“Knox has a hard head,” Ryker added. “In case you didn’t notice.”
His attempt to lighten the mood failed spectacularly.
All I could do was stare at those double doors and wait. As a nurse, I knew far too well that regaining consciousness didn’t guarantee survival. Internal bleeding. Brain swelling. A dozen other horrific possibilities that my medical training insisted on cataloging.
Suddenly, the doors burst open, and Blake walked toward us.
I stood on trembling legs, studying his face as he approached, searching for any sign of what he was about to say. Knox’s friends and sister gathered around, and we all listened with bated breath.
“Is he okay?” I asked.
“CT shows a concussion, but no brain bleed. X-rays reveal two cracked ribs, but no pneumothorax.” Blake’s clinical tone was both reassuring and maddening. “Knee is badly bruised, but no torn ligaments.”
No bleed. No collapsed lung. No surgical intervention.
My nurse brain translated Blake’s clinical rundown into three words:He’ll survive this.
But my heart was still catching up.
“So, he’ll be okay?” Ryker pressed.
“He’s stable but will need monitoring with neuro checks for the next forty-eight hours.”
“So, he’ll stay here.” I nodded, relief flooding through me. Here, where Blake worked as a doctor, thus he could demand the absolute best care.
Blake’s face fell. “His injuries are serious, but not life-threatening. I pulled strings to keep him here for two morehours, but that’s all they’ll allow. Hospitals don’t keep inmates longer than necessary. It’s a liability, increases security costs, and uses bed space.”
My eyes burned. Poor Knox. First, he was beaten within an inch of his life. Then cuffed like an animal while he was too injured to even open his eyes. And now, despite needing serious medical surveillance, he was, in the eyes of the hospital system and maybe even society, a stain that needed to be cleaned up and moved along as quickly as possible.
“Thank you,” I managed over the lump in my throat.
“They’ll be transporting him back to the prison,” Blake explained.
“I’ll stay with him there,” I decided. “I’m an experienced nurse with neuro deficits. And I don’t trust the understaffed night shift to catch warning signs.”
That’s what I said out loud. And it was true.
But the bigger truth was that I was worried about him in a way that terrified me. I didn’t trust anyone else to keep as close an eye on Knox as I would.
Blake nodded.
“Let me get you some food,” Faith offered.
“No.” I was already walking toward the doors. “Thank you.” I turned, looking at the friends who loved Knox as much as …
As much as I did.
Holy shit.
I loved him.
I loved Knox.
“I want to get his bed ready,” I said. “Make it as comfortable as possible.”
“He’s lucky to have you, Harper.”
My eyes welled with tears. No, he wasn’t. This was all my fault. If I hadn’t broken his heart, maybe he wouldn’t have been in a fight.
