“Boo boo, daddy?”
Holding his left arm close to his body, he forced a smile. “A little one, pal. Not too bad. I’ll be better soon. Being here with you will help.”
Jonathan looked up at her with big eyes. “Mama, tiss boo boo.”
She almost choked at her son’s words. He wanted her to kiss Jack’s boo boos. The boy didn’t understand what he was asking.
Jack knew all right. His eyes sparkled with humor and his lips twitched. “Yeah, pal, maybe a few kisses from Mommy will make it all better. Kisses, Mommy?”
Jonathan watched her with such an expectant expression. She hated to let him down. He truly believed in the power of her kiss.
“Let’s get daddy settled in the bed first. Then we can work on the boo boos.”
Once Jack was leaning against the pillows propped on the headboard and his shoes had been removed, he patted the bed next to him. “I’m ready for those healing kisses now, Mommy.”
Jonathan, sitting on Jack’s other side, nodded solemnly. What choice did she have unless she wanted to rob her child of the notion mother’s kisses healed all wounds? She slid on the bed near Jack, attempting to keep from being too close. Maybe this would be a good opportunity to discover what injuries he had.
Leaning over, she took his head in her hands. “Daddy’s got a few boo boos on his face. Those will need to be taken care of.” She placed tender kisses along his cheek, forehead and chin. Jack closed his eyes at the feather light touches and her heart ached for him. Why couldn’t she do this all the time?Don’t even think of getting used to this. It won’t last.
“Where else does it hurt?” Ignoring the voices in her head, she touched the arm still pressed tightly to his waist and pushed up his sleeve to find bandages wrapped from the wrist up. Lifting his hand, she pressed kisses along the white fabric.
Jack adjusted on the bed and pain sliced across his features. Callie looked at him sharply. Moving to where he’d been clutching, she probed gently.
“No, it’s fine.”
But the grimace on his face told the true story. Pulling the shirt from his waistband, she cringed at the discolored skin on his ribs. There was swelling as well. She lowered her head to place her healing kisses along the injured area.You are seriously asking for heartache.
“If you keep doing that, Calico, there’ll be another area in pain very soon.”
She looked up at Jack’s face then down at the part of him she’d been kissing. What had she been thinking? And right in front of Jonathan. Though their son didn’t seem to be paying any attention to her. He’d curled himself against Jack’s side and stuck his thumb in his mouth. Reveling in the comfort of his father near him? She understood his feelings exactly.
“This looks a bit swollen, I think I’ll get some ice for it,” she announced as she pushed herself away from the bed. “Heather got some pain reliever also. Do you need any?”
He shook his head then closed his eyes in obvious discomfort. Stupid macho bravado.
“I’ll bring some down anyway. Jonathan, take care of daddy until I get back, okay?”
The child didn’t even take his thumb out of his mouth. Simply nodded then turned adoring eyes up at Jack, who smiled down at him. She was lost. This scenario was precious but didn’t happen often enough. So not fair.
Trotting up the stairs, she found Heather and Scott sitting next to each other on the couch. She plopped into the chair opposite and started asking her questions.
“What exactly happened? Where else is he injured that I can’t see? Are their specific instructions on how to make him better?
Scott chuckled then shook his head. “He never even saw a doctor so I can’t give you exacts. Somehow a stack of lumber got loose and tipped over on top of him. He says he was unconscious for a while but then managed to get back to the trailer. I got there as fast as I could after he called.”
Scott frowned as he recalled what happened. “He was in pretty bad shape but refused to go to the hospital. I have a friend who’s a nurse and she took a look at him. Possible concussion, some cracked ribs, and maybe a fractured wrist, though it could simply be a sprain. He’s got some bad bruises on his leg as well.”
She swallowed hard. “What do we need to do?”
“My friend suggested trying to keep him in bed for a few days as least. He needs rest. But you know Jack, he isn’t one for doing nothing. He needs to be busy. With Jonathan here, I thought maybe he could stay busy but still not overexert.”
“I’ll try and make him rest but as you said, it won’t be easy.”
“Listen, I’m sorry you have to take care of him but I can’t very well take him back to my place if Victor was responsible for this. If he connects us, then my apartment would be the first place he’d look. He still has no idea you two have a history, and this chalet is registered to Heather’s parents, so I thought it would be safe.”
Scott looked in the direction of the stairs then back at her. “I couldn’t let him hang out in a motel room by himself. I know he’s not at death’s door but he’s more injured than he lets on. I can’t stand the thought of him being alone when he’s hurt. He’s been alone too much over the last few years.”
Moisture pricked at the back of her eyes and she tried to blink it away. Loneliness was something she knew about. It wasn’t fun. Jack had known it far too much also.
