We talked, and talked. Every now and then he would catch the game out of the corner of his eye and shout out what the player should have done, what he should do, or encouragement to start a fight. We talked about food, and movies, and favorite vacation destination. Everything except why I didn’t date hockey players. He made me laugh.
He stood from the lounge chair, grabbed a blanket from the closet and covered me with it.
My eyelids got heavy. I blinked. I rested them a second longer every time. Talk. Lower my lids. Blink. His voice lulled me. Like a calming summer wind, he whispered, “You’re safe, Elizabeth.” Soon, I was asleep.
Chapter 6
“Elizabeth.” Warm breathtickled my ear. “Elizabeth, you need to wake up.” A gentle hand pushed back my hair, stroking my forehead.
“Mmmmmm, stay.” I wrapped my arms around the large body hovering over me. “Don’t leave.” I buried my face in his neck and inhaled the salty, manly smell of him.
He chuckled and tried to pull my arms from him. “As much as I would love for you to stay, you need to go home.”
I opened my eyes. I blinked a few times, looked around and then up into smiling golden eyes. The sterility of the room momentarily confused me. “What?”
He whispered, “Curtis just came in. I don’t want people to see you here in the morning.”
“Curtis?” The fog in my brain cleared. “Curtis!” I sat straight up and collided with Brett’s forehead. Putting my palm to my head, I closed my eyes and fell back to the pillow. I groaned. “Oh! That hurt.”
He groaned. “You have a very hard head.”
I glared at him.
“He was very discreet.”
I whispered in frustration, “Why did you let me fall asleep?”
“Why did I letyoufall asleep? Why did you letmefall asleep? I’m the one with the concussion. You’re the doctor. You’re supposed to make sure I don’t die in my sleep.” He was grinning like a Cheshire cat.
I pushed at him. “Get up. Let me up.”
He leaned back, allowing me to swing my legs around and climb out of the hospital bed.
“You were so much sweeter last night.” He winked at me.
I hunted for my shoes. “What time is it?”
“Almost 5 a.m. Curtis was doing his rounds before shift change.”
I tossed pillows and whipped the bedsheets around, searching for my coat.
“In the closet,” he said.
The closet door squeaked when I opened it. I grabbed my coat and shoved one arm in.
“He likes me for you,” he added.
I paused, mid sleeve entry. “He does? Did he say that?”
Brett pulled his feet up onto the bed, crossed his ankles, raised the back of the bed and reclined against the pillows. The pillows I had just been sleeping on. “Yep.”
I finished putting my coat on. “You lie.” I said flatly.
He sat up and laughed. “I do not. Ask him.”
“I will not. I need to go.” I started for the door.
Quietly, he said, “Curtis said you were lonely, that you needed someone to make you smile. That I’m the only patient you’ve ever come back to check on. That you must like me.”