Page 82 of Air Affair

They left him alone, murmuring to each other as they walked out the door. He couldn’t help wondering how long it would be before those two walked down the aisle together.

31

Rory walked to the hospital just after sunrise, anxious to get him home and have him all to herself. The woman at the front desk recognized her and waved her through.

Hank was just waking up. She kissed his forehead and caressed his bristly cheek.

“I need a shave,” he said as she pulled away. “And a bath,” he said, sniffing. “I’m sorry you’re seeing me like this.”

She furrowed her brow and shook her head. “Nonsense.”

“Rory, how would you feel if I asked Mr. Curtiss about being a test pilot from time to time so that I don’t have to give up flying?”

She grinned from ear to ear. “Simply smashing, darling. There’s nothing more dashing than a test pilot.”

“Oh? Any test pilots I should know about?”

“Absurd.” As if she’d look at anyone else when she had Hank.

“And you wouldn’t worry about my safety?” There was something behind his eyes that made her think this was a desperately important question.

“Of course, I’d worry. How could I not? But when has a little risk ever bothered me? I think it’s a grand idea.”

The look in his eyes made her want to throw caution to the wind and kiss him to pieces right then.

A nurse came in with a breakfast tray. Hank practically dove for the coffee.

“Thank you, nurse,” he said.

She gave him a kind nod.

“Mmm. Better than yesterday. Nice and hot.”

“Don’t burn your tongue,” warned the nurse. “You have enough injuries as it is.”

With a smile, she left them alone.

Moments later, the doctor who caught them kissing came in. He looked from one to the other with a censorious gaze and then turned to Hank. “You have recovered sufficiently that we can allow you to go home. It will take another few weeks for your head to fully recover. During that time, you must get plenty of rest and avoid exerting yourself in any way.” The doctor looked back and forth between the two of them with narrowed eyes. “Nor should you let yourself get upset. You can come back two weeks from today to have your stitches out. You should change your bandage daily. I’ll give you some cream to put on your head wound as well as the bandages you need.”

He flipped a page on the chart and gave Hank another pointed look.

“Your leg will take longer to heal. You’ll be in that cast for six to eight weeks. During that time, you must use crutches to walk, and you must make sure not to get your cast wet when you bathe. Do you understand?”

Hank nodded.

“You will come back here for a check-up at six weeks, and we will determine whether the cast is ready to come off.”

“Yes, doctor.”

“I’ll be right back with your⁠—”

He was interrupted by a commotion outside, and a moment later, her father strode into the room. Her whole body went rigid at the sight of him.

“Aurora, what are you doing here? It’s indecent for you to be here at this hour.”

“What am I doing here? What are you doing here, Papa? Haven’t you done enough already?” It was only with difficulty that she resisted the urge to throw things at him.

“You said yesterday you were going to marry as soon as he was out of the hospital. I thought I had better hurry if I was going to catch him before it was too late.” Turning to Hank, he said, “I know I said you wouldn’t get a cent from me, but this has to stop. Young man, what is it going to cost me to convince you not to marry Aurora?”