He poked, prodded, shined a light in Finn’s eyes, then waited while the nurse checked his vitals, which were all within normal limits. The doctor gave the okay for the mild pain reliever then left to check on his other patients. Nurse June followed, but quickly returned with a Styrofoam cup of ginger ale for each of us and a little clear cup with two pills inside for Finn. He took them without complaint.
“Come here, baby.” Finn shifted over once we were alone, patting the space next to him.
“I don’t want to hurt you.”
“You won’t. I just need to hold you.”
Kicking off my shoes, I carefully climbed onto the bed, which was no easy task considering I still had on my fancy dress. We made the most out of what little room we had. I lay on my side with my head on Finn’s shoulder while his arm curled around my back. Neither of us spoke for a long while, though it was anything but quiet, not with all the activity happening in the halls of the hospital.
Finn sighed, then closed his eyes. “Are Joel and Noreen okay? I’ve been afraid to ask.”
“They’re fine. Wes didn’t lie about getting them out of the building. Joel got a cut on his arm, but other than that, they’re just worried about you.”
“And Wes? What happened to him?” Finn’s lips pressed to my forehead when I hesitated. “It’s okay. You don’t have to say the words.”
“Yeah, I do. It’s over, Finn.”
“I still can’t believe he was behind everything.”
“He fooled everyone. Joel is blaming himself.”
“I’ll speak to him. Did someone call Sloane? She’ll be worried.”
“Noreen did. Sleep, Finn.” I yawned. “I love you.”
“Love you too, baby.”
Finn
Sleep didn’t come easy for a multitude of reasons. Every couple of hours, a nurse woke me up to ask the same questions over and over. What year was it? Who was the president? It got to the point where I spouted off the answers as soon as they walked in the room. They all got a little chuckle over my grumpiness, but feckin’ hell, I’d been shot––sort of. Even Waverly, who’d been accommodating at first, started to get prickly by the fourth time our sleep wasinterrupted. Her attitude had more to do with the nightmares she was having in between their visits than anything. She tried to hide them, but I heard her whimpers and felt her tears. We had a long road of healing ahead of us, both physically and emotionally. There was no doubt we’d get through it. All we needed was each other.
Waking up this time, I was surprised to find Shayne lounging in a pleather recliner. Her tired eyes were fixed on us.
“How are you feeling?”
I cleared my throat. “Tired and sore.”
“Yeah.” She looked away briefly, her fingers tapping wildly against the arm of the chair. I knew what was coming before she said it. “Thank you for saving my best friend.”
“I love her.”
“I can tell.”
There was no other explanation needed. My life meant nothing without her in it. All the money in the world couldn’t replace her smile or the way my heart picked up speed at the mere thought of her. Waverly was the other half of me; the missing piece I never thought I’d find.
“Wes is dead,” Shayne spoke matter-of-factly.
“I’m aware.” I didn’t want to talk about him, not now, maybe not ever. Changing the subject, I asked, “Was anyone seriously injured in the bombing?”
“One person broke their leg. Other than that, nothing more than cuts and bruises.”
“We got lucky.”
Waverly stirred at my side at the same time the door to the room slowly opened.
“Morning, baby.”
“Morning,” she grumbled. “What time is it?”
