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My butt settles in the chair, my heart and brain spin around the idea of Dani despite the effort I put into trying to fight it.
They always go back to her.
She was it. She was special. The one I'd waited a lifetime for, that I'd always wanted.
And now she's gone.
The wheels squeak on the way to the lobby. Every corner, every hallway, even in the elevator when we're sitting still, somehow, they squeak at me. Like they're taunting me. Reminding me that, even though I'm going back to the brotherhood of the MC, that things between Dixon and I seem to be square — though he still jokes from time to time that I owe him again for saving my life at the Vertucci compound — I'm going back to a world without her.
The nurse puts me near a coffee table in the lobby, where there's a stack of magazines. All of them are old, at least three months, and the TV in the lobby is stuck on the weather channel. Some kid is crying in the corner, arguing with his sister over a set of off-brand Legos, and the man in the seat next to me smells like cigarettes and urine and keeps looking at me like he wants to start a conversation.
I sit for half an hour. Still no Dixon.
When he gets here, I'm going to get out of this wheelchair and kick his ass.
Another ten minutes pass and I'm close to just signing myself out against medical advice and walking home. All that effort might end up putting me back in the hospital bed, but it might not, and that shot at freedom is worth it. Hell, anything is worth it compared to sitting around in this purgatory of a waiting room.
Then the doors open, and I blink several times, wondering if my heart's stopped and I'm actually dead.
She's here.
Dressed in her work clothes — a skirt, blouse, jacket — and with her hair pulled back in a ponytail, an outfit that’s so sexy it makes my heart beat out of control. There's a shy smile on her face, and a light in her eyes that's both reluctant and inviting. She might seem unsure of herself, but I've never been more sure of anything in my life: I love her, and I am so damn happy she's here.
I stand up.
The nurse at the front desk says, "Sir, you can't do that."
"Watch me," I retort as walk toward the woman of my dreams. It's a slow walk, because I can see that Dani's still reluctant, still hesitant, and she walks toward me at an equally cautious pace.
Then she runs.
And wraps me in a hug so tight I might burst my stitches.
"I missed you," she whispers into my ear before kissing my cheek and then my lips. "I missed you so much."
Her lips are the sweetest thing I've tasted in weeks.
"What took you so long?" I say.
"Got held up at work. An open house that went on longer than I thought..." She says.
"I don't mean that," I say.
She smiles shyly. It's not like her to be so unconfident. "I had to figure things out. Figure out how I felt about you, how I felt about me. That took time, and a lot of talking to people. Morgan, mostly. But also, a professional."
"And?"
"And I really love you. But it hurt what happened between us, that you took me away from the Vertucci compound like that, that you'd kidnap me... but talking things out with Morgan and with my therapist, it helped me sort out my feelings and helped me understand and empathize with why you did it, what you were feeling, how you might have been thinking. It gave me perspective. And it helped put me in a place where I could forgive you. Maybe."
I stop at that. Turn to her. We're still in the parking lot of the hospital. It hardly feels like the right place to say this, but I don't want to hesitate when I feel like the woman I love might be in pain, might still be carrying hurt. Especially from something I did.
"If you're going to think about forgiving me, I need to apologize, first. I should've been more open. I should've listened to you. We should've talked this out. I am sorry that things happened how they did. But I am also grateful that, despite everything that happened, you made it through and that you're here today. I love you, Dani."
She smiles and her lips capture mine in a tender, slow kiss. "I love you, too, Owen. Thank you."
Our slow walk to her car resumes. Hand in hand, we stroll in the mid-afternoon sun, my mind circling around the things she's said.
"I've been thinking about doing the same thing, once I've got all this hospital stuff behind me. About finding someone to talk to."
