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I just lie there and listen to nothing for a moment and then him say, "Hey, sweetheart, he's right here." He pauses for a moment. "Yes.” Pause. "Yes, Danielle." He sighs. "Danielle." He uses that firm voice with her that he needs to sometimes to get her to calm down. I smile slightly. "He's going to be okay. I'm going to take care of him. Here. Talk to him." He puts the phone in my hand. "You know what to do.”
I nod. "Yeah, I got this." I lift the phone to my ear. "Hey, pretty girl."
"Crew?"
I can tell her voice is tight, like she’s fighting tears.
My eyes open and I meet Nathan's gaze. He shakes his head. I sigh.
"Dani, I'm okay."
"No, you're not! I was watching the game and saw the fall. No matter what it is, you're not okay. They took you out of the game!”
"Shhh, honey, sweetie. It's a concussion. And a strain. I’ve had these before."
"Oh my God, Crew," she says, sniffing. "I hated seeing that. I mean I've seen you get smacked in the face and fall before, but this was awful. And they were talking on TV about how hard you hit your head and how dangerous that can be."
"Jesus, Hughes didn’t shut it off?" I'm surprised. Michael should've been there keeping her calm.
"I’m in the room alone. Michael is down at a work dinner. I was watching by myself."
I swear under my breath. "I'm sorry. You shouldn't have been. He could've told you I'd be okay."
"But he doesn't know that. He's not there to examine you." She takes a shaky breath. "Oh my God, Michael needs to be there with you. What the fuck are we doing in Vegas?"
That makes me smile slightly. "Well, we know you're not winning any money, but hopefully you're having a great time, seeing some cool stuff, and fucking your brains out."
That startles her into silence for a moment. "I miss you. I'm worried about you," she said softly.
She makes my heart melt. As always. "I miss you too, Cookie. You’ll be home soon. And I'm okay." There is silence for a moment. I say, "Take a deep breath, pretty girl."
She does.
"I'm alive and well. And I can't wait to see you. But I am going to be honest and tell you that I have a fucking horrible headache. So, I’m going to let you talk to Nathan. And you know Nate’s not gonna lie to you."
She's quiet.
"Dani," I say firmly. "Tell me you know I'm okay."
"You're okay," she says softly. "But I do want to talk to Nathan."
"Of course, you do. I love you."
"I love you too," her voice wobbles again. I hear her sniff.
I hand the phone over to Nathan. "Please tell her something that will make her feel better."
He nods. "I'll be back to get you in a minute."
As he walks out the door. I hear him say, "Danielle, I'm here with him. Yes, I promise I will take care of him."
I lay back on the table and close my eyes.
I love the idea that Michael is with Dani, taking care of her. And I gotta admit, knowing that I can lean on Nathan is pretty great.
I bet I can even get him to stop for ice cream on our way home.
CHAPTER 11
