Gracie stood there with a coffee in each hand and a small brown bag hanging from her fingers.
“Um…”
“He knows,” I told her.
“Did he threaten you?”
“Yes. But only if I hurt you. He’s… okay with it.”
“What? Really?”
“Don’t gotta sound so surprised,” I said, letting out a chuckle that made the wound in my side hurt.
“Don’t laugh,” she grumbled, rushing forward to put the cups and bag down on my tray.
“I’m fine. Doctor isn’t worried. I’ll move down to a floor tomorrow, then once the doctors clear me, I’m out.”
“Well, don’t take any chances. No laughing.”
“I’ll try. What do you have there?” I asked, looking at the bag, suddenly aware of my churning, empty stomach.
“Bagels. I know you’ll get breakfast eventually. But they serve, you know, human size portions. And you—stop!” she demanded when I started to chuckle.
“Stop making me laugh then,” I suggested. “What’d you get?”
“Sesame and butter for me. Everything and cream cheese for you. And a knife so we can cut it up.”
“Baby, I’m shot, not five.”
We ate in relative peace for a few minutes, with a nurse coming in just to check on me.
But it wasn’t long before there was someone else darkening the doorway. Someone I’d been dreading but knew would show up sooner rather than later.
“Fal, listen,” Gracie said, unfolding from her seat and trying to square her shoulders to seem more sure of herself since she wasn’t usually someone for confrontation.
“Goose, this isn’t about you.”
“It is, actually.” Her voice was sounding shaky already.
“I need a couple of minutes with Perish.”
“Fine,” she said, biting off the word. “And you can kick him out if you want. But that’s not going to stop anything. So you’re just fucking yourself over for no good reason.”
Fallon’s brows went up at the curse, but he just stepped to the side and waved toward the door.
“You don’t have to be such an asshole,” she snapped as she walked past.
He turned to watch her go, but when he faced me again, there was a smile tugging at his lips.
“Brought some fire out of her.”
“She’s exhausted and in pain. It’s making her bolder than usual.”
“I think we both know it’s not that. Gracie’s go-to is crying when she feels like shit. This is something else. She’s… happy with you. And I’m a threat to that.”
“When’d you find out?”
“You hear the way she screamed at her father to make him let her go so she could get to you? Then.”
