Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
BLAKE
S he’s a bundle of nerves next to me. Her face is ashen and fierce at the same time, ready to fight for the one true father she’s ever known. But her hands are shaking, and she’s clinging to me. Her nails dig into my arm even though she doesn’t even realize it.
She wants me here, but I don’t know if she realizes she wants me here.
My girl is struggling with guilt and fear, and I’ll be goddamned if I’m going to leave her here to deal with this alone. Not until we have some answers and she’s calmed down. Not even when her words try to hurt me.
They don’t.
She doesn’t mean them.
“I’m sorry,” she whispers, holding my hand with both of hers and leaning into me, tipping her forehead against my biceps. “I don’t mean to be such a jerk. I just need him to be okay.”
I press my lips to her head and breathe her in .
“You’re not a jerk. We’ll talk about it later, sugar. Let’s check on your dad.”
Her lips roll in, and she bites that lower lip as she pokes her head around the doorway of Greg’s room.
Xander and Easton are here, and Greg is asleep. My eyes go right to the glucose monitor and see that his numbers are stable again, but he has to be exhausted. His blood pressure and oxygen levels are perfect. He’s out of the woods.
Easton immediately crosses over and hugs Harper, tugging her close.
“Hey, sweet girl,” he whispers. “This one was scary.”
Xander glares at me, but I hold his gaze, then gesture for everyone to talk in the hall, so we don’t wake Greg.
“I don’t ever want to do that again,” Easton says, letting out a deep breath.
“Where are Ava and Tuck?” Harper asks.
“Tuck just took her home a few minutes ago to get some sleep,” Easton replies. “We said we’d take this shift.”
“Why the fuck weren’t you answering your phone?” Xander asks Harper, and tears immediately spring to her eyes.
“Absolutely fucking not.” My voice is low but hard as I shake my head and take Harper’s hand in mine, holding on tight. “You won’t speak to her like that. She doesn’t deserve it.”
Xander rounds on me. “Fine. Why the fuck wasn’t she answering her goddamn phone? It’s not bad enough that we were worried sick about Dad, but we had to worry about her, too? ”
“X,” Harper says, reaching out to rub his arm. “Stop. I’m sorry you worried, but I’m here now. What in the hell happened?”
“ You should have answered your phone. That’s what happened.” Harper’s body jerks in response to his harsh words.
What’s up with this guy? Why is he taking this whole situation out on her? It’s not her fault.
“Take a walk,” Easton tells his brother before I can. “Go get some coffee. You’re about to be even more of an asshole than usual, and I can’t let you treat her that way.”
“Fuck,” Xander growls before stomping away, and Harper watches him go.
“He’s not being deliberately mean.” She wipes a tear off her cheek. “He gets this way when he’s freaked out.”
“Yeah, well, he’s annoying the shit out of me,” Easton replies. “Dad had spaghetti for dinner. He didn’t eat anything too sugary, and he didn’t realize that the carbs are sugar. He’s still new to this, and he’s learning.”
Harper’s eyes close, and she shakes her head as her shoulders droop.
“His numbers look good now,” I tell them both. “I’m not his doctor, but his monitors look stable, and he’ll rest for a good while until he gets his strength back. Is he on insulin?”
“He’s bad about taking it,” Harper says. “But yes. I’m going to have to go over every day to give it to him. You guys will have to rotate in when I’m working.”
Easton nods in understanding.
“We’ll do that,” he says .
“I have to go get ready for work.” My girl rubs her hand down her face and presses her fingertips into her eyes. “I’ll pop in throughout the day. Did they say when he gets to go home?”
“Probably later this afternoon,” Easton replies, but I turn to Harper and brush her hair over her shoulder.
“Don’t go in today,” I tell her. “Stay with your family. You’ll feel better.”
“I can’t.” She blows out a breath. “There are no other charge nurses to pick up my shift today. But I can pop in and out. I’ll be just one floor up.”
Easton nods and pulls her in for another hug.
“It’s going to be okay, shortcake.”
“I’m so sorry,” she says, and I hear the tears in her voice.
Christ, she’s breaking my heart.
“Not your fault,” Easton says. “And no matter what Xander says, it’s not your responsibility to keep your phone on and be at our beck and call.”
Harper side-eyes me. That’s exactly what I said.
“There are five of us,” he reminds her. “We all help. Don’t forget that. I’ll text you if anything changes.”
“I’ll clock into work, get a read on how things are today, and then I’ll check in on you guys,” she promises him.
“Okay.”
Easton nods at me, and I take Harper’s hand to lead her down the hallway. When we come around the corner, we almost run right into Xander, who’s still frowning.
“I’ll be back in a bit to check in,” Harper tells him .
“Yeah. Great.”
“Whoa.” I shake my head and narrow my eyes at the other man. “ She isn’t the reason that he’s in that bed. This isn’t Harper’s fault, and you won’t punish her for it. She’s scared, too.”
Xander sighs and sets his hands on his hips as he looks at his sister with a frown.
“You scared the piss out of me.”
“I’m sorry.” She pats him on the arm. “I’m fine. Greg’s going to be fine.”
He nods. “I love you, you know.”
“Yeah, yeah, love, blah, blah.” She grins at him, and he tugs on her hair. “I’ll see you later.”
He nods, but shoulder checks me as he walks past. I can’t help but chuckle as we walk out to my car.
“Now that ,” she says after I start the vehicle and pull out of the parking lot to take her home, “is a colossal dumpster fire. In case you were wondering. For future reference.”
“He’s going to be okay,” I tell her. “His numbers were great. He just needs to get regulated with diet and medication.”
“I thought we were there,” she says. “Looks like we still have some work to do.”
“It’s not easy. It’s a lot to learn, and I have to tell you, he’s doing better than a lot of my patients who don’t want to listen or make lifestyle changes. At least he’s trying.”
She nods and nibbles on her lower lip as she reaches for my hand and weaves her fingers with mine.
“Thanks for staying with me.”
“You’re welcome.” I kiss the back of her hand as I pull in front of Xander’s house, cut the engine, and turn to her. “Are you okay, sugar?”
“Yeah. It was an alarming way to start the day, but I’m okay. I did have a good time last night.”
I smile and cup her gorgeous face. “Understatement.”
She meets me halfway over the center console, and I kiss her, then graze my teeth over that delicious bottom lip, and kiss her some more.
“I don’t know when I’ll be free,” she whispers.
“We’ll wing it.” I tuck her hair behind her ear. “It’ll be okay.”
She nods and turns to open her door, but I stop her.
“Let me.”
I walk around the car and open that door for her, and when she steps out, I pull her into me, hugging her close.
“You sure you’re okay, sugar?”
“Better now. You give some really good hugs. You know that, right?”
Grinning, I kiss the top of her head. “It takes two to hug, baby. Have a good day. I’ll be at the clinic all day, but just call if you need me.”
“Thank you.” She boosts up on her toes to kiss me, and then she’s gone, up the stairs and into the house.
And I already miss the fuck out of her.
“So …” Bridger comes up to stand next to me, folds his arms over his chest, and we both watch as Dani, Birdie, and Bee fuss over Bryce. He’s smiling at them, and they’re both puddles as they make faces at the infant. “Harper.”
We’re at Bee and Connor’s place for Sunday dinner. We usually go to Beckett’s place, the house we all grew up in on the Double B Ranch, but our family is growing, and my sister’s house is bigger. Connor comes to stand with Bridger and me, watching the girls.
The others haven’t arrived yet.
“What about her?”
Connor raises an eyebrow. “I missed something.”
“Blake’s seeing a woman,” Bridger says, filling him in, and Connor’s green gaze turns to me.
“More than once?”
“Fuck both of you.”
They laugh, and then Connor claps me on the back. “Who is she?”
“A nurse,” I reply.
“Bryce’s NICU nurse at the hospital,” Bridger adds. “She’s hot. Super nice. Dani loved her to death.”
“Hot and nice,” Connor repeats, nodding as he crosses his arms, mirroring Bridger’s stance. “That’s a good place to start. ”
“Who’s hot and nice?”
I turn to find Skyla standing behind us, with my brother Beckett grinning at me over her head.
Clearly, Bridger’s already filled him in. This family is full of a bunch of fucking gossips.
“Blake’s girlfriend.” This comes from Connor, who then opens his arms to hug his sister. “And how are you today, a stór ?”
“Just fine.”
Beckett proposed to the pretty ballerina at Christmastime, and they’re planning for a fall wedding. I’m surprised he waited so long to ask her to marry him because it’s plain as day that they’re meant to be together.
“I want to know more about the pretty girlfriend,” Beckett says, but I’m saved when more family comes rolling through the doors. Brooks strides in, and when he sees the baby, his whole face softens.
He’s always such a grumpy ass, but he’s a softy for the kids and the girls.
Skyla and Connor’s parents arrive, followed closely by Skyla’s best friend, Mikhail, and his husband, Benji.
By the time my parents get here, it’s a full house. A chaotic one filled with noise and laughter, and it makes me grin.
“How are you, my boy?” Mom asks as she wraps her arm around my waist and leans into my side. I wrap my arm around her shoulders and hug her against me, kissing the top of her head.
“I’m great. How are you, Mom? ”
“Oh, I’ll feel better now that it’s warming up outside.”