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She laughs, though it sounds a bit shaky, and comes over to the bed, swatting at my leg. I shift over a bit so she can perch on the edge.
“How long have you been here?” I ask, rubbing my eyes. She pours me a cup of water from the small table beside her and hands it over. I sip it gratefully as I stare at her, brow arched in question. She chews her lip for a second before answering.
“Six a.m.” she admits. “I…I was up already,” she adds, looking down at her hands.
“Mac,” I say quietly, the word coming out somewhere between chiding and gutted. That’s how I feel. Gutted. She stayed up all night worrying about me. She gives me a half-smile, one dimple peeking out, and hikes a shoulder.
“How are you feeling? And don’t you dare lie to me, Connor Shepherd.”
“I would never dream of it, ma’am,” I give her a small grin, “I’m alright. Pretty sore, but overall I’m ok, I swear.”
She lets out a long breath, staring down at the bed. She picks absently at the blanket before saying quietly, “Con—Shep,” she corrects and my eyes narrow slightly. She almost called me Connor. She never does that. Except she did last night, didn’t she? Right before they wheeled me out to the ambulance.Adding that to my think-about-later pile.
“When you were on that ice and not moving I…” I reach out and put a hand over hers to stop her fidgeting. She glances up to meet my eyes. “I wasterrified. I don’t think I’ve ever been so scared in my life.”
“I’m sorry.” It’s all I can think to say. I can’t promise her it’ll never happen again. But she doesn’t seem to need me to say anything more. She studies me for a long minute, and once she seems to decide I’m really ok, the stress melts away and she smiles at me, a real smile this time, the one that makes my pulse race and my own lips curl upwards.Those God damn dimples.
“I thought December was pulling out all the stops to beat you at your game.”
I scoff. “It’ll take more than a little collision in the goal to do that. I’m playing to win, Mac. Nothing’s going to stop me.”
“Good,” she whispers just as a nurse comes in, followed by a parade of doctors over the next few hours. Hattie sticks with me through the duration and after what seems like forever, I’m released into her capable hands.
“Is this really necessary?” I complain as she wheels me through the hospital towards the parking lot.
“Hospital protocol,” she says, but I can hear the shit-eating-grin in her voice from behind me. “Oh, wait, I almost forgot.” Before I know what’s happening, she’s got her phone out in front of us, snapping a selfie of me in the damned wheelchair and her grinning like a lunatic. “Annnnd that’s getting sent to the entire team. Done.”
“I hate you. I take back every nice thing I’ve ever said about you.”
“You lie like a rug, Shep.” Her twang makes me laugh and we finally leave the hospital, me ditching the blasted chair as soon as we clear the front doors.
Ollie nearly tackles me when Sara brings her home, but it’s worth the stab of pain when she wraps her arms around me and tells me that she missed me. It was only one missed morning, but still. I squeeze her back, letting out a shuddering breath as everything that could have happened hits me all over again.
“Aunt Sara said you got hurt,” Ollie says in a quiet voice, and I can hear the worry.
“Only a little,” I promise her. “I’m ok. The doctors fixed me right up.” She lets out a long breath but nods, quickly moving on from me to telling Hattie all about her day at school while Sara and I chat.
“How was she last night?”
“She was great. A little upset when you weren’t here this morning, but when Rizzo showed up to take her to school, she couldn’t have cared less that you were gone.” I smile at that, loving how much Rizzo—and everyone, really—loves Ollie.
“Thank you for staying the night. For everything.”
“Of course. You know we’re always here for both of you.” She looks at Ollie, an indulgent smile on her face. “You letting us stay in her life has been a Godsend, Con. To have this little bit of Chris back…well, I refuse to get all sappy here, but suffice it to say we love you both and are happy to do whatever you need.”
My throat feels a little tight at the thought. I know exactly what she means. Seeing little bits of Hannah in Ollie makes me feel like she’s still here with us somehow and helps ease the hurt when the days are hard. Sara scrunches her nose up and I can tell she’s trying not to cry. She likes to pretend that she isn’t a giant softie, but she literally cries at soup commercials—always claiming that there’s something in her eye, of course.
“So, anyway, where do we stand on the whole you asking Hattie out thing? Because I stand by my former statement: if you don’t, Isowill.”
I give her a playful shove and she winks before darting off into the kitchen to grab something to drink.Where the fuckdoI stand?I honestly don’t know, but it seems like things between Hattie and I are back to normal. I think. I’m still not quite sure what the night before meant—was it just the first time she’d seen a friend hurt like that? Was it more than that?—and won’t until I have more time to digest everything. But for now, I’m happy to see that she seems happy.
The rest of the day passes with Hattie giving me shit and making jokes about me being an invalid and a few of the guys stopping by to check in. So many, in fact, that Hattie and Sara order a ton of pizza for everyone and it kind of turns into a party.
My neck hurts and my entire body feels like it went ten rounds with The Italian Stallion, but looking around at everyone gathered here, the family that's become mine by chance and choice, I smile.
Today is a good fucking day.
Chapter Fourteen
