Oh God, and then her lips curve in the smallest, but sweetest smile I've ever seen. Somehow, I think I fall even more in love with her, something I thought was impossible because I loved her enough to burst.
"Hi, handsome..."
I laugh, losing my battle against my tears.
"Hi, baby, I'm here."
Her smile widens slightly before she winces and squeezes her eyes shut.
The lights have been dimmed completely, but I know she probably has a bad headache right now, if the darkened bruise on her temple is any indication.
"I'm here—what do you need?" I ask, needing to ease herpain.
"My head hurts."
"I know, I'm sorry," I murmur, impatiently pressing the alert button again. And again. "Do you know where you are?"
She cracks her eyes open and glances around, looking more confused the more she sees.
"Did I miss dinner? I'm sorry..."
Not even pushing down the laugh, I shake my head and gently cup her face.
"Yeah, you did, baby. But it's okay, we'll have plenty more dinners. I promise."
She sighs and leans into my hand, nuzzling her cheek against it. "Okay..."
The door behind me opens, and I turn to see a kind-faced nurse walking in.
"Hi, Mrs. Durant, I'm Nurse Parker."
"What... happened..." she croaks, her throat bobbing as she tries to drink. Nurse Parker moves quickly, grabs a glass of water with a straw, and hands it to me.
He gently raises the bed so she's reclined, and I bring the water to her lips so she can sip. She winces compulsively as she drinks, her brows tightening, eyes squeezing closed.
"Thank you, honey."
The pet name makes me smile, and I lean down to press a kiss to her hair.
"Why does everything hurt—my head, my hip..." Wendy says, her voice still a little scratchy. She reaches up a shaky hand and touches the bandage and bruised side of her head, and I catch the hand, kissing it and keeping it in mine.
"You had a pretty big accident, Mrs. Durant. You were in a car collision and took a pretty hard hit to your side and head," Nurse Parker gently explains as he checks her vitals. "The doctor stabilized your pelvis through surgery, so you'll be a little sore for a while, but we'll give you meds to manage the pain."
"The accident..." Wendy frowns before flinching a little. "Iremember being hit and then..."
"Everything's okay," I lean down, gently squeezing her hand and feeling so happy when she meets my eyes and squeezes back, light but there. "Everything is going to be okay, baby. I promise."
"The boys?" She asks, because of course she does.
I smile, "With their grandparents, but eager to see you later. I hear you might even be on the receiving end of a Noah Durant original work."
Wendy grins and gives a small gasp, "Ooh-la-la, what have I done to deserve a masterpiece from such a renowned artiste?"
That. Right there.
That's one of the reasons, among the innumerable list of reasons, that I love my wife.
Because even now, in a hospital bed, in pain, she can still find the energy to joke and smile. She will forever put her own pain aside to comfort and care and make someone else laugh.
