Total pages in book: 136
Estimated words: 135847 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 679(@200wpm)___ 543(@250wpm)___ 453(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 135847 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 679(@200wpm)___ 543(@250wpm)___ 453(@300wpm)
He put his hands where Hudson’s were and warned low, “You need to be away from me.”
“Understood,” Hudson grunted, then he disappeared.
“I’m okay,” I told him.
He lifted the paper towel on my arm to look at my cut.
“She had a knife,” I explained.
He looked at me.
At his enraged expression, I decided to shut up.
I then watched him close his eyes, so tightly, they were scrunched, lines emanating out the sides, his forehead creasing.
The way he did that, the agony behind it, I decided not to stay quiet.
“I’m fine. They caught her. She’s next door.”
He opened his eyes. “Okay, baby. Shh. Just relax.”
The door opened, I looked that way and Tom was there.
He was at Hale’s side in a flash (he had long legs too). Only then did I notice a hotel staff member was with him. She stared at me with wide eyes.
“You need to let me take over,” Tom said to Hale.
Hale didn’t move.
Tom took the first aid kit the woman was carrying and ordered, “Hale, son, I need you to let me see to Elsa.”
Oh.
Right.
I forgot.
Tom wasn’t only a retired tennis star, he was a doctor.
No underachievers in this crowd.
Hale moved.
Tom carefully removed the towels and inspected my cuts.
“Deep, not too deep, nothing vital hit.” He looked at me and gave me a reassuring doctor smile. “You’ll need to be stitched up, but it’s not too bad. I’m going to bind them now and we’ll get you to a hospital to have them taken care of.”
I nodded.
“You feeling light-headed? Nauseous?” he asked.
“Just shaky,” I told him.
“Good girl. You’ll be all right. Hang in there. Let’s get you sorted,” Tom replied.
Tom got to work.
Hale watched him for a few beats with an expression on his face I got, because his girlfriend was sitting by the basin in a men’s room, blood all over her gown, and he looked livid.
He looked something else too.
I got that something else, but I also didn’t.
It was terror-stricken.
“Hale, honey, I’m okay,” I repeated.
Tom turned his head to Hale, Hale flicked his gaze to mine.
Then he turned on his foot and stalked out.
My phone was ringing.
I opened my eyes, rolled in bed and saw Hale wasn’t beside me.
I also felt a ping of pain in my hand and arm.
I reached to my nightstand to see the call was from Dad.
He and Mom had shown at the emergency room last night. Hale had called Dad. Dad had called Mom.
It was unnecessary, to my way of thinking. But not theirs. They hung with me and rode with us back to Hale’s when the hospital released me.
Twenty-eight stitches in my hand, seventeen on my arm.
She really got my hand, from webbing all the way across to the apple.
I didn’t know when or even if my parents left, since the hospital gave me painkillers, Hale made me take them, and the last thing I remembered was lounging on the couch, tucked tight to Hale, while he talked to Mom and Dad.
Clearly, he’d carried me to bed.
But where was he?
I took the call, “Hey, Dad.”
“How’s my beautiful girl this morning?”
“I’m good.”
“Did I wake you?”
“Sorry, little groggy,” I amended my earlier answer. “But good.”
“Oh, honey. Sorry I woke you. I just wanted to check in. See if you were okay with your mom and I coming over this afternoon. A little visit. See how you’re doing.”
In other words, even though Hale had plenty of guestrooms in his place, they left.
I looked to Hale’s bedside device, unsurprisingly a smart home unit designed by Corza.
It was nearly nine thirty.
“I think that’ll be okay, but I need to ask Hale. Can I call you back?”
“Of course. But you’re good?”
“I’m fine, Dad. Honest. I’ll call soon.”
“Okay, shayna punim. Love you.”
“Love you too.”
We hung up, and I threw the covers aside and got out of bed.
Since she got my right hand, bathroom business wasn’t easy. But I managed it and washing my hand and brushing my teeth, though flossing would have to take a break. I had a Waterpik, but I’d do that later. And I wasn’t sure how I was going to wash my face, which needed it, since I still had my makeup on from the night before. I left that too.
I was keen to find Hale.
When we’d gotten home, Mom had helped me out of my bloody gown, cleaned me up and put me in a lounge outfit.
Somewhere along the line, Hale had put me in a nightgown.
I found my robe, shrugged it on, then walked out of his room to the stairs.
The baby gate was open at the top, closed at the bottom.
That meant the cats were downstairs with Hale.
I saw Hale on the couch with coffee, Frosty and his laptop.
His eyes came to me as I started down the stairs.
He put the laptop aside, got up, and Frosty jumped down to come say hi to me.