The affection in his voice when he calls me Hellcat…
“What about Gage?”
Mom glances back toward the hallway, then moves in closer, lowering her voice slightly. “He hasn’t left your side since the moment they brought you in. He wouldn’t let Nora or Pope examine him anywhere else.” She offers me a knowing smile. “He’s been standing at the door like your own personal bodyguard even though he was thrown against one of the vehicles and is pretty banged up himself and should be resting. When I’m not sitting here with you, he has been.”
He hasn’t left your side…
My chest tightens, the ache there more intense, and the burn of tears that’s been threatening finally gets too hard to fight.
There’s a question in Mom’s gaze, but she doesn’t ask it.
Everyone knows there’s something going on between the two of us, yet she hasn’t probed, hasn’t pried. I know that’s hard for her, but she also understands it would be impossible for me to talk about it, even if she did ask.
It’s always been hard for me to discuss relationship stuff with anyone.
Especially her.
Maybe because I’ve never truly had one and that’s all she’s ever wanted for me.
“I’m going to go tell everyone you’re awake.”
She squeezes my hand, then pushes up out of the chair she was sitting in and disappears out the door I hadn’t even realized was open until now.
Gage’s tall, broad frame appears inside the jamb instantly, filling it as he steps in and nudges the door closed behind him. His intense blue gaze stays locked on me as he approaches and settles into the chair Mom just vacated with a wince he tries unsuccessfully to hide.
He runs his hand back through his disheveled hair, releasing a heavy sigh, and I can see from the bags under his eyes and the lines around his mouth, how worried he’s been. “I thought you’d never wake up.”
I force a smile, blinking away the moisture that wants to trickle down my face and give me away. “That would’ve been rather inconvenient.”
A half-grin pulls at his lips, but it looks as painful for him to do as it is for me to witness. “Yes, it would’ve been.”
He leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees and scrubs his hands over his face. Sheer exhaustion emanates off him along with a tense mix of emotions I can’t pinpoint.
“You’ve been here the whole time?”
Keeping his head down, he nods. “Yeah.”
I scan him over, searching for any signs of injury. Black stains on his shirt mix with red ones that must be blood, and my stomach twists violently. “You got checked out?”
Gage nods again, finally lifting his gaze to meet mine. “Your aunt insisted. I’m fine. You’re the one I’m worried about.”
“My mom said I’m okay.”
A muscle in his jaw tics, and he clenches his hands together in front of him. “I don’t call a severe concussion okay.”
“It could’ve been much worse.”
“You’re right.” He bobs his head again, and the intensity with which he assesses me tightens that vise around my chest. “It could’ve been. And I’ve seen it. So many guys I served with ended up dead or with TBIs that fucked them up forever in all kinds of ways.” He presses his lips together as if he’s biting back something else he wants to say and shakes his head. “I don’t want that for you. You need to make sure you follow the doctor’s orders and take it easy.”
I laugh, but then immediately regret it as every muscle in my body hurts and pain stabs at my temples. “Oh, shit.”
He shifts forward, reaching for me. “What?”
“Nothing.” I wave him off. “That just hurt more than I thought it would. I have a hard time taking it easy.”
“No shit.” There’s absolutely no humor in his voice, only a waver I’ve never heard before that belies how deeply concerned and shaken he really is. “That’s what I’m worried about, Hellcat.”
I shift in the bed, trying to get more comfortable which seems impossible, especially under his watchful eye. “I’m sure my brother and aunt, not to mention my mom and dad and everyone else, will do everything in their power to keep me from working too hard.”
