“Sure.” Rico nodded.
As Kim climbed up after him, Theo overheard Rico say, “Don’t let him put off being examined. Not all that blood is hers.”
Theo started to object, but a moan from Chelsea had him sliding along the seat to her side.
“Hey there, pixie.”
Her eyes floated open for only a second, and a tiny smile came to her face. “Theo.”
“Right here.”
Kim got to work checking her vitals and adjusting the IV they’d inserted first thing back at the shack while putting pressure on the wound. She flashed a compassionate smile at him.
“What do you think?” He knew Kim wasn’t a doctor and couldn’t diagnose or even predict if a patient would make it, but he needed to hear something.
“She’s lost a lot of blood, but we got there soon after. You know as well as I do, Theo, that the earlier they get treatment the better the prognosis. Remember that.”
All he could do was nod as he stared at the pale face of his wife. As pale as when she’d first arrived here several months back. They’d come so far, and it would kill him if he lost her now.
The rest of the ambulance ride was quiet, and Theo prayed more than he’d ever done in his life. More than when Chelsea hadn’t come back after their marriage.
It took him a second to make the world stop spinning when he got down from the ambulance. Pete and an orderly helped him inside when he refused to wait for a wheelchair. They led him down the hall and into an exam room.
“What? No, I want to see Chelsea.”
Pete tilted his head and frowned. “You know the rules, Theo. They’ll get you information as soon as they know anything. Now, are you going to cooperate, or do I need to get Bruno here to sit on you?”
Theo eyed the large orderly, whose name was Brian according to his name tag. He’d said he was fine yet didn’t think his bruised body could take on this guy.
“I’ll stay right here and be a good little boy. For now. If it takes too long to find out how my wife is, I can’t guarantee anything.”
Both men left and Theo collapsed onto the bed, exhausted. He’d barely slept the previous night, and his nerves were raw. Calling Angie, he checked on Jordan, then gritted his teeth through the medical staff cleaning his wounds and pulling several pieces of glass from his arm and back. No one would tell him how his wife was.
Finally, he got word she was in surgery, and the waiting became harder to bear. After signing papers for his own release, he moved to the surgical waiting room. Only after the doctor assured him the procedure had gone well did Theo relax.
When he was finally allowed in to see her, she rested peacefully on the bed. Perching on the edge, he caressed her cheek. Her eyes fluttered, and a tiny sigh escaped.
“I’m here if you need me, pixie,” he said softly, not wanting to wake her if she needed her sleep. He wanted to make sure she was all right.
“I do need you, Theo,” she whispered, groggily. Her eyes opened. “You’re not hurt?”
He shook his head. “Only a few scratches. I was worried about you. You could have been killed jumping on Frank like that.”
Tears filled her eyes. “I couldn’t let him hurt you.”
“He didn’t. I’m fine.” Running his hands down her arms, he gently touched the rope burns on her wrists. “You’ll be fine, too. Doc says you need some rest.”
“Is Jordan safe?”
“Yeah, she’s with Angie.”
Chelsea’s eyes roamed the room, her face anxious. “You should probably get back to her, so she doesn’t worry.”
“It’s after midnight, pixie. She’s asleep. I know how much you dislike hospitals. I don’t plan on going anywhere.”
The relief on her face as she closed her eyes made him more determined to stay right here.
Chelsea opened her eyes to light streaming in the window and Theo sacked out in a chair nearby. The events of the past few days drifted through her mind, the mind that felt clear at the moment, even with pain lancing her shoulder.
