Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 77999 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77999 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
“Fine. Tell it.” I gave him a look, and he quickly added, “I won’t interrupt again. You have my word.”
“I had the surgery, and everything seemed to go well. I went home later that afternoon, and I was doing pretty well. I ate my popsicles and ate my ice cream, and the first day or so was hard but manageable. But on the third day, things took a turn. I started to feel bad and ran a low-grade fever.”
I had to give it to him.
Weston kept true to his word and didn’t interrupt me—not even once.
He just lay there staring at me with this concerned look.
“The doctors said it was expected, especially at my age. Apparently, it gets harder the older you are. Anyway, Mom gave me some Tylenol, and we thought all would be better by the following day. It wasn’t. My fever got up to 106, and I started to get really sick.”
“Was it an infection or what?”
“We weren’t sure. We went rushing back to the hospital, and they ran a bunch of tests. Eventually, they figured out that I had gotten a staph infection. And since we’d waited, it was bad. I spent three weeks, maybe four, in the hospital. I couldn’t eat. I couldn’t talk. I could barely even move. I lost a ton of weight and was really weak. I had to do rehab just to be able to get around again.”
“Damn.”
“It’s nothing compared to what you’re going through, but I do kind of get it.” I motioned my head towards the monitors. “The constant noise. The nurses coming in and out. People poking and prodding you. Zero privacy. It all starts to get to you.”
“Don’t forget all the unwanted guests.”
His comment stung. So much so that I removed the towel from his neck and took a step back. I could feel the tears threatening to fall, so I quickly turned and started back to the bathroom. I hadn’t gotten far when Wes called out to me, “Hey, now. I didn’t mean it like that. I mean, I did, but I wasn’t talking about you.”
“It’s fine. I get it.” I tossed the wet towel in the sink as I told him, “I need to get going anyway. I still need to find a hotel.”
“You’re staying?”
“Afraid so.”
“How long?”
“I don’t know. A few days. Maybe more.”
“That’s really not necessary. I’m...”
“I’m staying, Weston.”
“So, what are you going to do about finding a place?”
“I don’t know. I thought I’d ride around a bit and see what I could find that’s close by.”
“It’s dark out.”
“Yeah, and?”
“It isn’t safe.”
“I’ll manage.”
“You’re not just going to drive around and look for a damn hotel. It’s too fucking dangerous for that shit.”
“Look at you acting like you actually care.”
“Don’t start with that shit. You know...”
“Okay, fine! I’ll call around and see what I can find.”
“Just stay at my place.”
“What?”
“Don’t make a big deal of it,” he pressed. “Just stay at my place. It’s not far from here, and I’ll know you’ll be safe.”
“It’s nice that you’re so concerned with my safety and all, but I’ll be fine at a hotel.”
“This isn’t up for discussion, Antonia. If you’re staying, then you’re staying at my place. Period.”
“Okay, fine. Whatever you say.”
“My keys are in the closet on the top shelf. Grab ‘em, and I’ll get ya the house key.”
I nodded, then stepped over to the closet and grabbed the keys. I handed them to Weston and waited patiently as he removed the house key from the ring. As he handed it to me, I told him, “I’ll need the address.”
“I’ll text it to you.”
“Okay.” I stepped over to the chair and grabbed my purse before saying, “I’ll be back sometime tomorrow.”
“I’ll be here.”
I held his gaze for a moment, then smiled and walked out of the room. I’d barely stepped through the door when I spotted Preacher standing in the hall. He motioned me over, and I couldn’t miss the sound of hope in his voice as he asked, “How’s he doing?”
“It’s hard to say, but I think he’s a little better.” I shrugged. “He went to therapy, and she said he did really well.”
“That’s good. Really good.” He sighed with relief. “So, what about tomorrow? You planning to come back?”
“That’s the plan. I have a few calls to make for work, but I’ll head over right after.”
“Sounds good. And what about tonight? Do you have a place to stay?”
“Wes gave me the keys to his place, so I guess I’ll be staying there for the next few days.”
A smirk slipped across his lips as he replied, “I see.”
“It’s nothing. It’s just a place to stay while I’m here.”
“Okay. If you say so.” He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a card, then offered it to me. “Here’s my number. Call me if you need anything, and I mean anything.”