Huh. Okay, yeah, that was a long time. “Am I okay?”
He chuckled. “Of course, that’s all you’d say.”
“Well, am I?”
He moved back an inch, and I wanted to sit up a little so I tried to hit the button, but he did it for me. I was in what could only be described as a glass capsule but bigger. My leg was in a cast, but my eyes weren’t swollen anymore and I could breathe.
“You’re on the road to recovery, Penn. I’ll take care of you.”
I smirked. “You’re a doctor now?”
He reached over and took my hand in both of his, his lips tenderly rubbing across my knuckles.
“I was so scared I’d lose you, Penn.”
“You didn’t, hey.” I wiggled my finger to get his attention. He looked up at me. “I got banged around…a bit broken, but I’m okay, right. Doctors said so?”
“Mhm. Your brain, there was swelling, you suffered a brain bleed…it’s why you were in a medically induced coma for so long.”
So that was why I was out, not me sleeping. “That makes sense. I was having wicked dreams—more like memories, actually.”
“Yeah, what about?”
Exhaustion was starting to creep in, but I wanted to talk to Gideon so I fought it off. “About Tenny. When I broke my arm and couldn’t understand why I couldn’t go do things because I wasn’t hurting. But I remembered when she was dying, the cancer was eating at her and her pain was immense. I wanted to give her my ability to never feel it.”
“That had to be hard.”
I stared at Gideon’s nearly black eyes. The dangerous man, feared by many, was staring at me with so much affection. I wanted to tell him the rest, but what if he didn’t feel that way? I’d experienced heartbreak—not a fan at all. If Tenny were here, she’d tell me to buck up, so that was what I did.
“One day I was sitting by her bed, and my heart ached. She told me it was because I was sad but that time would heal and love would make it strong.”
The corner of his mouth curled up. “She sounds like a smart woman.”
“The smartest.” I cleared my throat. “She uh…she told me I was going to fall in love with someone great one day.”
“Did she now?” His smile grew.
“Yeah.”
“And did you ever fall in love with someone great?”
My throat felt tight and my heart was beating out of my chest because I was going to say the words for the first time ever. It wasn’t fear, it was elation, excitement. I knew deep down Gideon Hendrix loved me too.
“I did.”
“Lucky guy.”
Gently I tugged at his hands until he was an inch from my face. “I love you, Gideon.”
The corners of his eyes crinkled, and he beamed at me. “I love you too, Pennsylvania.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Gideon
Over the nextweek I could tell Penn wanted to inquire about what had happened. While we were alone a lot in the ICU, it didn’t feel safe and there were ears everywhere. He was being moved to a regular room later today, and I knew without the twenty-four seven watchdogs he’d be sure to ask me everything.
Owen, Olivia, and Matteo were hounding me about seeing Penn, but children weren’t allowed in the ICU, so I was hoping they’d distract him some once he was sent to a different room.
