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Chapter Eleven
Luke gripped Nate in a hug the moment he walked through the door. He’d already told Connor his dad was here, as he’d been stationed by the window for the past ten minutes. He found it incredible that he and Hannah had arrived at the hospital before Ginger and Nate, but apparently, Ginger had been asleep.
“He’s okay,” Luke whispered, working hard to keep the lump from overtaking his whole soul. “The nurse said he’s fine and can go home any time.”
Nate pulled away and took Luke’s face in both of his hands. His skin felt rough and calloused, and he wore fire in his gaze. “This is not your fault.”
Luke closed his eyes. “I was watching him.” He opened them and looked at Nate, pleading with him to understand.
“I know you were.” Nate flashed him a small smile. “Of course you were. That’s how you got to him so fast. It’s how you knew he was gone in a second. It’s how you got him out of that current before he was too far out.”
Luke nodded, encouraged by Nate’s faith in him.
Nate dropped his hands and stepped around Luke. He turned and watched as Nate approached the hospital bed where Connor lay. Nate climbed right into bed with him, curling his big, tall frame around the small boy. He said something to him, and Connor looked up at him with pure hope in his eyes.
Ginger entered the room and paused, looking from the bed to Luke and back. She nodded to Luke and said, “Thank you for rescuing him, Luke,” going straight over to Connor and Nate. They both looked at her with pure love shining from their faces, and Ginger leaned down and hugged Connor tightly.
Luke enjoyed witnessing the love they shared as a family, and he wanted something just like it for himself. He didn’t know what that looked like exactly, but Hannah came through the door next, and he found someone to hang onto.
He extended his hand toward her, keeping his arm low, and she stepped right to his side and secured her fingers in his. “How is he?”
“Good,” Luke said. “He’s going to be just fine.”
“Are they going to do the CT scan?”
“The nurse hasn’t come in yet.” Luke squeezed her hand slightly. “I didn’t have the guts to tell Nate that was an option.”
“He spoke to the nurse’s desk when he got here,” she said. “Ginger stopped there for several minutes too. I saw them when I left to take Missy down to Ted and Emma. And I stopped on the way back to get the cookies.” She held up her other hand. “Which are right here, by the way.”
Luke managed a smile and looked over to the bed as Nate got up. “You guys can go,” he said. “Honestly. We’re going to stay and have Connor do a CT scan, and you don’t have to be here.”
Luke didn’t mind staying, but he knew he wanted to simply to punish himself. If he was uncomfortable, that was good. He deserved to feel that way. He’d felt that way in prison too, and the inmate counselor had helped him work through those confusing thoughts.
“Okay,” Hannah said. “I think we’ll go grab something to eat. Do you guys want us to bring you something?”
“I’d love a fish sandwich from Oscar’s,” Ginger said from across the small room. “I’ve been craving the vinegar and salt for days.”
Luke could finally smile. “Okay,” he said. “We can do that.” It wasn’t where they’d planned to go, but it didn’t matter. He would do anything to make sure Ginger and Nate were happy with him and could trust him.
“No one but my beautiful wife likes Oscar’s,” Nate said as he rounded the bed and stood behind her. “Connor and I want those bacon and cheese fries from Western Grub.”
Luke looked at Hannah, his eyebrows up.
She finally realized he was waiting for her to give her opinion. “I agree with Nate,” she said. “Sorry, Ginger. Oscar’s isnotgood.”
“It is too,” Ginger said. “They’re still in business.”
“You must be eatin’ more fish sandwiches than I know about, then,” Nate teased. He chuckled and leaned down to kiss her forehead.
“Bacon and cheese fries,” Luke repeated. “Fish sandwich at Oscar’s. We’ll be back in a little bit.”
“Take your time,” Ginger said. “They said it would be a while until they could get him in for the scan.”
Guilt sliced through Luke’s gut again, and he couldn’t believe he was going to leave his friends here while he went on a date.
Foolishness and shame moved through him, and he only left the room because Hannah led the way. His phone chimed when they reached the elevator, and he pulled it from his swimming trunks. Everything felt crusted with salt, and he needed a hot shower.
The elevator car dinged, and Luke used it as a distraction from reading Slate’s text. In his attempt to slide the phone in his pocket, he dropped his phone. It slid across the floor with a sharp crack, and Luke groaned.
