Chapter 14 #2
“It’s not nearly as bad as it looks,” I assured her.
“There were a lot of small cuts, and I had to get a few stitches, but I’m okay.
” When she looked at my foot wrapped in a pressure bandage, I hurried to say, “Nothing’s broken, just bruised.
I just twisted my ankle somehow. The X-rays came back clear, so it should be as good as new in just a few days. ”
“Zoey said you live alone. I hate to think of you being by yourself while you’re recovering. You’re welcome to come stay at our house until you’re better,” Ruf said.
“Please consider it. I can’t think of a way to repay you for what you did for our family, but that might be a start.”
“She’s gonna be staying with me, but I’ll make sure to call if there’s anything she needs,” Roscoe announced before I had a chance to figure out how to politely decline their offer.
“I have a feeling Koda is going to want to see Serana again soon. As long as you promise to make him wear his leash and bring the muzzle with you, I don’t see why y’all can’t visit. ”
“Roscoe!” I gasped. When I looked back at Ruf and Jovi to apologize, I found them both smiling, but I felt like I had to say, “He’s a sweetheart.”
“He is, but he’s also a feral child who knows no boundaries,” Jovi explained with a grin. “He told us all about his beautiful angel.”
“He’s too much,” I said before I reached up and tucked my hair behind my ear. I hadn’t seen my reflection since before the pumpkin harvest activities started, but I knew I had to look a mess. “Is he feeling okay?”
“He’s sleeping now, but he was fine when we got here.”
“He fell asleep on me while we were in the truck - well, more like he passed out at the sight of the blood on my shirt and started snoring. It wasn’t some cozy little nap.”
“That doesn’t surprise me at all,” Ruf said with a grin.
“After Ruf and I first got together, I thought I’d lost Koda somehow. I just couldn’t find him anywhere,” Jovi said with a smirk. “He was napping behind the shed in the backyard.”
“I would love to be able to sleep like that,” I admitted.
“He sleeps like he plays - hard and everywhere,” Ruf explained. He glanced over at Roscoe and asked, “Are you sure she’ll be okay at your place? If you get called out, send me a text and one of us will come stay with her.”
“Wren’s covering for me, so I’ll only have to go in if there’s an emergency,” Roscoe told him. “I’ve got the next few days free to take care of her, and I’m sure she’ll have a steady stream of visitors.”
“Mom should be here soon, and she’s going to want to meet her,” Ruf assured him. “Gamma will probably be with them. If you’re gone before they get here, they’ll come straight to your house.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything less,” Roscoe told him with a grin.
“They don’t have to check on me,” I assured Ruf and Jovi. “Let them know that . . .”
“I can let them know whatever you want, but that’s not going to keep them away,” Ruf insisted.
“They’re going to want to hug you and pamper you, probably for at least the next fifty years or so,” Jovi explained. “Speaking of which, I can’t resist anymore. Can I give the woman who saved our boy a hug?”
“I wouldn’t mind that at all.”
◆◆◆
I had cared for thousands of patients in my time as a nurse, and I knew that if I’d given each of them just half of the careful attention that Roscoe was showing me, I’d have done my job.
He brought me straight to his house after making arrangements with Taylor to have her pack a bag for me so I could have some clean clothes and my phone charger.
Within five minutes of our arrival, I was relaxing on the couch, my foot propped up on the ottoman with an ice pack on my ankle and another resting on my shoulder over the bandage covering my stitches.
I had the TV remote on the couch next to my phone and a glass of iced tea on the table next to me. Roscoe was in the kitchen putting together something for dinner after assuring me that all I needed to do was yell and he’d come running to help me with whatever I needed.
It had been years since I’d felt so cared for, and it honestly made me miss my mom more than usual.
I thought about her every day and wondered how she was doing, but had never even considered calling her, out of respect for my dad and his wishes.
I knew how much heartache my siblings had caused her and couldn’t bear the thought of doing the same, so I took consolation in telling myself that at least she didn’t have to ride the roller coaster of emotions that came with yet another addicted loved one.
But now that I was firmly in my recovery, the idea of contacting my mom had been right there at the forefront of my mind, growing every day, especially when I saw how Roscoe’s family treated him and how welcoming they’d been to me.
My mom would have fit right in with the women of his family, especially his Gamma, Martha, who had shown up with her husband and a bag full of snack foods, drinks, and even a few frozen casseroles for Roscoe to heat up for me over the next few days.
When I mentioned that Moe was going to be jealous that I was so pampered during the next few days, Martha assured me that my friend was getting the same treatment at the house of her son, Bird, where his granddaughter, Lyric, was staying there with her dad, Phoenix.
I felt better knowing that Moe wasn’t alone, even though most of the time she preferred to be that way.
“Gourmet dinner for the queen,” Roscoe said as he walked around the corner carrying a folding lap tray. “I used my pastry lessons and made us some empanadas. I also tried out that recipe you sent me for raspberry vinaigrette to go on our salad.”
I pushed back so I was sitting upright and smiled as he put the tray across my lap. I looked up at him in wonder before I asked, “Do you know how terrific you are?”
“If I can get my sisters on the phone, will you tell them that, since I’ve been singing my own praises for years and they don’t believe me?”
“I’m serious, Roscoe. You’re wonderful to me and everyone around you, and I’ve never met anyone who comes remotely close to being as patient as you are.
Most people would have given up on me months ago.
You’re not only still by my side, you've completely disrupted your life and work schedule to take care of me while all I can do is sit here like a bump on a log and catalog my aches and pains.”
“Speaking of which, it’s time for some more pain reliever. As soon as we’re done eating, you need to get up and move around for a few minutes.”
“Don’t change the subject,” I chided.
“I’m never going to give up on you, Serana.
I told you before that from the first time we met, you’ve been on my mind.
Having you in my life has given it meaning that I didn’t realize was missing.
Being with you has quickly turned into an addiction - and I don’t want help getting past it.
Next to you is exactly where I want to be, whether that’s as your buddy Roscoe making empanadas, or the guy you kiss the second you walk through the front door. ”
“And I think about you from the second I wake up in the morning until I see you again. That scares the shit out of me, because the only time I’ve ever been that focused on anything was when I was trying to figure out how to score my next hit.”
“Thankfully, I’ve never felt that pull, but the way I feel about you threw me for such a loop that I actually went to talk to someone and get some insight to help me figure it out.”
“I’ve talked to Dr. Hamilton about you too.”
“I would never go to Emerald for something like that!” Roscoe exclaimed in horror. “She’d probably hypnotize me so that I did the chicken dance every time I heard a bell ring or something.”
I cackled with laughter at the image before I jumped to her defense. “She’s too professional to do something like that.”
“Not when you’ve tormented her as much as I have over the years.”
“If you didn’t talk to her, then who did you talk to?”
“Papa and then my dad.”
“Did they tell you to run like the wind?”
“Not at all. Oddly enough, knowing their personalities, their advice is different from what I would have imagined.”
“What do you mean?” I tossed my salad with a fork to distribute the dressing more evenly. Before I took a bite, I asked, “What did they say?”
“Papa is usually more direct. He’s very fact-based, which makes sense considering his profession. Dad is the free spirit - much more easygoing than Papa.” I nodded as I chewed, amazed at the flavors bursting from the dressing Roscoe had created. When I hummed with pleasure, he smiled. “Good huh?”
I swallowed and said, “Incredible,” as I readied another forkful. “So, what did your Papa say?”
“He told me that since the first time he met my dad, he knew that he would never be able to stray too far from his side. He said there was an invisible string tethering his soul to Dad’s, and it was so precious he’d do everything in his power never to fray or break it.”
“That’s so romantic, but you’re right - I wouldn’t have guessed that advice would have come from Marcus. Reagan, definitely, but not Marcus.”
“Dad told me that when you find someone whose jagged puzzle pieces fit in harmony with yours, you should never force them together. You just let them fall into place.”
“That’s also romantic, but maybe not quite as eloquent as your Papa’s advice.”
“Maybe, but they both said the same thing when you get right down to it.”
“What’s that?” I asked, my heart racing because I knew exactly how I wanted him to answer.
“That you’re my missing piece,” he said, “and I need to wait patiently for us to click into place. Once we do, I have to do my best never to break the tether that holds us together.”
Tears stung my eyes. “I never imagined that I’d find a man like you,” I whispered. “I know in my heart that I don’t deserve you, but I’m not willing to let you go.”
“Even if you try to, I'll hold on tight enough for both of us,” he promised.