“What’s wrong with that guy?” he asked, “Is he trying to act tough for you, or trying to intimidate me? You know how dangerous it is for someone...”
Lana held her hand up, signaling him to stop talking, and he did. She struggled to keep her balance on the crutches as she readied herself to tell him off when he reached to help her.
“Stop, Sam,” she snapped, and hobbled over to some chairs against the wall.
Slowly, she tried to sit, and he grabbed her arm and helped her down anyway.
“Kayden is a very strong and proud man. How would you feel if Joanna’s ex-boyfriend showed up out of the blue and wouldn’t leave her side?” Lana chided.
Sam shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know, grateful,” he replied matter-of-factly.
“That’s bullshit, and you know it, Samuel. You pop up in my life, out of the blue, after a year with flowers in hand, and we’re supposed to pretend that what happened between us never happened?”
Sam dropped his head. “I’m sorry for all of that, Lana,” he replied.
“It doesn’t matter because I don’t care, Sam. I’m over it.”
He looked hurt, and it softened her a little.
“Listen, I appreciate every single thing you did for Kayden. More than you probably realize.”
“Oh, I realize it. You’ve never looked at me the way you look at him,” he seethed.
“Maybe, maybe not. But it is what it is.”
He breathed an exasperated sigh, and she reached for her crutches, struggling to position them. The purple, pink, and teal stones glimmered under the harsh hospital lights. He stood and helped her up.
“Thank you,” she murmured and started hopping back to the room.
“Lana,” he called out.
She stopped and turned to him slightly as he walked up to her. He stood over her now and looked her in the eyes as he spoke.
“I’ll always be here for you, but you need to be careful. Look at everything that’s happened since you met him.Reallylook at it. I don’t think you can trust him or his family.”
“That’s funny,” Lana retorted, a sarcastic grin on her face.
“What?”
“That you have so muchconcernabout me and my well-being. Where was any of that when it mattered?”
“I was an idiot, Lana, but Kayden? He’s dangerous, and that’s not something I’ve ever been for you.”
With that, Sam turned and walked away, leaving her with the sting of his words. It hurt her to hear that anyone thought of Kayden that way. He didn’t know anything about him to pass judgment like that. The person she was worried about and feared was Kim.
Shewas the real dangerous one, and now, she was finally gone for good. Kayden and her could finally move on from all of the mess and start their lives together. He had no idea what he was talking about. Lana hobbled back to the room and was surprised to find Kayden alone, with shaving supplies on his overbed table.
“Where’d everyone go?” she asked, surprised that Maureen could un-Velcro herself from his side.
“They went to get something to eat,” he replied, and reached his hand for hers.
She hopped over and took it before he placed it on her stomach.
“I still can’t believe we’re gonna be parents,” he said, staring up at her.
The scratches and bruises on his face were healing nicely, although one of his eyes was still partially swollen. Even with them, he was still the most handsome man she’d ever laid eyes on. After she told him about the baby, his mood shifted from elated to angry at the realization of what Kim had almost takenfrom them. Lana did her best to reassure him that getting better was all they needed to focus on since the “crazy” in their lives had been locked away tight for weeks.
“Me either,” she replied, smiling down at him.
