I was deep in my thoughts when my phone vibrated with a text telling me Sam was in recovery and to make my way to the reception desk.
It was another forty-five minutes before I was able to see him, but the second I did, all my anger and irritation washed away. He wasn’t fully awake yet, so I sat by his side and held his hand, waiting to see those bright-blue eyes of his.
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
Sam
At home,Natalie had made chicken noodle soup. Lukas wouldn’t let me climb the stairs to my apartment, and in my tired state I didn’t argue when he carried me. Natalie chuckled, saying she wished she had a prince charming to carry her.
Once I was settled on the couch with my soup and some ginger ale, Natalie joined me. Lukas was walking around, petting Bubbles, perusing pictures I’d hung up. He couldn’t eat the soup and told Nat he’d eaten at the hospital.
“Ben wanted to know if it would be okay if he could stop by tomorrow?” Natalie placed her now-empty bowl on the table.
“Sure.”
“Emily would come but she’s about ready to pop, and stairs are not her friend.”
She’d just hit the eight-month mark on her pregnancy. She had that glow about her but anytime you told her that, she said it was her internal pain radiating out of her pores.
“Once I’m better, I’ll go see her.”
Natalie didn’t say anything. The apartment was so silent, I looked up from my soup to see Lukas and Nat both staring at me.
“What?”
“Did the doctors say anything after the procedures?” Natalie asked.
“Not really. I’m sure in the next couple of days, I’ll hear everything.”
Natalie stayed for another hour and then headed out. Lukas took her spot on the couch and the exhaustion of the day caught up. I rested my head on his chest and closed my eyes.
I wasachy the following day—typical with all the poking, prodding, and plundering they’d done to my body. At some point, Lukas must have carried me to my bed and changed me into sleep clothes.
He briefly told me about Brad coming to the hospital, and while I should have been upset with how Lukas spoke to him, instead it felt nice to have him there standing up for me.
I shuffled out to the living room and saw Lukas sitting in the corner chair, reading with Bubbles on his lap.
“Morning,” I mumbled as I trudged to the coffeepot. Of course it was fresh.
“Good morning, Sam. How are you feeling?”
“Sore, but it’s to be expected.”
He went to move, but it would upset Bubbles, so I waved my hand at him. “I’m going to take some pain pills and have a coffee—that’ll help.”
I could feel his eyes on me as I poured my coffee and fixed it how I liked and when I opened the bottle and swallowed downthe pills. And as I shuffled to the couch and sat, he watched my every move.
“Something on your mind, Lukas?”
His hand is idly petting Bubbles. “I think you should tell Natalie and Ben.”
“Tell them…what exactly?”
“About me.”
“About…” I laughed and carefully placed my coffee on the table afraid I’d spill. “They won’t believe me, and why would you want me to tell them?”
“You value their opinions. You’re making huge decisions without being able to talk to the two people who mean the most to you.”
