Chapter 10 #3
My friend raised a brow. “I think there’s a little more paperwork than that, but sure.
We’ll take what we can get. And I know you’re not literally throwing money at the situation.
You’ve always been here to lend a hand when you’re in town.
So let’s go over what’s going to happen next with Will, and then you and Elizabeth can take it from there.
I have more patients to see, and while this has been a lovely break, I want to go home to my kids. ”
“You’re a good man, Kellan. I’m sorry I’ve been gone so long.”
My friend moved forward, shaking his head before he squeezed my shoulder with his rough hand.
“We all need to leave town every once in a while. To find our path. I left for medical school, and now I’m back, forcing my kids to live in a small town they don’t understand.
But here we are, trying to live. If you and Elizabeth are the real deal, I’m happy for it.
You both deserve it. As for that kid in there?
He deserves a family. He had one, and Fate decided to be the bitch that she is.
So if you want to take that on, whatever that means, I’ll do what I can to help. ”
Tears pricked the back of my eyes, and I had to wonder where the hell they came from.
“I kind of want to kiss you right now,” I said, trying to lighten the atmosphere.
“Am I interrupting?” Elizabeth asked, laughter in her tone. I turned, and though her eyes were full of pain, she smiled.
“Hey.”
“I was wondering where you guys were off to. The nurse came in and gave Will some meds. He has to stay overnight, right?”
Kellan dropped his hand and nodded. “Yes, and our night team will take care of him. It’s a good team, you two. You don’t have to worry.”
“I’m going to worry. It’s what I do.”
“He can come home tomorrow, right?” I asked.
“Yes, he’ll be discharged tomorrow. As for home, well, that’s something you both are going to have to talk to Will about.”
And with that, Kellan left, kissing Lizzie on the top of the head. She smiled up at him, and once again, I let that jealous monster roar just slightly. I couldn’t help it.
“Will isn’t exactly sleeping because he has to be woken up every two hours thanks to the concussion, and he’s having trouble getting comfortable. I thought maybe I could go get him food that tastes like real food. From the diner, maybe.”
I moved forward and cupped her face, kissing her softly. “How about this? I’ll go pick up the food we put in the fridge, and we can heat it up here.”
She looked around the small room dubiously. “Would it be safe?”
“I might have to buy an extra microwave to make that happen, but let’s do that. Give the kid some hearty soup, and I’ll bring you whatever you need. And then tomorrow, we can bring him back to my place.”
A place I wanted to be our place, but I didn’t say that.
Her eyes widened. “Atlas.”
“As much as it would be amazing for you to give him a place to stay, you’re a teacher, and this town will get weird. I know it’s not how it sounds, but you know this town.”
She winced. “That is true.”
“It’ll get weird anyway, if I bring him in, but I’m not taking no for an answer, and Will is no longer couch-surfing with idiots. I have space, and he can recover there. And then we’ll figure out what the fuck to do after that.”
Tears slid down her cheeks, and I cursed. “Baby.”
“I sometimes forget, you know.”
“Forget what?”
“How amazing you are.”
“That should be something you should always know,” I teased. Although with the way that Thatcher had reacted, it didn’t seem I was too amazing in everybody’s eyes.
“I’ll figure out how to feed you guys, because I know you’re not leaving his side, and then we’ll take this step by step.”
“Not exactly how I thought our night would go.”
I ran my hand along her cheekbone, images of exactly how our night had begun flashing through my mind. “I have no regrets.”
She sighed, hooking her fingers in my belt loops again. “I don’t either. And that scares me.”
I kissed her temple and then stepped away, knowing that we needed to get going if we were going to get the kid fed before midnight. “I’ll talk to my parents too. We’ll formulate a plan. Mom and Dad are great with plans.”
She grinned then and nodded. “That is right. Your parents are fantastic.” Her eyes widened. “Are we telling them…”
“I don’t think we need to give them details,” I said with a laugh. “But I’m not hiding this.”
“And what is this?” She held up her hand.
“Not the time for that conversation.”
“Okay, we’re not hiding it, and I don’t think we can because I sort of blurted it out in the waiting room.”
I laughed. “Yeah, you did.”
“Okay, no hiding, but well, I’ll deal with that later. Will matters first.”
I nodded tightly, then kissed her other temple. “Yes. Will first. And I’ll be back, okay? I promise. I’ll come back.”
And although I was just going to get soup and a few things that they might need, I knew those words. I hoped she understood the meaning behind those words. And when the sadness touched her gaze, I knew she did.
But it didn’t matter. Because I was going to prove to her that we could make this work.
Even if I had no idea how to make that happen.