He frowned. “Friends?”
“Just friends,” she clarified and thought she saw his expression soften slightly. “But his daughter is at home, and he wants to see her. Can you please help?”
“You understand there’s a discharge process?”
She nodded. “I’m also guessing that you can fast-track it.”
“If I choose to,” he agreed.
“Well then...”
“Let’s go see how the patient is doing, and I’ll make my decision.”
They walked down the hall together and entered the room, only to find Gray in a standoff with one of the nurses.
“Dr. Jepsen,” she said, throwing out her arms. “Please tell this patient to stop being a stubborn pain in my butt.”
Gray rolled his eyes. “I can’t understand it when you use that complicated medical jargon, Julie.”
“I take it the two of you know each other,” the doctor said, folding his arms across his chest.
“We dated in high school,” Gray muttered.
“He was smarter back then,” the nurse added, earning a laugh from the doctor.
Something that felt strangely like jealousy slithered along Avery’s spine. Stupid of her. Clearly Gray and the spunky nurse were only friends now, even if they’d once been close.
“I need to go home,” Gray announced to the room in general.
“Understood.” Brodie moved forward. “Avery is quite the advocate for you.”
Gray’s gaze moved to her as if the words the doctor spoke didn’t make sense.
“Are you his ride?” Julie asked. “Or should I call—”
“I can take him.”
Brodie turned to face her. “But you’re just friends?”
“Yes,” she agreed slowly, glancing up at Gray when he made a noise low in his throat.
What was that about?
The doctor nodded. “Julie will check your vitals one more time, Gray. If everything’s good, she’ll go over the discharge instructions. But only if you promise that you’ll call or come in if anything changes. I have an inhaler prescribed but you were lucky your injuries were superficial given the nature of the fall. We’ll have you out of here as soon as possible.”
“Now would be even better.” Gray ran a hand through his hair. “I always read Violet her bedtime story. She sleeps better with a routine.”
Avery pressed two fingers to her chest. There went that melting sensation again.
“What time does she go to bed?” Julie asked gently.
“Eight,” Gray answered.
The nurse put a hand on his shoulder. “You’ll make it.”
“Thanks, Juls.”
And the melting abruptly stopped.
“Have you lived in Magnolia all your life?” Brodie asked Avery as Julie spoke to Gray.
Avery choked back a laugh. Was it possible she’d met the one person in this town who didn’t know her history? “I’m new,” she said. “I’m only here for a few weeks visiting family.”
“Got it.” He leaned in. “Any chance you’d like to have dinner while you’re in town?”
“Doc, do I schedule my follow-up with you?” Gray called from the other side of the room.
“You can see your regular doctor for that,” Brodie answered without taking his eyes from Avery. “There’s a great little Italian place out near the beach.”
“What if I don’t have a regular doctor?”
“I’ll refer you,” Brodie said, his voice tight.
Avery shot Gray a glare over the doctor’s shoulder, then lifted her gaze to Brodie’s. “Thank you, but it’s not a good time right now. My life is a bit on overload.” Not to mention, she couldn’t imagine being with anyone but Gray.
“If you change your mind, you know where to find me.”
As promised, the discharge process went quickly. On the way out of the hospital, Avery called Carrie to explain the situation. There wasn’t anything she expected of her sister at this point. She’d already talked to Meredith earlier to ask for help with Spot. But somehow Carrie’s gentle voice soothed her. She retrieved her car from the parking lot and pulled up to the main entrance. Julie helped Gray out of the wheelchair and he tried to hide his wince as he coughed.
Avery adjusted the vents when she climbed back in so they blew in his direction.
“I’m fine,” he mumbled.
“You look like death warmed over.” His skin was pasty and wan, lines of pain bracketed the corners of his mouth. “Did they give you a prescription for pain meds in addition to the inhaler?”
“Yes, but I won’t take them.” He gave a sharp shake of his head as she pulled out. “I need to be lucid for Violet.”
“Gray, come on. You were in a serious accident. There are people who can help while you’re recovering. You don’t need to do this alone.”
“What people? I’m not calling Stacy. She’ll find a way to use this against me, and we’re already fighting enough.”
“Your mom,” Avery suggested, hating the desperation in his tone. She didn’t want to see him like this. “Your friends.”
“Yeah,” he whispered. “But I don’t need anyone.”
“You don’t want to need anyone,” she corrected. “There’s a difference.”
He grunted a response, then closed his eyes. They drove the rest of the way to his house in silence. The hospital was on the other side of town, but it was still less than twenty minutes until she pulled into his driveway.
Before she’d even gotten around to open the passenger door, Violet came flying from the house. She was dressed in a blue polka-dot nightgown, her long hair loose.
“Daddy!” she yelled as she ran toward the car.
Avery tried not to gape as she glanced at Gray. The sure and steady father she’d come to know had replaced the exhausted man from the car ride. He grinned at his daughter, holding out his arms but remaining in the front seat. Avery understood the pain hadn’t subsided but admired him all the more for the brave face he put on for Violet.
“Are you okay?” the girl asked as she nestled into him. She placed a small hand on the bandage that covered his forehead, much as Avery had done in the hospital. “Gram said you breathed in all the smoke.”
“Just a little.” He wrapped an arm around her, and Avery could imagine what it took for him to handle this moment with such composure. “You can make me a get-well card.”
“With a purple marker,” she told him.
“My favorite color.”
Avery smiled at that, then startled when a throat cleared behind her.
“I’m fine, Mom.” Gray lifted his gaze as Lila Atwell stepped forward.
“You always are,” Lila said. She placed a firm hand on Avery’s arm. “Thank you for staying with him. I can manage it from here.”
Slap down, Avery thought. She’d been coming home from a walk with Spot when Gray’s mother had arrived with Violet. The girl had immediately tumbled out of the car to greet Spot. She’d announced to Avery that her daddy had gotten hurt and Avery hadn’t given a second thought to offering her help.
It had been obvious then that Lila didn’t want to accept. She’d looked Avery up and down as if she were three-day-old fish. But if the past few weeks had taught Avery one thing, it was that she could continue functioning in the face of any level of judgment.
Which was why she smiled and nodded as if in agreement even as she moved around Lila.
“Your daddy is going to be moving slowly for a bit,” she told Violet. “I bet it would help if you held his hand on the way to the house.”
Lila sniffed. “I can handle things. This doesn’t concern you.”
Avery froze. She’d become more immune to censure, but not entirely oblivious to rejection.
“Mom.” Irritation laced Gray’s tone.
“So you managed to rescue my sister,” a voice called into the awkward silence. “But not yourself?”
Avery drew in a shaky breath as Meredith and Carrie emerged from the carriage house. She never would have imagined taking comfort at the sight of two virtual strangers, but somehow her half sisters no longer felt that way to her.
Gray chuckled. “How many women does it take to get one gimpy man from a car to the house?”
“We don’t need help,” his mother insisted.
If they heard the protest, Carrie and Meredith ignored it. They simply joined the group, and their presence gave Avery the confidence she needed to take control again.
She instructed Meredith to get the folder with the discharge papers and prescriptions from the back seat while she helped Gray out of the front seat. Carrie stood a few feet away, ready if he needed additional help, and Violet took his hand. Avery avoided eye contact with his mother, gratified when he whispered “Thank you” against her ear as she supported him.
They were almost to the house when his mother spoke behind them. “If you don’t need me, I suppose I should go home. I need to get dinner started and let out the dogs.”
Avery saw Gray’s shoulders stiffen. He’d been through enough today without having to deal with attitude from anyone, even his mom. She didn’t understand Lila’s animosity. As he eased himself away from her, Carrie reached out and squeezed her arm, another bit of unexpected comfort.
“I appreciate you coming over.” He walked slowly toward his mother. “I’m going to be fine.”
Lila stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him. Emotion pulled at Avery’s heart. As much as Gray was a grown man, he was still this woman’s son and his job wouldn’t stop being dangerous.
“Your injuries will heal,” Lila said, cupping his face in her delicate hands. “I’m worried about the rest of you.”
“Thanks, Mom. I’ll call you later,” he said, then looked over his shoulder. “Vi, give your gram a hug goodbye.”
“Bye, Gram.” The girl hugged her grandma as instructed.
He moved slowly toward the house as his mother walked down the driveway, nodding at Carrie and offering Meredith a friendly wave but not looking back toward Avery. What had she done to earn this woman’s ire?
“Come on,” Violet urged, grabbing her hand. “Daddy’s gonna need you.”
Oh, no, Avery wanted to protest. He wouldn’t need her. Suddenly, she wanted to call back his mother.
“We should go, too,” Carrie said. “I’ll pick up the prescriptions and drop it back off.”
“I can’t do this,” Avery whispered urgently.
Meredith sniffed. “Seriously, how many women does it take to deal with one injured man?”
“I need you,” Avery blurted. It was one thing to have stayed with him at the hospital but this moment felt more intimate than she was prepared to handle on her own. She felt color rush to her cheeks. “I mean—”
“We’ll stay,” Carrie said, and even Meredith nodded without hesitation.
Violet’s hand felt soft in hers, but also steady. For a woman who had sworn off getting involved with anyone, Avery found herself entangled in these people’s lives in a way she couldn’t have imagined.
Gray paused at the back door, looking over his shoulder. His gaze found hers. He looked exhausted, in pain and vaguely unsure of what to do next.
“Violet, will you open the door for your daddy?” She turned to her sisters. “Thank you.”
“You’re not alone,” Carrie told her, and they walked toward the back of the house together.
* * *
GRAY GRITTED HIS teeth against the pain in his chest hours later. He’d heard Avery send her sisters to the pharmacy to pick up his prescriptions, and the inhaler and orange pill bottle sat on the coffee table, mocking him. He’d taken a dose of over-the-counter pain medicine when he’d first arrived home and had no intention of adding narcotics to the mix, no matter how much he hurt.
He hurt like hell.
“Do you need anything?”
He glanced over to find Avery on the chair across from him, concern shining in her blue eyes. The evening had been surreal, with the three Reed sisters fussing over him like a trio of hens.
He should feel guilty for sending away his own mother but couldn’t manage it. She’d made her disapproval for his work clear from the moment he’d joined the fire department. He could only imagine how this day would spur her on.
Violet had clearly loved having the three older women in the house. While he’d sat on the sofa trying to ignore the burning each time he drew in a breath, they’d painted his daughter’s nails, given her a facial and then baked a batch of chocolate-chip cookies with ingredients he hadn’t even known were in his cupboards.
After a dinner of delivery pizza, Carrie and Meredith had left. At some point, Avery’s chubby dog had joined the party, and Gray had snuck the animal a bite of crust, earning an amused scolding from Avery.
He should have given Avery permission to leave, as well. She’d already done way too much to help him. More than he imagined she wanted to in any case. But he liked having her close.
Tomorrow he’d blame the injury for his weakness. Right now, he simply sighed with relief at not being alone.
“Where’s Violet?” he asked, surprised to see the sky beyond the windows had turned dark.
“She went to bed about forty-five minutes ago. I took care of it because it seemed more important that you sleep.”
He shook his head. “Nothing is more important than her.”
“Yes,” she agreed, her tone soft. “But you’ll do her more good recovered than if you push things. Most people with your injuries would still be in the hospital.”
“I’m—”
“Fine,” she interrupted. “I know.” She stood and moved around the coffee table, plucking up the pill bottle as she did. “Can I get you a glass of water to take one?”
“I told you I’m not taking drugs. The pain is temporary.”
“Stubborn,” she muttered as she lowered herself next to him on the sofa but returned the pain meds to the coffee table. “It hurts like hell, right?”
“Only when I breathe.”
“Can I do anything?” She reached out and traced her fingers over his furrowed brow. The touch was cool and soft and immediately he relaxed.
“That works,” he told her.
“Were you scared?” She continued to run her fingers across his skin, and it was like he’d been given a dose of the best pain meds known to man. The pressure inside his chest unfurled. He concentrated on the pleasure of her fingers on him, trying not to embarrass himself by moaning out loud.
“The floor collapse happened too fast,” he said honestly. “But in the moments after, before I lost consciousness, I was terrified. Not for myself but for Violet. I’d never purposely do anything to cause her pain.”
“She’s okay,” Avery promised. “You’re here and that’s what counts. Kids are more resilient than we think.”
“I’m not sure if that’s true or if I’m just giving her fodder for the therapist’s couch when she gets older.”
“Trust me.” Avery laughed. “She’ll be okay. She’s tough. Probably gets that from you.”
“Thank you for being here today.”
Her fingers stilled and he wished he hadn’t spoken. More than anything, he didn’t want her to stop touching him right now.
“Why did you send your mother away?”
Slight adjustment to his previous thought. More than anything, he didn’t want to think about his mom.
“If I tell you, will you keep up with...” He lifted his arm and twirled a finger around his head. “All this.”
She smoothed his hair from his forehead, and he sighed. “Things are complicated with my mom. My dad was a policeman. He died on the job.”
“I’m sorry, Gray.”
“I barely remember him. Chase is four years older so it was harder on him. Hell for my mom. We were living in Philadelphia at the time because she wanted out of the South. But she moved back to be near family and raised my brother and me on her own. It wasn’t easy. We weren’t easy. But she loved us and did her best. What she wanted most was for us to be safe. We were two energetic boys, and we pushed the limits all the time. Chase ended up becoming a corporate attorney. That made her happy. Nothing bad happens to lawyers on the job. Firefighters are another story.”
“Bad things happen to lots of people, unfortunately.” Avery traced a finger over the rim of his ear, sending a waterfall of sensation through his body. “Your job might have more inherent risk, but that’s no guarantee.”
“She doesn’t approve of the risks I take.” He wrapped his hand around her wrist, then laced his fingers with hers. As much as he enjoyed the way she was touching him, too much more of that and he’d end up making a fool of himself. “She also didn’t like Stacy so I’m sure the thought of my being hurt and Stacy getting custody of Violet kills her. Hell, it kills me.”
“Nothing is going to happen to you.” Her brow furrowed as she studied him. “Did your mom have some involvement with Niall?”
He shook his head. “Not as far as I know.”
“She looked at me like I was the enemy.”
“You remind her of Stacy,” he said, almost reluctantly.
He could tell by the way she tried to tug away her hand that the observation upset her. He didn’t release her.
“Clearly a mark against me,” she said with a bland smile.
“Also not true,” he added.
“I saw her the other day when she dropped off Violet. I was watching out the window of the carriage house. Your ex-wife looks like someone I would have been friends with back in my old life.”
“And now?”
Her full mouth thinned. “I’m not that person, or at least I don’t want to be. I didn’t even realize how much I’d grown to not like myself until I got here.”
“I like you.”
“You shouldn’t.”
The Magnolia Sisters Page 16
