Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 88736 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 444(@200wpm)___ 355(@250wpm)___ 296(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88736 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 444(@200wpm)___ 355(@250wpm)___ 296(@300wpm)
“God, so typical,” Kaylee said behind us as Cam kept moving me forward. “You’ve known her, like, two weeks, and suddenly your dad’s her best friend?”
I didn’t hear anything else because Cam was still moving me away.
“There’s a reason Curt knew it would never work with her,” he said as we turned the corner. “Even with Dylan on the way. The woman would’ve made his life a misery.”
“She’s just worried about her kid,” I replied, glancing at him.
“So are you,” he said grimly. “Haven’t seen you treatin’ anyone like shit.”
“Give me time,” I mumbled, making him grin.
Chapter 19
Curtis
“Teddy,” I called softly, shaking her shoulder carefully so I didn’t jostle Finn, who was sleeping behind her. “Baby, where’s Jesse?”
“What?” she asked, flinging herself out of the bed. Once she was on her feet, she stared blankly at the empty bed. “Oh god.”
“Don’t panic,” I said quickly, walking over to double-check the dark bathroom. “Got men in the waiting room. They couldn’t have gone far.”
“Dylan,” we both said at the same time.
Turning, I led Teddy out of the room.
“They’re being discharged in the morning,” Teddy hissed as we hurried down the hallway. “I said we could go see Dylan as soon as they were.”
“You’re surprised they didn’t wait?” I asked. I’d thought we should’ve pushed against it when the nurse said Jess had to stay in their room, but I’d deferred to Teddy. Everyone was strung tight as a wire after a week at the hospital, and I wasn’t about to start an argument and make it worse.
She scoffed as we reached Dylan’s room. Then, quietly, she opened the door.
Inside, Jess was sitting next to Dylan in bed, both of them awake and watching the muted TV.
“Busted,” Dylan said with a grin. He was looking better every day, and we thought he might be discharged with Jess the next day or the day after.
“You’re supposed to be in your own room,” Teddy chastised without any heat as she walked toward the bed. “How’re you feeling after sneaking all the way down here?”
“Not great,” Jesse mumbled carefully.
Teddy let out a short huff of laughter. “I bet.”
“Let me stay?” Jesse asked. “Ten more minutes?”
“You just had to make it one more night,” Teddy said with a sigh, walking over to drop into the chair beside the bed. “How did you even get up there?”
“Very carefully,” Dylan replied for Jesse. “But they said that getting out of their bed hurt worse.”
“Shut up,” Jesse said to Dylan, shooting him a glare.
“Did you understand that?” Dylan joked, looking at me.
My lips twitched. He was the happiest I’d seen him since he woke up.
When Dylan had come out of the sedation, he’d immediately started fighting against the tubes and wires keeping him in the bed. He’d nearly passed out from pain by the time I’d calmed him down enough to get him to listen to me.
When he’d lost consciousness, the last thing he’d seen was Jesse’s mangled face.
It had taken a while to convince him that both the kids were okay, especially since his mom was there with us and Teddy wasn’t. I wasn’t sure what had been racing through his mind during those few minutes, but I could guess.
“I’m goin’ to get back so Finn doesn’t wake up and panic,” I told Teddy. “Text me when you’re ready to head back, and I’ll come carry Jess.”
“I can walk,” Jesse protested.
“We’ll come with you,” Teddy replied, ignoring them.
“That’s bullshit,” Jesse grumped.
“How long have they been here?” Teddy asked Dylan.
Jesse glared at him.
“Half an hour, I think,” Dylan replied.
“Yep, long enough,” Teddy announced, rising from the chair. “We’ll see you in the morning, Dyl.”
“I’ll come back once I get them settled,” I told Dylan as I walked forward to pick Jesse up.
“It’s fine,” he said easily. “I’m goin’ back to sleep anyway.”
“Where were you?” Jesse asked me as I carefully lifted them from the bed.
“Lucky for you, I was in the waitin’ room talking to my uncle,” I replied as Teddy leaned over and kissed Dylan’s head. “How’d you know I wasn’t in here?”
“Didn’t,” they answered, waving weakly at Dylan. “I gambled.”
“Got lucky,” I mused as I carried them back to their room.
Finn was still asleep when we got there, and Jesse crashed almost the same moment their head hit the pillow.
“We should’ve known they’d do it at some point,” Teddy said ruefully, looking down at them.
“I’m surprised it took this long.”
“Me too,” she said, leaning her elbow on the arm of the chair so she could rest her chin on her hand. “God, I’m sick of the hospital.”
“Same.” I walked over and leaned down to give her a chaste peck on the lips. “Not much longer, and then we’ll be home.”
“Is it wrong that I’m not looking forward to that either?” she asked quietly.
“Nope. But we gotta go back at some point.”