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That earned me a smile.
“You aren’t going to divorce him, are you?”
I winced. “He probably should leave me, but I think we’re going to try to work things out. Hopefully, he’s got your outlook on forgiveness.”
“Tell him you’re sorry.”
I blinked at her. My niece blew me away with her wisdom once again. “That’s as good a place to start as any.”
* * *
Four days.That’s how long nobody let me see Ruby. In that time, I didn’t leave the hospital once. She was fine there, but I couldn’t bring myself to go in case she needed me. None of us left, except to get something to eat. The hospital had extended the VIP treatment because of Stone and given us an empty room with a couple beds. We took turns resting, but I hadn’t gotten much sleep. I’d completely abandoned business, letting Easton handle everything as best he could from the hospital. His unwavering support gave me strength and made me appreciate what I’d almost lost for good.
Ruby finally left ICU when she was fully awake, and all signs so far pointed to a full recovery. The doctor insisted she take it easy, but she was going to be okay. I’d understood the reason for minimal stimuli to allow her brain to heal, but it hadn’t been easy to rely on updates without seeing her. The minute she was in a regular room, I needed to lay eyes on her for myself.
“You given up bathin’, child?” she asked as I barged into her room and plunked down in the chair beside her bed.
“Temporarily.”
Ruby sniffed twice. “You smell worse than horseshit,” she said.
“That’s your damn fault. If you wouldn’t go around scaring me, I might be able to take a shower.”
I reached for her hand, and she wrapped her fingers around mine.
“Good thing you and that husband of yours are on the outs. If he got a whiff of you, he’d never come back. And you look like horseshit too,” she added grumpily.
I stifled a smile. “You don’t look so hot either. That gown doesn’t do a thing for your complexion.”
She gazed at the pale gray gown in disgust. “The doctor said y’all couldn’t sass me or stress me out.” She tapped her index finger on the bed. “While I’ve been cooped up here, I’ve been thinkin’ about how we’re going to knock some sense into you and that boy. We need—”
“Don’t you go meddlin’ in my affairs, woman. My husband is here, and I don’t need you runnin’ him off,” I said.
“Why the hell am I just now finding out about this?”
“I almost got kicked out of here for coming into your room. You were taking a snooze so I couldn’t tell you, though Easton wasn’t here then. Damn nurses are like wardens.”
“Tell me about it. I tried to get the boot. Nothin’ worked.” I felt sure she had. “They said anything to y’all about when I might be able to get out of here?”
“Not yet.”
Ruby made her displeasure evident with an annoyed sound before she tilted her head toward me. “So is Easton here for me or for you?”
Damn mischievous woman. “Both of us, but mostly me.”
“Well,” she harrumphed, “I find that hard to believe.”
“Me too.” Her coloring was better than it had been the last time I’d seen her, her cheeks a pale shade of rose. “Ruby, you can’t leave me.”
Her eyes softened at the desperation in my tone, wrinkled fingers clasping mine. “When you’re my age, you’ve got to make peace with the fact that your days are numbered on this earth. That’s why your granddaddy and I live our lives to the fullest. When the good Lord calls me home, I’ll be ready. It’s going to happen on His time anyway.”
“He can’t have you. Not yet.” A few tears dripped from my eyes, and she wiped them away.
“Oh, Mulaney. You have been one of the greatest blessings of my life. Even when I’m gone, I’ll be right with you. Somebody’s got to watch over you, and that somebody has always been me,” she said stubbornly. A choked laugh escaped me.
We were quiet for a minute, the room dark save for the sun peeking around the cracks in the closed blinds. The doctor had insisted on as little light as possible to minimize brain stimulation. Her brain needed to rest so she could recover fully.
“You went to all this trouble so you could be waited on hand and foot,” I accused playfully, breaking the serious mood.
