s words completely, and gives me a sweet kiss. She says hello to Tom, then climbs onto the bed next to Cash. He groans when the bed dips slightly. Cash doesn’t show weakness, so I know this is killing him.
If I didn’t trust both of them completely, I’d yank him from it, wires and all.
“Cassius. My girl needed a hug first. Than my man. You’re third in line no matter who was shot.” She winks at me and lays her head on his shoulder. I grunt a laugh at her using his full name.
Then she lowers her voice. “You looked just fine where you were.” His eyebrows go up and he snickers. “How are you feeling?”
“Like I was shot.”
Tom grumbles. “You’re lucky you made it. I would have killed you myself if you didn’t.”
“There’s so much love in this room right now, I almost can’t take it.” Angelina snaps her folder closed and leans on the bedrail. “I’ll be back in a little while to check on you, Cash.” She lays her hand over top of Cash’s who has Daisy’s in his. Daisy and Cash are more of a brother-sister relationship. I watched their friendship blossom over the last few months. Cash has that easy way about him and she’s offering comfort to him. But this trio dynamic happening right now has my mind spinning. Have I missed something along the way?
“Dad, I love you. I’ll call you later. Go home and get some rest. I don’t want to see you still here when I come back.”
“Yes, baby, love you, too.” The door closes and the silence overwhelms the room once again.
I hate hospitals.
“How was it staying with the Gages? Francesca’s kids are wild.”
“Kids? She only has JJ.”
“He means JJ and Jackson,” Tom laughs. “My brother-in-law is a menace.”
