“Or, you could say ‘Thank you.’”
“Thank you,” I gritted out.
Joe peeked his head in. “I couldn’t help but overhear. You two are like a soap opera.” Hayes glared at Joe, but he simply ignored it and handed me a bag. “Had this filled at the pharmacy for you. Take care of yourself, doll.”
“I’ll try. Thanks for holding my hand.”
“Anything for you,” he said with a wink and bustled out. Hayes’ glare intensified.
Dr. Balicanta cleared her throat, but it sounded more like she was trying to cover a laugh. “Well, now that that’s settled, all I need is for you to sign these discharge papers while I give you a dose of these meds through the IV.”
I signed while Dr. Balicanta gave me the drugs. After a couple of minutes, she took out my IV, giving me another of her kind smiles. “Take care of yourself and come back if you have any concerns.”
“Thanks again. For everything.”
She patted my leg through the blanket. “Thanks for being a trooper.”
The drugs were already making their way through my system, and I started to feel as if I were floating just a bit. Hayes moved to my side. “Think you can sit up?”
“I might need a little help there.”
“I got ya.” He moved smoothly and gently, one hand going behind my shoulders and the other taking my hand. He guided me to a sitting position. “Think you need a wheelchair?”
“No. Maybe just an arm to lean on.”
Hayes’ gaze met mine. “I won’t let you fall.”
“Okay.” The single word came out as a whisper, and I forced myself to look away.
We moved slowly through the halls and then out into the night. That first hit of mountain air soothed my fraying nerves—a balm to all the pieces that felt just a bit ragged at the moment. As I stepped off the curb, my entire body twinged.
“What is it? Is something wrong? Should we go back?”
The panic in Hayes’ voice had the corners of my mouth tipping up. For a man who dealt with emergencies every day at his job, it was amusing to see one little grimace send him running. “Nothing a few soaks in the hot springs won’t cure.”
He stayed still for a few more moments, studying my face as if to assess if I was being honest with him. “More than just your head hurting?”
“I landed pretty hard on my side. I’ll be tender for a week or so.”
“Shit. I’m so sorry this happened.”
“Me, to
o.” I started moving towards the parking lot, scanning the vehicles for that familiar Sheriff’s SUV. “Did you find anything?”
Hayes took my arm again. “This way. And not much. We’ve still got officers looking, and we got a bit of a description from the couple who came along, but it was dark, and he was wearing a hat. All we’ve got is a better idea of height and build.”
“Better than nothing, I guess.”
He beeped the locks on his SUV and opened the passenger door. “We won’t stop searching.”
“I know you won’t.” I looked at the seat I needed to climb into. “This might be tricky.”
“Trust me?”
I turned back to face Hayes. That question held so much more than this moment. It held baggage and forgiveness and a million other things. I searched his face, looking for all the answers I needed in those dark eyes. I didn’t see all of them, but I saw enough. “Yes.”
He moved in, swift and smooth. One arm went under my legs, and the other behind my back. He lifted me as if I weighed no more than a sack of flour and deposited me carefully in the seat.