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“I’m getting out of here,” Nate said, ignoring my growl. “The doc said I’m good, so we’re going.”
“You need to rest.”
“And I will. After we check the south side.”
“You have got to be kidding me.” I tipped my head back, glaring at the ceiling. “You’re not going.”
“Yes, I am.”
The door opened as I slammed my mouth shut, only to find Greyson walking in. We were all silent as he passed out the bottled water he’d gone to buy, tossing the last one to Nate. “Nice to see you awake.”
“Thanks.” Nate took the water with a grateful sigh. “Maybe you can get through to her.”
Grey settled in a chair near the bed and kicked his feet up. “What are we arguing about now?”
“Nate wants to go patrolling,” I said with more than a little snark. But what did it matter? Greyson was the one person I could count on to side with me.
He raised an eyebrow, and after Nate’s quick explanation of the phone call, he seemed to shut down. No, he hid himself from me.
What. The. Fuck.
“If he wants to go, then we should take him.”
Et tu, Greyson? “No.”
Grey sighed. “Mari.”
“I said no, Greyson.” Why didn’t they get that this was for his own good? He was hurt, for fuck’s sake!
“You don’t command me,” Nate snapped, chest heaving as he ripped off the last of his monitor wires. “I’m not your servant. I’m not a Marcosa. I’m not a dog. I’m your fucking boyfriend.”
“I know that!”
“No, you don’t. You’re scared for me, and instead of thinking with your head, you’re thinking with that fear.”
I wanted to deny it, but hadn’t I just thought the same thing? Hadn’t I wanted to think with my heart for one fucking second?
Was it so bad that I was scared for him? “I don’t want you to get hurt because of me.”
“I know, baby.” Nate’s voice softened, and he held out a hand for me to hold because Dominic still hadn’t let me up. “I’m sorry I scared you, but it can’t stop us from getting things done. We have to push through when shit gets tough. We can’t afford to give Cash an out.”
We really couldn’t, but every part of me was screaming no.
“I promise I’ll be careful the entire time. We’ll get in, check it out and leave so you can mother me to death in our own home. Does that sound like a deal?”
It wasn’t what I wanted, but if this relationship was to be built on equity like I wanted, I couldn’t pull the queen card. I had to respect Nate’s choices. “Fine, but you go to bed as soon as we get home.”
Was I pouting? Yes. I didn’t even care that I was a grown woman doing it either. If my men had issues with it, they could suck it up, because agreeing felt like it stole all my energy. Nate smiled, reeling me out of Dominic’s grip and into his chest for a hug. “I’ll let you hover all over me for the next two days if it means we can do this.”
“I was going to do that anyway.”
“Of course you were.” He laughed into my hair, pulling me in for another kiss. “I’m proud of you, baby.”
“Don’t be. I’m going to bitch the whole time.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Then he pressed the button for the nurses station. “We need discharge papers, please.”
An hour later, the south side was quiet. Too quiet.
