Chapter 13 #2
Kale moved the curtain aside and walked in to stand beside the hospital bed before he said, “Koda, my boy, it’s time for you to go back to your own room so you can charm the nurses into letting us take you home.”
“I’ll wait with Serana until they let her go home,” he said dismissively.
“I worded it as a suggestion, but it wasn’t,” Kale said firmly.
Koda looked up at Serana before he said, “That means I need to move my ass.”
Serana giggled, leaning over to kiss Koda on the forehead. When he winced, she asked, “Did that hurt? Do you have a headache?”
“It didn’t hurt, but I’m not really a kissing kind of guy.”
“Oh! I apologize. I won’t kiss you again unless you give me permission.”
“Dad says that’ll change someday, but I don’t think so. It’s still gonna be gross. Griffin said there are a billion germs in people’s mouths, and then he said . . .”
“Come on, kid. Let’s get you settled into your room so Stache can swoop in and fawn all over you when she gets here.”
“I’m coming, Lettuce,” Koda said with a sigh as he scooted off the bed and landed beside it with a groan. “I feel like I’ve been rode hard and put up wet.”
Serana sputtered a laugh as Kale muttered, “Dear God, don’t let Jovi hear you say something like that.”
“You should probably tell your nurse what hurts, Koda. She’ll be able to give you something to take the ache away.”
“Flying really isn’t as fun as I thought it would be,” Koda admitted with a pout. “Actually, the flying wasn’t that bad, but Serana didn’t stick the landing, so we’re both jacked up.”
“I pray that there’s never a next time, but on the off chance that there might be, I promise to do better,” Serana assured him.
“You’ll call if you need something, right? Since you’re my angel, it’s my job to make sure you’re taken care of.”
“I promise to let you know,” Serana said earnestly. When Koda stuck his pinky out, she hooked hers to his and said, “Pinky swear.”
“Bet,” Koda said as he walked toward his grandfather. “See ya, Angel!”
“Bye, Angel!”
I watched Kale take Koda’s hand. He nodded at Serana and said, “My wife will want to thank you - so will my son and his wife. I’ll bring them by to see you later.”
“I hope I don’t have to stay much longer, but Koda memorized my phone number so he can call me whenever he wants.”
“We’ll figure it out,” Kale said before he smiled at me and then escorted Koda out of the room.
I slid the curtain closed for a bit of privacy, then gently sat on the edge of Serana’s bed and leaned forward to kiss her forehead.
“Are you okay?” I asked quietly as I looked at her face. “How badly are you hurt?”
“Amazingly enough, not nearly as bad as you’d think.
I was worried there for a bit because Koda thought I had a bone sticking out of my neck, but it was just some glass from the windshield.
I was terrified there was more wrong because my entire body hurt, but Mr. Forrester - I mean Kale - made me feel better when he touched my ankle and assured me I was wiggling my toes.
I knew better than to move, but I wanted some encouragement. ”
“What’s your pain level?” I asked.
“On a scale of one to ten, it’s about a fifteen - but I’m fine.”
“Have they given you anything?”
“I refused everything but Tylenol,” Serana said firmly. “Well, I did get a shot of antibiotics, and they gave me a local before they stitched me up. I don’t feel like those count, though.”
“There are drugs that can help without getting you high, Serana.”
“I don’t . . . I can’t, Roscoe.”
“Okay. If you get too uncomfortable, we can reassess, okay?”
“Who called you?”
I laughed softly as I brushed her hair away from her face. “Everyone, but my ringer was off because I was catching a baby upstairs. I got here as quickly as I could, though.”
“Boy or girl?”
“A healthy boy.”
“Good. How’s the mama?”
“She asked for more than Tylenol, and I gave it to her,” I joked. When Serana frowned, I touched her cheek and asked, “What do you need me to do, babe?”
“You know the guy that was driving, don’t you?”
“I do. He’s actually Kale’s nephew.”
“Is he okay?”
“I haven’t checked on him yet, but he’s down the hall.”
“I want to talk to him.”
“I’m sure he’s kicking himself right now, Serana, so anything you have to say is . . .”
“It’s not like that, Roscoe. I’ve been where he is, but there wasn’t anyone around to tell me that life had just given me another chance.”
“And you want to tell him that?”
“Yeah. I do.”
“Let me see what I can do. There’s a cop down there, and they might not let him have a visitor, but I’m sure we can figure out how to sneak you in if it means that much to you.”
“It does.”
“What else can I do for you?”
Serana squeezed my hand. “How’s Moe?”
“She’s getting some X-rays, but she’s not alone. Lyric’s grandpa is with her.”
“Will you check on her too?”
“I can do that. What else?”
Serana looked uncomfortable for a second, then finally asked, “Can you call Garvey and ask him to come see me? I’d really like to talk to someone, and you’re great, but . . .”
I lifted Serana’s hand and kissed her knuckles. “My guess is that he’s in the waiting room with your friends,” I interrupted. “If he is, I’ll bring him back to you before I check on Moe and arrange that visit with Harley.”
“Thank you.”