by J. Sterling
“You’re right. They are.” She smiled at him before looking back at me. “I need to know what happened,” she whispered, and I nodded.
“Not here.” I nodded toward Matson, and she understood.
The hospital doors slid open, and a bunch of people walked in all at once. It took me a minute before I realized that it was my brothers, their girlfriends, and Grant.
“Ryan!” Nick called out as I pushed up from the chair and hugged my younger brother. “Are you okay?” he asked, and I nodded.
Frank grabbed me next, pulling me into a tight hug. “I’m glad you’re okay.”
“Who’s watching the bar?” I asked, suddenly realizing that if they were all here, then no one was there.
“I closed it,” Frank said, and when I asked him how, Nick laughed.
“He went old school. Just wrote a note and taped it on the door. It probably blew off the second you walked away.”
Frank shrugged. “I don’t care.”
“Glad you’re okay.” Grant stepped forward and patted me on the back. “Is our angel all right?”
“They said she would be, but we haven’t heard anything yet.”
A look passed between us, and I knew exactly what he was thinking. The last time we were in a hospital together, it was for him. Who would have thought we’d be back so soon, and for Sofia this time?
“Oh my gosh, is this Matson? Are you Matson?”
Claudia bypassed me and headed straight for the cutest boy in the room. He clung shyly to his grandmother for only a second before putting out his hand for her to shake.
She took it and said, “I’m Claudia. I’m, um . . . Frank’s girlfriend.”
“Who’s Frank?” Matson asked, and we all laughed.
“Frank is Ryan’s brother,” Claudia said as Jess walked over.
“Hi, Matson. I’m Jess. I’m Nick’s girlfriend.”
Matson’s face scrunched up. “Who’s Nick?”
More laughter. “Nick is Ryan’s other brother.”
“You sure have a lot of brothers,” Matson said, giving me a disgruntled look. “I don’t have any.”
Honest to God, I had to bite my tongue. It took everything in me to not tell him that I could fix that.
Sofia’s dad joined us and I made quick introductions. Everyone started chatting at once as if they were old friends. And just when I thought my heart couldn’t expand any more, my parents walked through the doors.
Frank saw my surprise. “I called them.”
Dad grabbed me first and tried to squeeze the life out of me. “I’m so glad you’re okay. I don’t know what we’d do if we lost any of you boys.” His voice broke, which surprised me. I’d rarely seen him so choked up.
The second he let go of me, my mom swooped in. “Ryan, are you okay? Frank told us what happened. You almost died?”
Mom’s voice was loud and I tried to shush her, but it was too late. Sofia’s mom was at our side in an instant.
“Almost died? Ryan, I need to know everything that happened. Right now.” Mira’s fierce expression softened and she stopped to look at my mom. “Hi, I’m Mira. Sofia’s mom.”
“I’ve heard all about your daughter, but I haven’t had the pleasure yet, I’m sorry to say,” my mom said with a genuine smile, and Mira smiled in return.
“Well, I only met Ryan for the first time about,” Mira looked at her watch, “ten minutes ago?”
“Kids these days.” Mom rolled her eyes, and Mira chuckled.
“Ryan, can I steal you?” Mira glanced at Matson, who was currently bouncing between Claudia and Jess’s laps, eating up all the attention and looking like he was having the time of his life.
We walked outside, and once the doors closed behind us, I filled Sofia’s mom in on everything that I knew, all the way up until Sofia’s accident and Derek’s shooting. She didn’t interrupt, taking in every one of my words, her hand firmly placed over her mouth the entire time.
By the time I’d finished, her eyes were wide with horror. “I can’t believe I didn’t know any of this was going on.”
“She didn’t want to worry you,” I said, standing up for my sweet girl.
“She could have been killed. You could have been killed.”
Mira started to cry, and even though I wanted to comfort her by insisting that wasn’t true, I couldn’t lie to her. Instead, I patted her shoulder awkwardly until she sniffed back her tears and tried to smile at me.
“Thank you, Ryan. Thank you for saving my baby girl.”
“She saved me too.”
I meant it in more ways than one. Aside from selflessly dumping me to keep me alive, Sofia had saved me from myself, from the lonely life I was living before she and Matson became a part of it.
She gave me things I never knew I needed, things I now refused to live without.
Nurse Ryan
Sofia
My eyes refused to open. My brain gave the orders to do so, yet they refused, feeling like they were glued shut. Forcing myself to relax, I sucked in a few calming breaths before I attempted to open them again.
This time they did, and my blurred vision slowly cleared. Ryan sat sleeping in a chair I didn’t recognize with Matson asleep in his arms. I focused on that scene, wondering if I was dreaming. No, this isn’t a dream, I told myself as I stared at the man I wanted to share my heart with as he held the little boy who already owned it.
Groggy, I took in my surroundings and noticed a second chair, where Grant sat with his chin on his chest, snoring. He looked so comfortable, even though I knew there was no way that he could be.
Suddenly, the puzzle pieces inside my head connected, and I realized I was in a hospital. I lay my head back on the pillow, searching for the reason why, but I had no memory of what happened to land me here.
Afraid to close my eyes again in case they decided not to open, I stared up at the ceiling and tried harder to remember. Why was I here, and where were my parents?
Think Sofia, think, I chastised myself, knowing the answers were in my head somewhere. Bits and pieces flashed in my mind, but all I saw was Derek and me taking a curve way too fast.
Parched, I looked at the table near my bed, hoping to find a glass of water and thankful to see one there. But when I moved to grab it, I knocked it over, sending the plastic cup bouncing to the floor. Liquid splashed all over the white tile, and I cursed under my breath as Ryan’s eyes shot open and Grant startled awake.
“Angel.” Ryan sounded so relieved as our eyes met across the room. He struggled to move, but with Matson sleeping in his arms, he was momentarily stuck.
“She’s my angel, pipsqueak,” Grant said in a low voice, his tone teasing. He pushed himself awkwardly out of his chair, avoiding the spilled water on the floor as he came to my side. “Hey there, sweet girl. How are you feeling?”
“A little groggy,” I answered honestly before being struck with an odd thought. “This is how we all started.” I looked between Grant and Ryan and tried to smile.
“Come again?” Grant tilted his head.
“In a hospital. The three of us,” I said, trying to explain, but was afraid I wasn’t making any sense.
“Don’t tell me you forgot, old man,” Ryan whispered from the chair, where he still hadn’t figured out how to get up without waking up Matson.
Grant flipped him off. “I didn’t forget; I just didn’t know what was she was talking about. She did hit her head, you know.”
I reached for my head and pressed my hand against it, wincing with the pain. Ow. Deciding to ask more about that later, I moved my hand back to my stomach.
“I’m sorry I woke you both. I really wanted that water.” I almost started crying, but I had no idea why. I was really confused. And thirsty.
“I’ll get you some.” Ryan finally maneuvered Matson out of his arms and placed him gently on the chair before shaking his arm out.
“Asleep?” I asked.
His arm had to be. Every time Matson fell asleep with me on the cou
ch, it always made my arm fall dead asleep. But I refused to move it, because holding him was worth the pain. One day he wouldn’t want to snuggle with me anymore, so all the pins-and-needles discomfort was worth it.
“Killing me.” Ryan walked over to me, giving Grant a little shove before leaning down to give me a kiss. “I’m so glad you’re okay. Let me get you that water, and then we’ll talk.”
“All right.”
Ryan returned in seconds with a nurse in tow. She smiled when she saw I was awake.
“How are you feeling?”
“Fine, I think. Just thirsty.” And foggy and confused, but I kept that part to myself.
“Ryan mentioned that.”
The nurse cast him a flirty glance, and instead of being annoyed, I was amused by it. That man wanted to be with me. He held my son in his arms. I had nothing to worry about when it came to him and other women.
She bent down to clean up the water I’d spilled, and filled a clean cup before handing it to me. “How’s your head?” she asked, and I didn’t make the mistake of touching it again.
“Sore, but manageable.”
“Just press that button if it starts to hurt.” She lifted a handheld controller and placed it in my hand.
“Thanks.” I dropped it beside me, wishing she would leave so I could figure out what happened, how long I’d been here, and where my parents were.
She took her sweet time as she checked my vitals and fussed over me, no doubt wanting attention from Ryan. But he refused to even make eye contact with her as he walked to my bed and sat on the edge of it, reaching for my hand and bringing it to his lips.
“Okay,” she finally said. “I’m going now.”
“’Bye,” I said, my humor clearly shifting back to annoyance. Hospital Sofia was moody. When the nurse left and closed the door behind her, I huffed out a breath. “Thought she’d never leave.”
Ryan laughed. “She was here for less than two minutes.”
“I wanted her to stay.” Grant waggled his eyebrows.
I let out a soft laugh that hurt my chest and rib cage. Was my whole body sore?
“Angel,” Grant said gruffly, “I’m really glad you’re all right. I’m gonna go home and let you and this big oaf have some alone time.”
“Thank you for being here.” My eyes pricked with unexpected tears, and he let out a huff.
“I refused to leave.”
“Really?”
“They tried to kick the old man out, but your parents said he could stay.” Ryan looked at Grant like he was crazy, but in a good way.
“I wouldn’t have left anyway. I would have camped right outside your door.” Grant was stubborn, but that was part of his charm. “Take care of my angel.” He gave Ryan a finger poke to the chest before leaning down to give me a kiss on my cheek. “I’ll be in touch.”
“Thank you again.”
“I plan on being just as annoying as you were to me,” he said as he headed toward the door.
“Deal,” I responded with a grin as he disappeared.
With my attention back on Ryan, I launched into all the questions on the tip of my tongue.
“I’m dying here, Ryan. What happened? Where are my parents? Is Matson okay? I mean, is he worried? Scared? Are you okay?”
Ryan had started counting my questions on his fingers, but stopped. “Your parents and mine left to get some dinner.”
He said it like it was no big deal, and I blinked twice.
“Together?” I asked, unable to picture it. “They went to get dinner together?”
“Yes. It was the only way I could get them to leave. But I should probably text them and let them know you’re awake.”
“Not yet. Just wait a second. How do they even know each other?” A terrible thought ripped through me and I placed a hand over my heart. “Oh my gosh, Ryan, how long have I been here? Tell me it hasn’t been weeks or months.”
I craned my neck to stare at Matson, taking in his each and every feature. He looked the same, not like I’d missed any significant time in his growth.
Ryan intertwined his fingers with mine, his thumb caressing my skin, the touch instantly calming me. “You’ve been here since last night. You’ve woken up a few times, but your head always hurt, so they gave you stuff for the pain that made you sleepy.”
“Okay, so our parents have met. Sounds like they like each other, yeah?” I was hopeful.
He grinned. “They like each other. They like each other a lot.” He said it like a mischievous boy, which made me laugh.
“Really?” I asked, needing more clarification.
“They’re acting like they’re old friends instead of people who just met yesterday. Your mom and my mom are already lining up ‘play dates’ with Matson and each other.” He gave me a silly look as he used his fingers to make air quotes.
I smiled because it sounded so perfect. I wouldn’t have wanted their eventual meeting to go any other way. “That’s actually really nice. It makes me happy.”
“It is really nice,” he said with a chuckle. “Wait until you see them together. I’m afraid we’re never going to get them apart again.”
There were so many horror stories when it came to your significant other’s mom, and the idea that it wouldn’t be like that for us filled my heart with gratitude. I knew as I looked at this man that he was my future, and I didn’t have to ask him to know that he felt the same way about me.
But I still needed answers about how I got here. There was so much I didn’t remember.
“Ryan, what happened?”
His amused expression turned solemn. “What do you remember?”
Frowning, I looked at the ceiling, thinking. “Just bits and pieces, mostly. Derek. You. I lost control of my car, I think.” I met his amazing blue eyes, which winced with pain when I said those words. “Is that right? Did I crash into something?”
“Yeah, you hit a tree. The force of the impact sent your head back, and you slammed into your headrest before you crashed into your steering wheel. Knocked you out cold.”
“The airbag didn’t deploy?” I had no idea why I even thought of that question when I should have been thinking of a million others.
“No, it must be faulty. We need to get that checked while they’re doing the repairs. What if Matson had been in the car?” Ryan asked.
I shuddered at that, shaking my head to chase away the thought. “I can’t go there.”
“Me either,” he said, and I couldn’t believe the way this man cared about my son.
“Where’s Derek?”
I asked the one question I’d been avoiding, afraid that Ryan would tell me he was still out there, waiting for us to leave so he could hurt us both. Ryan still didn’t know the truth about why I asked him to stay away; he believed my reasons were all centered around Matson.
I needed to be completely honest with Ryan and apologize profusely for lying. I’d never felt good about the lie, but it had been the only way to get him to listen. Still, I hated myself a little for doing it.
“There’s no easy way to say this . . .”
As Ryan struggled to find the words, I had no idea what was coming next. But I found myself comforting him, running my hand up and down his arm. “Just say it.”
Ryan met my gaze, his forehead creased. “Derek’s dead.”
“What?” I looked at Ryan, finally taking in the worry I hadn’t noticed until now. Apparently, he was concerned with how I’d react to the news. “He’s dead? How? What happened?”
“You lost control of your car. You remember that, right?”
“Kind of, yeah.”
“Well, when I got to you—” His voice broke with emotion, and I could tell how hard it was for him to relive those moments again. “When I got to you, you weren’t moving. You were slumped over the steering wheel, and I couldn’t get in. I tried so hard to get to you, but I couldn’t.”
A single tear rolled down his face, and my heart broke at the thought of all he must have gone thr
ough.
“Derek showed up with a gun. I thought he was going to shoot you, Sofia. I thought he wanted to kill you. But he wanted to shoot me.”
Ryan’s anguish brought tears to my own eyes. “Are you hurt? Did he hurt you?” I pawed at him like a madwoman, checking him over for bandages or injuries.
He grabbed my hands and held them tight. “I’m fine. When I left the bar to chase after you, Frank called the cops and had them follow me. If he hadn’t done that, I don’t know what would have happened. Probably would have been too late. But they weren’t . . . they showed up just in time. They told Derek to drop the gun, but he didn’t. He put his finger on the trigger, and they shot him.”
I couldn’t believe that I remembered none of this. Why hadn’t the gunshots woken me up? I’d been passed out unconscious while chaos erupted around me, and I had no idea. Ryan could have been killed, and I wouldn’t have even known.
“Are you okay?” Ryan cupped my cheek, his brows pinched with concern. It was so sweet, how worried he was about my reaction. But if our roles were reversed, I would have felt the exact same way.
“Is it wrong that I feel relieved more than anything?” I whispered.
He shook his head. “No. He told me he warned you to stay away from me or else he’d kill me.”
My eyes flew open wide. “He told you that?”
Ryan nodded. “He got a lot of pleasure out of telling me that. But he wouldn’t tell me why.”
“I’m so sorry I lied to you about that.”
He gave me a sympathetic look. “Don’t be. I understand.”
“I didn’t think you’d really stay away if you knew the truth.”
He gave me a lopsided grin. “You know I wouldn’t have. So, tell me, why the threats? I haven’t been able to figure it out on my own, and not knowing is driving me crazy.”
I explained what Derek had told me, about his father’s insistence on our getting back together, and his threats to leave the company to Derek’s cousin.
Ryan’s face turned grim. “That’s one messed-up family, angel. We’ve gotta make sure Matson never goes anywhere near them.” He squeezed my hand and looked at my son, and I squeezed back.
“I know.”
• • •
