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She slumped forward. “Thank goodness for that.”

“Did the police talk to you yet?” Dad asked, settling on my left side.

I shook my head. “Not yet.”

He nodded. “They’ll be by this morning, I’m sure.”

“Hopefully, I’ll have eaten by then, because I don’t know if I can handle repetitive questions on an empty stomach.”

Mom squeezed my hand. “Are you sure about this? Being with Tundra?”

I turned to her and gave her a small smile. “Very.”

Her lips quirked to the side for a beat. “Did Heidi know?”

Dad seemed to perk up at that question.

I pressed my lips together. “Um, not as far as you or Dad is concerned.”

“Honey—”

“Mom, you would have told Dad.”

She had the good grace to look contrite.

“Besides, growing up you’d told me you wouldn’t care if I had a problem and went to Aunt Heidi or any of the other old ladies…you just wanted me to turn to someone.”

Mom nodded once very slowly. “I wish Mabel would do that, too,” she whispered.

Dad sighed. “Maybe after this scare, she will.”

Tundra came back into the room carrying a cardboard drink carrier with four coffees, and a McDonald’s bag. “Wasn’t sure what to get you, babe, and I didn’t want to interrupt. So, there’s a vanilla latte, an iced vanilla latte, and two coffees black, but I got plenty of creamers and sugar if you want to doctor it.”

I grinned. “I’ll take the iced latte. Give Mom the hot one. Please tell me there’s at least two hash browns in there.”

“More like six, wild child,” Tundra said, wheeling a table to my bed and passing out beverages.

We all scarfed down greasy breakfast food in silence. It didn’t quite feel like loaded silence, but it also wasn’t comfortable. Then again, what happened to me wasn’t comfortable at all.

I sipped my latte and caught Dad’s eyes. “Are you still mad?”

His gaze darted past me for a long moment before he focused on me. “Not at all.”

I arched a brow. “I was in the common room, Dad. I heard you yell.”

He closed his eyes and sighed. “Yeah, but I’m over it.”

I glanced pointedly at Tundra’s black eye. “All because you got to hit my man?”

“Wild child,” Tundra started.

Dad shook his head. “It’s a dad-thing, sweetheart. He’s proven that he’s the right man for you, and not just because of that fuckwad assaulting you.”

I nodded. “Well, I’m glad you approve…mostly.”

Dad’s eye brows arched. “No, Mickayla. You’ve got my blessing. He loves you about as fiercely as I do, and that’s the kind of love I want you to have.”

Mom stood. “Where is the bathroom around here? It’s crazy that I know more about the hospitals in Jacksonville than in Biloxi.”