I tilted my head as I eyed him. “What’s that?”
“Which one of us you’re going to marry.”
I sucked in a breath, the heart monitor going wild again behind me. Before anyone could say another word, there was a sharp knock on the door before it opened. A tall man with a balding head walked in holding a tablet and wearing a long, white coat. Gage got to his feet, but gripped my hand tightly in his.
“Miss Parker, I’m Dr. Patel. It’s good to see you awake. How are you feeling?”
I took in a breath, still reeling from Ry’s last words. “I’m good.”
“Are you in any pain?”
I realized that I hadn’t even thought of pain since the guys and I started our little confessions to each other. “Umm, my head hurts a little. My ribs. My stomach hurt when I laughed.” I shook my head. “Other than that, I just feel a little woozy from whatever medication you have me on.”
He chuckled as he made notes on his tablet. “All of that is to be expected. You have a minor concussion and bruised ribs, but we had to do an emergency surgery to remove your spleen. There was a small tear that caused internal bleeding. We will keep you under observation for a couple of days, but I don’t expect anycomplications. You will have to take it easy for a few weeks as you heal. No lifting anything over ten pounds, no driving until you are off pain meds. You can return to work after three weeks.”
He looked over my vitals, seemingly satisfied by whatever he saw there. He glanced at my guys. “I trust one of you will be taking care of Miss Parker during her recovery period?” Every one of them immediately replied in the affirmative. Dr. Patel smiled. “It’s good to see that you have so many people who care about you. Alright, I’ll leave you to rest. I’ll check back with you before it’s time to be discharged, unless the nurse sees any problems arise. Have a good day.”
“Thank you, Dr. Patel,” I said. He nodded at me first, then gave a nod to the guys before leaving just as quickly as he arrived. I glanced back at my men. “Holy shit. I lost a spleen?”
Gage’s grip on my hand tightened almost painfully before loosening his grip again. “I could kill that bastard all over again.”
I sighed as I leaned my head back against the pillow. “Thank goodness he’s finally gone.” I yawned and felt my eyes grow heavy.
I felt lips press softly against mine. “Rest. We will go grab you something so you don’t have to eat hospital food.”
I heard Ry speak up. “You’d better ask the nurse first, she might be on a special diet.”
“Fine. But I’m still getting her something from the diner. My grandma’s food will be better for her than the hospital garbage.”
Chapter 33
Parker
Ididn’t know how long I had been asleep when the sound of the door opening woke me up. I blinked blearily until my eyes focused, then I straightened in the bed, yanking the covers up, using them as a shield. I glanced around the room, only to see it was empty and my guys were all gone.
“What are you doing here?” I wanted to have the words come out cold and demanding, but they betrayed me. Instead, I sounded weak.
“The hospital called,” my mother said as she stepped up to the bed.
“But, why are you here?”
My mother looked confused, then glanced at my dad. They both looked awful, like they had aged far more than the six years since I last saw them. “We’re listed as your emergency contact.”
I glanced between them. They still stood apart from each other, neither of them attempting to hold the other’s hand. I couldn’t understand why they had stayed married when their marriage had grown cold and withered after Mariposa died.
“That still doesn’t explain why you came to see me.”
My dad straightened his shoulders, and my mom patted her eyes as if what I had said affected her enough to bring tears to her eyes. What a joke.
“We saw on the news that you finally brought down Mariposa’s killer.”
Finally.As if it had been a task I had been issued and had taken forever to complete.
I nodded slowly. “I did.”
“It’s about time.”
I tilted my head, staring at the man who once gave me piggyback rides and taught me how to ride a bike. “Is it?”
