THIRTY-FOUR
“OH MY GOD!”
The exclamation jarred her from sleep.
“What the—”
“Darroch!”
Alice’s voice cut off the one from beneath her. Damn. Her vision still blurred, but there were vague figures standing around. His parents. His doctors… his brothers. Oh… no… Darroch, the hospital… it was coming back, and it wasn’t good.
“This is unacceptable,” a doctor said.
“Hospital sex, nice.”
“If there was intercourse, it will have to be reported.”
Were they different doctors? Why were there three of them now? What did that last one say?
“Interco—no! We didn’t have—there was no intercourse,” she said, burying her face against Darroch.
“Not for lack of trying on my part.”
“We’ll have to test if you’re still under the influence of drugs.”
And if he was, she’d probably need to talk to the cops… again.
“I’m sorry,” she said, breathing him in once more before sitting up to slither off the bed. “I meant to leave before you all got here.”
“We did nothing wrong.”
“Rest is vital to your recovery.”
“Yeah, we know that.”
“I guarantee he slept better with his girl next to him than he would’ve alone,” Caber said. “Savvy settles him.”
“That’s true,” Alice said. “I’m sure they meant no harm. Young love finds a way, Doctor.”
“We have to take him upstairs,” the doctor said, unimpressed. “He needs a full evaluation.”
“Because he slept with his girlfriend?” Caber asked. “Whatever disease she’s got, she gave it to him before this.”
“Hey!” Darroch chastised as his brothers laughed.
“Please don’t tease him,” Alice said, going to her son, stroking the hair from his forehead. “How do you feel this morning, sweetheart?”
“I was better when Savvy was with me.”
She crouched to seek her shoes beneath the bed. “I’ll come back later.”
“Come back?” he asked. “Where are you going?”
“ You are going upstairs, Mr. Breckenridge,” the doctor said as two men in hospital uniforms came in to free Darroch’s bed from its brakes. “No family allowed. This shouldn’t take more than an hour or two.”
“Savvy’s coming with me,” Darroch said, sitting up straight only to then grasp his head.
“Darroch?” Alice asked.
Concern hung around every brother.
Without thinking, she was there next to him, holding his head in both hands. “Gentleman?”
“Head rush,” he said and smiled. “Worked for me.” He slung an arm around her. “Come with me.”
“I have work today,” she murmured, stroking his face.
“Shit.”
Pulling his mouth to hers, she kissed him. “I don’t start until noon.”
“You’ll be here when I come back?”
She nodded, her nose bumping his. “I’ll be waiting.”
He kissed her as the bed started moving again. They wheeled him out, doctors in tow, until only the family remained.
“Were you here all night?” Benedict asked.
Though she squirmed, she didn’t want to lie. “Yes.”
“Good,” Benedict said, setting a hand on his wife’s hip. “We have to make arrangements for him at home.”
“Yes,” Alice agreed.
“Depends what their scans and tests show,” Caber said. “Do you think they’ll let him out today?”
Alice was calm. “Let’s wait to see what the doctors say.”
“I should…” She rushed to return to her shoes and slip them on. “Get going.”
“You just said you’d be here when he got back.”
Didn’t take long for Caber’s mood to switch.
“If I leave now, I will be back in time. I have to get ready for work.”
“Back to your apartment and—”
“I brought things,” she said, grabbing her bag from the floor. “I just need to find somewhere to shower.”
“They have facilities in the women’s locker room,” Tripp said, attracting all eyes. He shrugged and snickered. “What?”
“And you know that because…?”
Swagger bled from him. “I never forget a body… or a liaison.”
“Do you have to work?” Brant asked before his brother had any further chance to explain.
Did she have to work? What good would she be at the hospital? Being with him, near him, made her feel better, but he’d have his family around him.
“I can stay with him today,” Alice said, giving her the out. “Get yourself something to eat.” The woman embraced her like a mother. “Tripp, eat with Savanna once she’s ready. Look after her. Ben will call and have something brought to the family lounge.”
“Thank you,” she said and accepted her kiss.
“Make sure there’s enough food for the nurses Tripp will pick up on the way,” Ward said, laughing with Brant and Troy.
“Doctors, admins, patients…” Tripp said, coming over to slide an arm around her. “All are welcome to apply.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Troy drawled.
“Jealousy’s an ugly color on you, brother.”
“Tripp,” Alice said in that tone. “Ward. Troy.”
The tone that told them to behave.
The Breckenridges once again came to her rescue. Now she had to beat Darroch back to the room, so he’d never know she was gone.