Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 45918 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 230(@200wpm)___ 184(@250wpm)___ 153(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45918 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 230(@200wpm)___ 184(@250wpm)___ 153(@300wpm)
“I wasn’t kidding, Chrissy. You’re going to marry me.”
I’m not sure what he expects me to say, but I give him my answer, right then and there. “Okay.”
He just holds me tighter, and as he falls back to sleep, I lay my head back on his chest and let myself believe that he’s going to be okay. We’re going to be okay.
22
GABE
I throw my head back in frustration. “I want to leave.”
Chrissy giggles. “No, really? I would never have guessed that.”
She’s smiling ear to ear, and she’s been doing that since the night I survived the fire. I understand it, though, because after everything, I have a new lease on life, and I’m going to live it to the fullest.
I try not to smile at her, but it’s hard to do when she’s looking at me the way she does. “I’m serious. I want to leave.”
She rolls her eyes this time, but she’s still smiling. “Really? You threatened every doctor in the hospital, you got King in here to try and bust you out, and you tried bribing Bethany. I think I know you want to get out of here. The whole hospital knows you want out of here.” I walk over to the bed and take his hand in mine. “They’re doing the paperwork. You’re going to be able to bust out of here as soon as they finish.”
“I’ve been here for three days. It’s ridiculous.”
“Your fever spiked, and they wanted to keep you on the oxygen longer.” She picks my hand up and holds it between both of hers. “Look, you’re good now. You get to go home.”
“Not soon enough. I need inside you.”
She rolls her eyes. “Oh, that’s not happening.”
I’m sitting up before she gets the whole statement out. “Oh, it’s happening. It’s been three days, and that’s not going to work for me.”
“Gabe—” she starts, but she no sooner gets my name out than the door opens.
“Okay, we just need your signature, and you’re ready to go.” The nurse hands me the clipboard, and I start signing papers. I don’t read anything; I just want to get out of here.
The nurse gives me her spiel. “Now even though your lungs look okay, you still need to rest and not push it. The doctor signed off on you returning to light duty in two weeks, but he wants to see you in his office before then.”
I nod, handing her back the clipboard. “Okay, can I leave now?”
“Gabe.” Chrissy admonishes me and turns to the nurse. “Sorry, he’s ready to get out of here.”
“No worries, his friends were all the same way.”
Rick, Keaton, and Spence left the hospital two days ago, and besides some smoke inhalation, they’re doing well.
I refuse to ride out of the hospital in a wheelchair, so I walk out with Chrissy at my side. She puts me in her tiny car and then gets in the driver’s seat.
She pulls out of the lot and starts driving toward Whiskey Run. “Where are you taking me?”
She looks over at me and then at the road again. Her hands tighten on the steering wheel. “Where do you wanna go?”
I lean back in my seat. “I don’t care. You want to stay at my apartment or your house?”
I can hear the surprise in her voice. “You want me to stay with you?”
“Yes,” I answer simply.
She nods. “Okay, well, then my house, if that’s okay. Not that I don’t like your bachelor pad, but…”
Her voice trails off, and I have to ask to make sure she’s okay with it. “So you’re okay with this? With me staying with you?”
She reaches over and squeezes my knee. “Yeah, I want to be with you.”
I cover her hand with mine as she drives us to Whiskey Run. When she pulls into her driveway, she helps me out of the car, and I hate it. “I’m okay, honey. I got this.”
She shrugs and keeps helping. “I’m going to have King or one of the guys go by your apartment and bring you some clothes and stuff.”
We get inside, and she helps me to the bedroom. “You want to take a shower?”
I reach for her clothes. “Yeah, let’s do that.”
She pulls from my reach. “Oh no, mister. Shower and bed. No funny business.”
I reach for her again, and she lets me remove her shirt this time. She helps me by undressing herself and then helping me out of my clothes. She’s the one starting the water and waiting for it to heat up. She’s the one that helps me in and washes my body.
“I like this,” I tell her as she’s running the washcloth across my chest. She points to my hard manhood. “Yeah, I can tell you do.”
I put my hand on her shoulder. “No, I mean I like it when you touch me, but I like this… I like having you take care of me.”