Chapter 23
Chapter Twenty-Three
B rielle was ready to scream. Between her mother and the doctors, no one would leave her alone and not a single one of them were the person she wanted to spend time with. That distinction belonged to one man only, and Brielle wished he’d come back to see her.
She’d been so shocked when she’d finally woken up and seen him standing in the corner of the room. Her family had been there, her mother speaking far too loudly, but still…Ryan. Had. Been. There.
And the best part was, it was clear that he hadn’t even gone home yet. He’d waited until she had woken up, he’d assured her that everything was okay between them, and then he’d finally left.
Left? Her brain scoffed. Or Aurora dragged him along for the ride?
Brielle had been ticked off as she watched her sister take Ryan by the arm and take him outside. If the nurse and her mother hadn’t been hounding Brielle for answers, she would have shouted for them to stop, but Ryan needed to go home and take care of himself and Brielle needed to get her family off her back.
Only it hadn’t happened quite the way she’d expected.
Her mother was still here, the nurse was in and out, and Ryan had never come back. It had been several days since their arrival. She’d had surgery on her foot and he still had never come to see her.
“What did you say to him?” Brielle muttered before she could hold the words back.
Her mother looked up from her magazine. “What are you talking about?”
Brielle shook her head. “Not you. Aurora.”
Aurora’s perfectly manicured eyebrows rose up, and she pulled her gaze away from her phone. “What did I say to who?”
Brielle barely managed to not roll her eyes. Her sister knew exactly what she was talking about. “What did you say to Ryan?” Brielle said tightly.
Aurora frowned, glanced at their mother, then back at Brielle. “I just told him how much we were grateful for his help. After all…we owe your life to him. Shouldn’t I have thanked him?”
Brielle hesitated then gave a curt nod. “You didn’t tell him not to come visit or anything?”
“Why would I do that?”
Why? It’s the question of the hour, Brielle thought sarcastically. Like…why had Aurora lied when they were younger? Why pretend to be dating Ryan? Why say that she’d set up the kiss if it wasn’t true?
“You like him.”
It was a statement, not a question, but Brielle felt her cheeks heat in response anyway.
Aurora laughed softly, her bright pink fingernails delicately covering her lips. “You like him. Just like back in high school.”
“Does he like you back?” Brielle’s mother asked, her voice a little too calm to be casual.
Before Brielle could formulate a response from the churning of words and emotions in her head, Aurora laughed uncomfortably.
“Well…this is a bit awkward.”
Brielle felt her brows pull together. “What do you mean? ”
Their mother also turned to Aurora, who was blushing and wringing her hands. “I don’t know if I should say.”
Brielle’s temper was starting to flare. She wanted her own home, she wanted a shower that wasn’t being supervised, she wanted real food, and most of all, she wanted Ryan. None of those things seemed to be in her near future, so having patience with her sister’s machinations felt beyond her power right now. “Aurora, if you have something to say, just say it.”
Her mother frowned. “Brielle, you can speak kinder than that. If this young man is someone who can look past your faults, then we need to take whatever Aurora has to say into serious consideration.”
Brielle let her head fall back against the pillow.
“That’s just it,” Aurora said softly.
Brielle sighed and rubbed her aching forehead. Maybe she should ask for something for the migraine. It felt like it was going to be a doozy. How you can feel anything past the medication for your foot is beyond me. Brielle snorted at her own thoughts.
“Brielle, please,” her mother begged. “That noise is horrible.”
Brielle heard her mother shift.
“Go on, Aurora. What did he say to you?”
“Well, it wasn’t what he said to me,” Aurora hedged.
Brielle opened her eyes again, feeling apprehensive about what was coming.
“It was what he didn’t say.”
“Go on,” their mother urged, oblivious to the panic blooming in Brielle’s gut.
“He said he’d love to catch up with me sometime,” Aurora stated haltingly. “Like he wanted to go on a date or something.”
Brielle’s stomach fell. No…there’s no way that can be true.
“Ah…” Their mother glanced at Brielle with dramatic sympathy. “I can see how that was hard to share.” She took in a deep breath and straightened her spine. “But I think we all know it’s not uncommon for a man to be interested in you, Aurora. It’s not like this is something new. ”
“But—” Aurora weakly began to argue.
“I’m sure Brielle’s crush will dissipate in time,” their mother continued crisply, not looking at Brielle’s pale face as she brushed imagined lint off her pants. “I’m sure you’ll have your chance at some point, Brielle.” Those blue eyes finally came up to land on Brielle’s. “Once your sister is taken care of, it’ll be easier.”
Brielle felt as if someone had punched her in the solar plexus. Her lungs couldn’t seem to get enough breath, and her vision was swimming. He couldn’t…he wouldn’t …would he?
Ryan had assured her that he’d never been interested in Aurora. He said they’d never dated and that he barely knew her.
If that’s the case, then why did he go out of the room with her?
Brielle clenched her fists, her brain split into two sides.
If he wanted Aurora, why did he come rushing up when you woke up? He was in the corner, not cuddled up with Aurora. He came to you . There’s no way that can be true.
Brielle tried to replay the scene in her head, and she simply couldn’t force herself to believe that the emotion she’d seen in Ryan’s eyes was anything but care and concern, not to mention the kisses they’d shared in the woods.
“I don’t believe you.” The words fell into the room like a lead balloon.
“Excuse me?” Aurora sat up, her back ramrod straight. “What did you say to me?”
“Girls…” Their mother warned.
“I said I don’t believe you,” Brielle stated bluntly. “He’s coming back.” She stuck her chin in the air in a decent imitation of her entitled sibling. “And it’s to see me, not you.” Brielle closed her eyes, determined to take a nap and ignore her sister’s anger and her mother’s condescending words.
“If that’s true,” Aurora said with a sniff, as if she didn’t care, “Then why isn’t he here?”
Brielle’s heart stuttered, but she kept her eyes closed and her breathing normal. Brielle didn’t know why Ryan wasn’t there, but there had to be a reason and it would be a good one. It had to be… She refused to think otherwise.
“I need to go visit,” Ryan muttered under his breath as he washed his hands from his latest patient.
He hadn’t managed to make it back to the hospital since getting home and he was desperate to hear Brielle’s voice and hold her. But the hospital was a couple hours away, and by the time he’d showered and slept, work had been looming.
They’d already canceled all the patients they could on Monday, and now Ryan was paying for it with a double booked schedule with no end in sight.
“Then go,” Levi offered as he walked past.
“When?” Ryan asked, drying his hands. “It’s not like I just have half a day sitting around.”
“Call her,” he said with a shrug.
“She doesn’t have a cell phone.” Ryan threw the paper towel away. “And every time I go through the hospital, one of her family members answers and refuses to let me speak to her. They always claim she’s resting. I don’t even know what room she’s in. They moved her after the surgery.”
Levi slapped him on the shoulder. “Excuses, Doc. Either man up, or don’t, but the whining? It’s getting old.”
Ryan sighed and leaned against the counter. Was he just being a whiner? Maybe. Probably. He really wanted to see Brielle again, but Ryan found himself hesitant to deal with her family again…particularly Aurora.
He’d left the hospital feeling angry and ready to take on the world, but the more he thought about Aurora, the more he felt like she had something up her sleeve. He needed to get to the bottom of it and he needed to make sure that Brielle was alright, but how to do that when the family was shutting him out ?
“Seriously,” Levi said in a softer tone. “Just go see her. So you get back late. It’ll be alright.”
Ryan took a deep breath and nodded. “You’re right. I’ll call the hospital at lunch and see if I can just get her room number, not just be patched through.”
Levi nodded and began to whistle as he walked out of the common area. “Puker in room three. Your turn.”
Ryan rolled his eyes and chuckled. “I think that’s above my pay grade!” he retorted.
Levi shot him a look. “Then we’re all doomed if that’s the case because you’re the top of the pyramid, buddy.”
“Yep. Doomed.” Ryan laughed, shook his head and mentally prepared himself for another visit.
Truth was, he really didn’t want to be at work today. He was still exhausted. The dark bags under his eyes were much heavier than normal, and he couldn’t stop the restless feeling inside of him, which he was sure was because of Brielle.
Will her parents throw me out?
He pushed the thought aside. They were adults. It really didn’t matter what Mrs. Underwood thought. Brielle could choose for herself, and based on the family’s words at the hospital, Ryan had a feeling that very few people gave Brielle that option.
The morning passed slowly, and Ryan practically ran for his office when he finished his last patient before lunch. He called the hospital again, hating that he had the number memorized at this point. His gut clenched when they didn’t give him a number, but simply put his call through. Crossing his fingers, Ryan prayed that he’d finally get to the right person.
“Hello?”
Ryan closed his eyes in frustration. “Aurora, I really need to speak to Brielle.”
“This isn’t Aurora,” the woman snapped. “Who’s this?”
“This is Ryan Thatcher,” he said, sitting up a little straighter in his chair when he realized it must be Mrs. Underwood. “Did you say if Brielle was available?”
There was a pause on the line. “Mr. Thatcher,” she began, but Ryan interrupted.
“Dr. Thatcher, actually.” He wasn’t sure why he bothered with the title, but something about the woman told him that it would make a difference to her.
“Doctor? You’re a doctor?”
“Yes.”
“What kind?”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t call professionally. I wanted to talk to Brielle. Can you please put her on?”
More waiting. “They took her for a scan of her foot. I don’t know when she’ll be back. But Dr. Thatcher, I understand that you’ve been speaking to both my daughters.”
Ryan frowned. “What?”
“You went to school with Aurora, is that correct?”
“I was at high school with both your girls,” Ryan said, feeling suddenly wary. This wasn’t going any better than when he ended up with Aurora. What was it with this family?
“Aurora told me about your conversation and has mentioned you from before.”
“Conversation?”
“I think, perhaps, you should spend some time away from Brielle.”
The words hit him like a sledgehammer. “What?” he rasped. “You can’t be serious.”
“There’s been enough animosity between the two of them, don’t you think?” Mrs. Underwood continued. “Your relationship with both Aurora and Brielle isn’t going to do anyone any favors. Now…I’m sure if you explained the situation to the girls and we could get everyone on the same page, then perhaps it would be fine moving forward, but otherwise, we really should just nip this in the bud.”
“I don’t…” Ryan pushed a hand through his hair before he finally fo und his tongue. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Underwood, but I don’t really know what you’re talking about. I need to talk to Brielle, and I’ll call back when it’s more convenient. Thank you.”
Dropping the call and then his phone, he leaned back in his office chair and stared unseeing at the device. What in the world was that all about? What did they need to nip in the bud? His relationship with Brielle? Had Brielle told them they were dating?
Groaning, Ryan threw his head back. He should have kissed her before leaving. At least then everyone would know where they stood. But he’d held back because she was wounded and had been through a lot. Now the family was running interference, and Ryan was about ready to do something drastic.
“I need to talk to Brielle,” he muttered for what felt like the thousandth time. “And no one else.”
Determination welled up inside of him, and he woke up his computer. It was time to see what he could do about his schedule. A guy should get more than one day off when he’d been lost in the forest right? Surely he deserved a little more leeway than that.
What good was being the boss if he couldn’t pull strings once in a while? It was time to take matters into his own hand. It was also time to call in reinforcements.