Chapter 8
Hill
My head hurt like a bitch. The beeping sound which told me I was in a hospital sent a bolt of pain through my skull. Every. Single. Time.
I scrunched up my face and tried to lift my right hand, but it was covered in tubes, so I dropped it back to my side.
“Hill?” I didn’t recognize the voice, but it could be a nurse or doctor. A chair scraped across the floor.
There was a brief knock and the sound of a door opening. A new voice spoke, this one with a French accent. “Any change?”
The first voice sounded tense. “A few seconds ago he made a face and moved his arm.
“Mr. Concannon, can you open your eyes, please?” French accent. France. Right, we were filming in Paris, and—
I came fully awake with a gasp. Automatically I lifted both hands. My right came up fine, even with the tubing, but when I lifted my left, pain speared my side and I winced.
“Don’t try to move!” The room was dim, but I could see an older man in a doctor’s coat along with a guy about my age, the one who’d spoken.
“Okay.” My voice was hoarse, and my throat was dry. “Water?” I tentatively touched the side of my head, but it was wrapped in bandages.
The younger guy, a cutie with messy dark curls and sweet bow lips, picked up a cup and held the straw to my mouth.
As I sipped, I met his eyes, and he gave a little head shake.
My brain was too fuzzy to figure that out.
I took a few sips and sighed with relief.
“Thank you.” I was about to ask who the hell he was, but the doctor-type interrupted me.
“Mr. Concannon, do you remember what happened?”
Shit. The street filming. “Um, somebody ran at me, right? Did I fall?”
“Yes.” As the doctor replied, he began checking my vital signs, shining a damn light in my eyes. “You were stabbed on your left side. That wound is minor, though no doubt painful. But your attacker knocked you over, and your head hit the sidewalk. You have a severe concussion.”
“Oh.” Stabbed. My worst fear had almost come true. Viciously I hoped Trevor felt guilty. I touched my bandages again.
“You’ve been unconscious for almost a day. We’ll keep you for observation until tomorrow, but you may get up and walk as you feel able.”
I looked around, as if Trevor or Carl might pop up out of nowhere. “I have scenes to film. Shit, I need to get to Brazil.”
The doctor gave me a regretful look. “Due to the severity of your head injury, I do not recommend plane travel for at least one week.”
The mystery cutie cleared his throat. “Carl is aware of your restrictions. Since the crew had to leave, he sent a plane for me so I could keep you company.”
I crinkled my forehead and opened my mouth, but before I could ask who the fuck the guy was, the doctor said, “I will have the nurse come in and remove your IV and catheter. Then you should walk around. You can shower, but avoid touching your stitches.”
I’d never had a catheter before. Fuck, I could feel it. Think about something else. I touched my side. “What’s up with the stab wound?”
The doctor made a dismissive gesture. “The knife was deflected by your ribs. You’ll need to avoid lifting anything heavy for a period of time.”
Under his breath, the mystery guy affected a high-pitched, pseudo-British accent. “’Tis but a scratch.”
I chuckled, which wasn’t something I ever imagined I’d do after being stabbed.
The doctor left, and the nurse came in almost immediately after, preventing me from asking the guy’s name. He walked to the door. “I’ll wait outside.” He hesitated. “I forgot to tell you. Benny the donkey sends his love. He was really worried.”
I froze. This was Josh Lowry? Why would Carl contact him when I was hurt? I shook my head, then winced. Ouch. I forced a small smile. “I’m sure Benny has better things to concern himself with.”
Josh grinned, and I stopped breathing. He was adorable. I wanted to scoop him up in a hug and squeeze him tight. When I was out of the hospital, would he let me do dirty, dirty things to him?
Oblivious to my reaction, he left the room. The nurse was businesslike and quick, which I appreciated. I hoped I never needed another catheter ever again.
Josh returned as I was getting out of bed to shower. The nurse stayed long enough to make sure I was steady on my feet. Apparently I could expect occasional dizzy spells for the next few days. Yay.
Finally I was alone with Josh.
He pointed to an open door in the corner of the room. “Bathroom’s right there.”
I stepped forward carefully, but as long as I didn’t turn my head, the pain wasn’t too bad. When I reached the bathroom, I gripped the doorframe just in case, then I looked back at Josh. “Okay, before I shower, I need you to explain.”
He picked up the laptop on the chair next to the bed and sat down. “Carl called and asked me to come stay with you since everyone else on the crew had to go to Brazil. He got my number from your phone.”
I frowned. “But why you? Were you the last person I texted or something?”
He raised an eyebrow. “Because he thought I was your boyfriend?”
“Ohhh.” I felt my face go red. “Sorry. I was laughing at one of your texts, and everyone jumped to conclusions. I didn’t correct them, because having a boyfriend gave me an excuse to avoid going out to dinner or drinks every single night.
” I held out my free hand. “I’m sorry. I should’ve told you. And you didn’t have to come.”
He shrugged and looked down at his laptop. “I wasn’t doing anything important at home, and I didn’t want you to be alone.”
“Okay, well, thanks. I appreciate it. And it’s nice to meet you in person.”
He smiled, lifting his eyes again. “Same.”
Fuck, I wished I’d known how attractive Josh was. I would’ve stepped up my flirting game and possibly made him my boyfriend for real by now.
Goal acquired.