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“She’s not,” Gaines tells him. “She calls me that sometimes.”
“And, sir,” I say. “Oh, wait. That’s a secret.”
Both men laugh.
I feel hands touching me and hear a steady beeping.
“Eloise?” The man named Jordan says my name. “I need you to try and squeeze my fingers.”
I do it with my left hand, and then my right.
“Can you open your eyes?”
I do it again and this time I can see. The doctor shines a light in my eyes before his index finger pops in the air. “Follow my finger.”
I do just that.
“You’re a very lucky young lady,” he tells me. “You’re going to be just fine.”
“Thank you,” I whisper, still not sure why I’m here.
Gaines steps back in place beside me. His jaw is covered with a light beard and his hair is messy. He’s so handsome that I think I might…
“Did I faint?” I ask him.
“Something like that.” He kisses my forehead again. “You collapsed on a subway platform.”
“That’s not good.”
“You hit your head.” He smiles. “It’s bandaged up again.”
“It’s karma.” I attempt a smile. “My head fell on that fake diamond bracelet again, didn’t it? I stole if from your apartment.”
He laughs. “You can’t steal something that belongs to you, lamb. It’s not fake, though.”
“It is.” I nod. “My friend in Buffalo bought it for ten dollars at a thrift store.”
“I bought the bracelet you were wearing at a jeweler in SoHo for a lot more than ten bucks.”
Frantic, I try and reach for my left arm, but I’m attached to so many wires that I can’t move. “Did I lose it?”
“No.” Gaines voice is comforting. “I have it, but diamond bracelets might not be your thing.”
I smile. “My forehead agrees with you.”
“We can trade it for a ring.”
I stare at his face. “A ring?”
“I love you, Eloise.” I hear a tremor in his voice as his eyes well up with tears. “I’m so fucking sorry that I didn’t know how to do that properly. I had things to tell you and instead of manning up and doing that, I hid.”
“You love me?”
“I’ve loved you since you sat down next to me at the club, Loretta Lamb.”
“For that long?”
“Yes,” he says in a tender tone. “I’ve never been in love before so I fucked up along the way, but I’m here for the long haul if you’ll have me.”
