Chapter 22
TWENTY-TWO
STELLA
“Hey, girl. How was the CT scan?” Bailee asked after I was wheeled back to my emergency-room bed.
“Thrilling,” I quipped, whispering a thank-you to the orderly after he settled me onto the hospital mattress. My head still pounded and my cheek was raw, but I hadn’t been dizzy or disoriented, other than when my face had first hit the floor.
Or when I’d thought Lee had been about to kiss me.
“I appreciate your sticking around, but you could have gone home,” I said, letting my sore head fall into the lumpy pillow. “I’m fine.”
“Carl has the kids, and I wouldn’t leave you in a hospital with a head injury. What kind of best friend does that?” She narrowed her eyes. “Besides, Lee asked me to stay here while he made some calls so you wouldn’t be alone when you came back.” She popped her brow. “Told me, really.”
Lee shaking from head to toe at the notion of me being hurt, whispering how he couldn’t go through this again, messed with my head more than any outside impact today.
If Silas had come in two seconds later, my mouth would have been on Lee’s, and everything would have changed. But it already had; I’d just run out of room to deny it.
“He literally jumped over the railing to get to you. I’ve never seen anything like it. Then he scooped you up off the floor and carried you away. I half expected him to jog to the hospital with you in his arms.”
“Lee is just a good guy. He’s always been protective like that.”
I ignored Bailee’s scowl in my periphery.
“Jesus, Stella. How hard did you hit your head?”
As much as I would have loved to dismiss it as a hallucination, it was all real. His thumb gliding across my lips, the hungry yet desperate look in his blue eyes, how he’d held on to me as if he’d been afraid I’d slip away.
Once my head healed, we needed to talk. But despite knowing Lee for so many years and how the words had always come easily between us, I had no idea what to say or where to start.
“How did it go?” Lee asked, yanking the curtain open around my bed hard enough for the shrill scrape of the rings against the metal to aggravate the pain and make me wince.
“Sorry,” he whispered, bending over the bed. “How’s the pain?”
“Same. The tech said we’d have results in a half hour, but I’m fairly sure I don’t have a concussion and I’ll be fine. I can rest with an ice pack tonight.”
“We’ll see.” Lee’s lips twisted. “They can’t really tell on a scan for sure, so either way, you’re taking it easy for a couple of days.”
“Everyone okay in there?” I recognized Nate’s voice. “Is it okay to come in?”
“How did you get back here?” Lee asked.
“I have my ways.” Nate’s lips lifted in a slow grin. He was still in uniform, so his ways were most likely starstruck nurses and doctors clearing a path to let him go through.
“Ricky wanted to apologize.” I found Ricky Ruiz standing behind him when he pulled the curtain all the way to the side.
I’d met him a couple of times when I’d brought Bennie to the stadium.
He was a young player, early twenties, I guessed.
The poor kid looked like he was going to cry as he peeled off his baseball cap and ran his fingers through his short curls.
“No need to apologize,” I said to Ricky while he stayed behind Nate. “If you come to a game, foul balls in the stands are a given. This one just had a life of its own.”
He gave me a weak smile.
“I know, but I’m sorry you were hurt,” Ricky said, looking between Lee and me as if he were apologizing to him too.
“Like Stella said, nothing to be sorry about,” Lee said, slapping him on the back. “But the visit is appreciated.”
“Hey, my name is Bailee. I’m a friend of Stella’s,” Bailee said to Nate as she bolted out of the chair.
“Oh, right. I think I signed an autograph for you,” Nate said, his smile wide as he took her hand.
“Would you mind a quick selfie?” Bailee asked as she unlocked her phone and positioned herself next to Nate.
“Seriously?” I said, lifting my head off the pillow.
“Oh, you just said you were fine,” she said, smiling while she raised the phone above her head.
Lee chuckled when my gaze landed on his.
“Everywhere he goes,” he said on a long sigh.
“I’m a big fan,” she said, a wide smile still plastered on her face as she shoved the phone back into her purse.
“Thanks. Is your husband a fan too?”
“My…husband?” she stammered.
“Carl,” I said, rolling my head toward Bailee. “Remember? The father of your kids, your husband of ten years, and the one who gave you the diamond on your finger?”
“Right.” She glanced at her hand. “It’s not that serious, though.”
I burst out laughing until the side of my head throbbed.
“Shit,” I muttered, covering my face with my hands.
“And that is why you’re taking it easy.” Lee reached down and squeezed my arm. “Thanks for stopping by, guys. Stella needs some rest.”
“No problem,” Nate said, his smile shrinking when he met my gaze. “I’m glad you’re okay. See you in Baltimore, Doc,” Nate told Lee and left with Ricky.
“Such a nice guy,” Bailee gushed, staring at her phone screen.
“He is. Exhausting, but nice,” Lee said. “I called my mother to let her know I’m picking Bennie up a little late. Once you’re cleared, I’ll get you home and then go get Bennie.”
“Okay,” I said, giving him a gentle nod.
I’d go along with whatever he wanted since this had been a tough day for him too.
It had been unnerving to see him so spooked and unglued, and I was more concerned about him than myself.
He’d been so worried I’d been badly hurt, but his mind had gone to the worst possible scenario a little too quickly.
We’d need to talk about that too, but I was too exhausted to focus on anything but getting out of here and settling into my cozy bed. I couldn’t take it easy for that long, but I’d milk it for the night to avoid all the unanswered questions rolling around in my battered head.
After my CT scan came back clear, Lee had a car take Bailee and me to his house while he headed back to the stadium to get his car to pick up Bennie. He’d said if my mother was back from her day trip, he’d let her know what had happened and that I was okay.
The doctor had agreed with Lee that they couldn’t rule out a concussion completely, so I had to rest for a couple of days and watch my symptoms. I hoped I’d be okay once Lee left for Baltimore, but I couldn’t think that far ahead.
Or at all, as I could still feel Lee’s body shaking against mine.
“Your bedroom is beautiful,” Bailee mused as she propped my pillows at my back. “Lee built all this for you?”
“The queen-sized bed and headboard were already here. But he and Bennie picked the bedspread and curtains,” I said, glancing back until my head began to pound again. “He built the dresser in the corner and the bookshelves around the headboard.”
“I see,” she said, surveying the space. “But that’s just because he’s extra considerate with everyone, right?”
“Listen, B, I don’t know what’s been happening or what happened today. I mean, I think I know, and I’ll have to face it eventually.”
“This could be a wonderful ending to the shitty time you had before you came back to Brooklyn, rather than anything you have to work up to face.”
“Maybe,” I allowed, exhaustion washing over me from a very long, very scary, and very confusing day. “I need a pain pill and a nap right now. I’ll consider possibilities once my head stops hurting.”
I wasn’t sure if the dull, pounding ache was fueled more by the ball or by Lee. Right now, it seemed to split the difference.
“Stella!”
Bennie’s voice wafted up the stairs, followed by the sound of little feet scampering up the steps.
“Daddy said you hurt your head,” Bennie said, climbing onto the bed and crawling up to me. “But it’s okay because we’re going to take care of you.”
My nose burned at the innocent, genuine concern etching her beautiful little face. She pressed her hands into my cheeks, her blue eyes tracking over me.
“Thank you, Bennie,” I said, squeezing her chin as my words came out with a gritty whisper. “But I’m okay, just a little bruised.”
“Don’t crowd Stella, Ben,” Lee said, his mouth curving in a wistful smile when I found his gaze.
“She’s okay,” I said, wrapping my arm around her waist to draw her into my side. “She’s good medicine.”
Bennie peered up at me, her eyes full of pure love that only kids could give. It had barely been a couple of months, and she’d burrowed into my heart so quickly, it was as if she’d always been there.
My mother had warned me about this, and I’d known at the time she was probably right, but I hadn’t expected it to be so powerful so early.
“Bennie, this is my best friend, Bailee.”
“Hi, Bennie. It’s so great to meet you after hearing so many awesome things about you,” Bailee said.
“Hi. A lot of people say awesome things about me. My grams calls me sunshine because I make things brighter.”
“I can tell,” Bailee said, biting back a laugh.
“Have you been friends with Stella longer than Daddy?”
“No. Daddy came first,” Bailee said, smirking at me as she glanced at her phone.
“Carl is here. I told him to come and hang out downstairs until Lee got back.” She kissed my forehead. “I will text you to check on you later.”
“She shouldn’t be looking at a screen or reading anything tonight. Calling would probably be better,” Lee said.
Bailee snuck me a smile and nodded.
“That’s no problem. Either way, we’ll talk later.”
“If you can’t read, I can read to you.” Bennie scampered off the bed. “Let me get some books to start with.”
Lee chuckled, his gaze tracking her quick departure.
“She always thinks of everything,” I said, my tired eyes following Lee as he lingered by the doorway.
“I’m sleeping in here tonight. On the chair,” he said, motioning to the small armchair next to my bed.
“You don’t have to do that. I promise I won’t read anything or text anyone.”
He shook his head.
“I need to check on you during the night. The only thing a CT scan can almost rule out is a brain bleed. And you need to stay up for a little bit, even though you’re probably tired from a long day.”
“Yes, Doc,” I said, bringing my fingers to my temple in a mock salute.
“I saw your mom and filled her in. She said she’d call me later to check on you, but she wanted you to rest now.”
“My poor mother.” I draped my hand over my eyes. “Gary and I never give her a break.”
Lee’s shoulders shook with a chuckle.
“I’ll go make sure Bennie doesn’t bring the entire shelf. Can I get you anything?”
“No, I’m good,” I told him. “Thank you. For everything today. Sorry for all the drama.”
He didn’t laugh with me. He nodded as his gaze dropped to the carpet.
“Only thing that matters is that you’re okay. Or you will be if you do what I say.” I smiled at the arch in his brow. “Rest, and I’ll be right back.”
I let my gaze linger on Lee as the door shut behind him.
I hoped I was exhausted enough to sleep with Lee in the room. At least my head injury was a little insurance that nothing would happen between us, although it hadn’t stopped us in his office after I’d first been hit.
My gaze traveled around the room, taking in all the little things Lee had set up for me when I’d moved in.
He was extra considerate always, but maybe I’d been overlooking important clues and details because I’d trained myself not to see them.
Because it had been ridiculous to think that anyone could love me like that, to need me in their lives so much that losing me would be too much to bear.
My mother and brother loved me like that, and my father had, too. Was it so hard to accept that maybe someone else could? Someone I’d prayed so many times to love me back like I’d loved him.
Bailee had told me to think of this as a possible wonderful ending, but it was hard when I’d forced myself to see Lee as a loss, even though he’d never belonged to me.
Thinking I could have exactly what I’d always wanted was an unexpected kind of terrifying.