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She walked back to Margo’s room, determined to remain strong. “So,” she said when she was back with her mother, “what happened?”
“It was a nasty fall. I was on the stepstool in my bedroom,” Margo said. “I was so lucky that my phone was close by so I could crawl to it.” Her mother let out a dramatic sigh. “You couldn’t have left me at a worse time.”
“Mom, I didn’t—" Gracie sighed. She knew better than to try to point out the truth her mother would never see.
“Ms. Templeton,” a nurse said as she entered the room. “Here are your crutches. Let’s get you out of here and home where you’ll be more comfortable.”
The older woman walked over to the bed, and a white paper bag rustled as she set it down beside Margo. She placed the crutches under her arms as if she were going to use them. “You’re going to want to—”
“I know how to use crutches,” Margo snapped. She snatched the paper bag and grabbed her purse that was sitting on the bed with her and stuffed the bag inside. Her tone changed, and she smiled sweetly at Gracie. “Besides, I have my lovely daughter to take care of me. Wheel me out, honey?”
Gracie forced a smile as the nurse brought a wheelchair from the hallway over to Margo. She needed to call Leo, but he was probably still on his beer run considering the mountain was a fifteen-minute drive from where the party was. She’d call when she got Margo home.
Once her mother was situated on the couch where she could watch TV in the middle of the night if she wished, with her foot propped up on pillows and water and snacks by her side, Gracie finally had a chance to call Leo and let him know where she was. But when she reached into her coat pocket for her phone, she found it wasn’t there.
She wondered if it might have fallen out in her car, even though she couldn’t imagine how, and she went outside to search for it. When she didn’t find it in her vehicle either, Gracie returned to the house. She asked her mother, “Have you seen my phone?”
Margo blinked at her sleepily. “No. I’m sorry, my medication is making me so sleepy I can’t stay awake.”
“Darn it. I really need to call Leo and let him know where I am.”
“Leo? Theboyfriend?”
“Yes, Mom.” But Gracie realized she didn’t have his number memorized. Nor did she know anyone else’s phone number because they were all in her contacts. She needed her cell. “Can I use your phone to call the hospital? I think I must have dropped my phone there.”
Margo waved her hand lazily at the side table where her cell was laying before closing her eyes.
Gracie made a call to the hospital only to be told they hadn’t found her phone but would call her mother if they did. Frustration filled her as she made her way to her bedroom and flopped onto her bed. Kate would have told Leo that Gracie’s mother had an accident, but she could imagine how worried he must be. Especially if he had texted her and didn’t get a reply.
Gracie supposed she could drive over to her new house to talk to Kate or Henry and have them text Leo, but the round trip would take more than an hour and it was late. Not only did she need sleep for work, she wasn’t comfortable leaving her mother alone for that long. Gracie was going to have to wait to talk to Leo at the mountain the next morning. She hoped he would understand.
CHAPTER16
Leo
Bud’s sputteringand coughing as he took a break from his snoring made Leo glance over at the large man passed out on Henry’s couch. He wasn’t the only one asleep in the living room. There was another guy slumped in one of the chairs doing his best to saw wood in his slumber as well. Leo had the last of the plastic cups in his hands as he moved toward the kitchen. Every ounce of werebear warrior in Leo was scratching at him to be let free so he could run over to the hospital and save Gracie from whatever horrible thing she was experiencing with her mother. But his logical side told him he needed to wait until Gracie asked for him.
“Hey,” Kate said. The cabinet under the sink clicked as she opened it and pulled out a spray bottle of cleaner. “Have you heard anything?”
“No.” Once Kate told him Gracie’s mother was at the hospital, he’d texted his mate to tell her he’d do whatever she needed. He had assumed she’d want him by her side, but he hadn’t heard back from Gracie. “I’m not good at waiting.”
“I noticed, but I appreciate you staying up to help me clean. I really hate dealing with this kind of mess in the morning.”
“I couldn’t sleep if I tried.” He sighed. “Do you think I should go to the hospital?”
Kate raised her eyebrows at him, because he’d asked her that a few times already, even though he knew nobody was going to tell him where Gracie’s mother was considering he wasn’t family. “You need sleep, Leo,” she said as she wiped the counters. “You can stay in Gracie’s room tonight. I’m sure she won’t mind finding you when she gets home.”
He knew Kate was right, and he liked the idea of being around if Gracie came home in the middle of the night, too. “Thanks.” Leo made his way up to the loft and stripped down to his underwear before climbing into his mate’s bed. He inhaled the scent of her on the sheets before he closed his eyes.
He was woken shortly after he’d fallen asleep by a text from Gracie, and he sat up to read it with a clear head.
I can’t see you anymore. Things with my mom are bad. She’s got a serious health issue, and I’m moving back home to take care of her. I’m sorry, but that’s where I belong.
He blinked as he wondered if he’d read the message right.He checked to make sure it was Gracie and then read it again before replying.
Gracie, I’m here for you in any way you need me to be. I love you, and I know you love me. We can get through this together. Let me help.
She replied right away.No. I don’t love you, and I’ve realized it’s best if we each go our own way.
