“Everyone has a tipping point,” Bobby said as he continued to move the T-shaped thing around on my stomach. “He’s kept it together for longer than I would have. He just needs a friend right now to help remind him not to act rash, and no one gets through to him better than Noble.”
“What about his wife?” I asked.
They didn’t answer right away, and Bobby gave Wyatt a stern look. Like he was silently telling him to stay quiet.
“She left for work,” Wyatt said.
Bobby returned his attention to the ultrasound screen. “I don’t see any internal bleeding or anything concerning. I’m going to move to your ribs now.”
Just as he said that, he moved the T-thing to the ribs that I was scared were broken. The moment he added a little pressure, I gasped and flinched away.
“Sorry. Try to bear with it and I’ll do my best to be quick,” he said.
I nodded and he continued.
Wyatt took my good hand. “You can squeeze my hand.”
I did just that when Bobby went over the spot that made me want to scream again.
“I don’t see any fractures. I think you just have rib contusions. It means the muscles and tissue around your ribcage in this area are damaged. The symptoms are very similar to broken ribs. That includes the pain.” He pulled away. “Wyatt, go get me a towel.”
Wyatt kissed my forehead before climbing off the bed and heading into the bathroom.
“It could take four to six weeks to fully heal, or it could take as little as two. It depends on the severity,” Bobby told me. “Get lots of rest and don’t stop yourself from breathing in deeply. You need to expand those lungs. It will hurt, but I think your pain should start to ease after a week or two.”
One to two weeks of this. Wonderful.
Wyatt returned with a towel.
Bobby used it to clean the gel off me. “You’ll sleep better propped up a bit. Hugging a pillow will help with discomfort, especially if you have to cough or sneeze.” Bobby pointedly looked at Wyatt. “No sex for a while.”
The corners of Wyatt’s mouth lifted. There was a glint in his eyes that told me he had a response to that, but he didn’t utter a word.
“Waiting until she’s fully healed would be ideal, but most couples don’t wait that long. I’ve broke two ribs before, which has a longer healing period. I was in my late twenties at the time. I lasted two weeks before I had to have my old lady. I bent her right over the couch,” Bobby said.
That was far too much information for me, but Wyatt looked like he was enjoying himself.
“Ifshe,” Bobby emphasized as he pointed at me, “and I meanonlyifshecan’t wait however long it takes for her to fully recover andshefeels she can handle it, you do all the work. Try to stick to oral, but ifshewants to go all the way, don’t put too much weight on her and no rough stuff.”
If I hadn’t been so stunned, I would’ve felt mortified.
“Do I need to explain the importance of condoms and that if you knock up Bram’s daughter, he will kill you?” Bobby asked.
Wyatt’s smile never wavered. “No, sir.”
“If you’re not the boyfriend, pass that on to Roe or Reid. I can’t tell which one of you is,” Bobby grumbled.
“Understood,” Wyatt said.
Bobby frowned, looking a little disappointed, but moved on after he finished wiping me off. “I’ll be back in a week to remove your sutures.”
Pulling down my shirt, I nodded.
Bobby unplugged the ultrasound machine and rolled it out of the room.
Wyatt helped prop me up with the pillows and found the TV remote on the bedside table. “Why don’t we watch some TV?”
I didn’t care. The pain meds were kicking in, and I just wanted to numbly lie there.
