The sooner I could get to my home office and research the details of the GreenSphere offer, the better I’d feel. Lena promised me some information Jeremy found, once I was ready.
I was fucking ready.
It wasn’t until the nurse was done entering information into her tablet that her gaze met mine and a smile came to her lips. “Sorry to bother you. Time to take your blood pressure,” she whispered as she removed the cuff from the holder on the wall and placed it around my arm.
As she pumped up the cuff, I tilted my head toward the chair and spoke in a hushed tone. “My fiancée is still asleep.”
Placing the stethoscope in her ears, the nurse nodded. Once she was done, she whispered, “I hear that hotels have better accommodations with less interruptions.”
“I’ve mentioned it to her.”
“Your blood pressure is good. You’ve been seventy-two hours fever free.” She smiled. “You should be sprung from this place soon.”
It was the best news I’d heard in days.
“Can you assure me of that?”
“No. I saw where your doctors are scheduled to check on you today. The final word will come after they convene.”
“I’m ready to leave.”
“My fingers are crossed,” she said as she walked away.
As the door shut, Julia stretched. Her eyes opened as they came my way. “I heard that.”
“Home.”
Righting the chair, Julia stood, wrapping the blanket around her. “Home.” The one word came in a melody from her lips.
I moved to the far side of the single bed, giving her space. “Lie with me.”
She lowered the bedrail.
While we’d wanted to do this days ago, I had been connected to too many things. Each day a monitor or a bag of fluids was eliminated. No longer was I attached to anything and even without the earlier pain killers, the pain had decreased. That wasn’t to imply that I didn’t have pain. It was that no longer was I in agony.
The physical therapist explained that despite the bullet being low caliber, it tore muscle as well as the more dangerous injury to my intestine. The surgeon did what she could, but time was the true healer. If I was willing to give the tissues time, they would mend.
Julia and I had walked the hallways of this floor as Michael or one of the other people from his old company watched over us. The walker was now replaced with a cane. If I had my way, that too would be gone.
“Are you sure?” Julia asked, standing at the bedside. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
I patted the mattress. “Having you beside me isn’t painful.”
Gingerly, Julia pulled back the blankets and eased herself beside me. I longed to turn on my side and pull her body against mine. That wasn’t yet possible. Once we were both covered again, she settled with her head next to mine, our noses nearly touching when I turned.
“Remember that satisfied sex life I promised you?” I asked.
“Van, it’s okay.”
I ran my palm over her shoulder and down her arm until my hands stopped on her hips. “It’s not okay.” My cock twitched, letting me know that it still worked. When my body was ready, so was it. I grinned. “I’m still amazed you haven’t left.”
“You had a life before we met. I had one too. Why would my learning your past make me run?”
Yes, I’d told Julia most of my secrets when it came to Lena, Madison, and Phillip. It was when I’d added Logan Butler to the story that Julia remembered her connection. Her recollections were fuzzy; after all, Julia had been quite young when Lena and Logan dated. I didn’t hold back about the man she had called uncle for all her life.
I’d also promised to introduce her and Lena.
There was still one subject I had yet to broach.