Aspen nodded against my neck, and when he leaned back, Vail caressed his fingers down my cheek.
“Oh.” Vail paused and tapped his thumb against my mouth, tracing it along my top lip. “While you were sleeping—” He interrupted himself with a snort.
“What?” His smile was contagious, and I wanted to be happy along with him.
“Oh, that’s an old movie my mom loves—While You Were Sleeping—but while you were out of it, everyone came to visit.” Vail started talking about the paint job Conall wanted to get done on some car he owned, which to him probably made sense, but I had trouble figuring out how he’d gotten from A to B, so I stopped paying attention and watched his pretty lips move as he smiled, nodding here and there when he paused. I started drifting off to sleep and fought the sensation, but my eyelids slid closed, and the bed was comfortable at my back.
The cement block walls were too bright. Almost white. The body on the floor hurt my eyes if I stared at it too long. It was drenched in blood. I’d never seen that much blood.
I sat upright, gasping in a deep breath.
Aspen put a hand on top of my head and scowled. “You okay?”
“Ready to get the fuck out of the hospital,” I said, just as the glass door slid open and the nurse from before came bustling into the room.
Her smile widened. “Good to hear you say that.”
“Sorry for swearing,” I said, my face going warm.
She laughed and waved a hand. “Oh, I’m sure you’ll be doing more of that—we’re ready to take out the catheter.”
“The what?” I raised my eyebrows at her.
“The tube in your pisser,” Aspen said.
I blinked at him and lifted the blankets, then gaped when I found the tube snaking under my hospital gown and realized it was, in fact, leading to my dick.
The nurse pulled some gloves from a box anchored on the wall beside the door. “This won’t be pleasant,” she said, her chipper tone grating on my nerves.
“Yeah, I’m definitely ready to go home.”
Aspen only shook his head at me, but there was a hint of a smile on his lips.
9
ASPEN
“How in thehell am I going to pay for this?” Fallon asked on the day he was supposed to leave. “I can’t believe I’ve been here three whole weeks.”
We’d already packed most of his belongings, and he was dressed and ready to go but still lying in bed. They checked his ribs yesterday and they’d stabilized but were still aching—it was possible he’d have a reminder of Ilya for the rest of his life. Dr. Bautista said some people had lingering pain for years. The first time I’d gone on an assignment for Sloan hadn’t gotten this messy, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Fallon decided to pack up and leave the Company.
“My insurance isn’t completely shit, but I’ll still be paying out of pocket for this mess. I don’t make anything close to what you guys do.”
The nurse who’d come in to check on him laughed. Since Fallon had gotten his voice back he’d been charming anyone near him, and the staff had been thoroughly enchanted. This particular nurse, with his deep chestnut hair and dimpled cheeks, was no different. Fallon had made sure to learn his name immediately, sending a screaming jealousy through me even though I knew it was just who he was. He wanted everyone to like him.
The nurse, Bowie Sjögren, as he’d sweetly told Fallon earlier this morning, checked his vitals carefully one more time. “No need to worry, your boss paid for it all. He said his name was Mr. Killough.”
Fallon winced but forced a smile. “At least that’s good to know. Is there anything else I need to do?”
Nurse Sjögren hummed and checked the iPad in his hand before shaking his head. “Everything looks good. You have your insulin pump back. The doctor said to do one final check, and if everything’s fine, you’re free to go.”
“Thank fuck.” Fallon slid out of the bed, and I rushed forward to grab his elbow, glaring. He’d been told to take it easy, but it never sank into his thick skull. He was worse than Vail sometimes, forcing things too quickly and thinking he was immortal.
Vail moved up beside me and chuckled. “Don’t give Aspen a heart attack.” His gaze jumped to the nurse. “Thanks for all your help. We really appreciate it.”
Sjögren nodded with a flashy grin. “You’re welcome. It’s what I’m here for.” His eyes widened. “Oh, one more thing, you’ll need to be wheeled out of here in a chair. Hospital policy.”
“What the f—” I slapped a hand over Fallon’s mouth, pressing my lips together tightly to stop myself from laughing at his reaction. His eyes narrowed on me, but there wasn’t much he could do when Sjögren grabbed a wheelchair from outside the door and brought it back.
