Page 101 of I Can't Even

There were multiple reasons for this.

One, we needed to get the hell out of Dallas, because the nationwide manhunt for Dr. Darron Simpson and Dr. Brewn was driving me insane. I couldn’t stand sitting around waiting for the other shoe to drop.

When Harvey, Ellodie’s dad, called and asked for help with some harvesting, I’d taken a half a second to agree before I’d loaded Ellodie up and we headed toward her parents’ farm.

The second reason we were headed to Arkansas was because Ellodie literally didn’t know the definition of bed rest.

She was, by far, the worst patient I’d ever encountered.

Worse than Garrett, and that was saying something.

Despite having a revolving door of people to help, she’d refused any and all helping hands, and had shut down unless it came to her mother and me.

The second reason was that her father needed help with he fields, and I had mandatory leave until the psychos were found. I was told, and I quote, I couldn’t be trusted to handle things in a way befitting the Dallas Police Department, so take the time off or else.

The third reason we were headed here was because Ellodie was right.

I did ask her to marry me.

I did so on the day she was discharged.

It wasn’t romantic.

It wasn’t the stuff of dreams.

But it was us.

We did everything backwards, so why would we do this correctly?

On her finger was a rubber ring that expanded really well with the swelling in her hand.

The bruises on the side of her face were healing, but the rest of her still looked like she’d been chewed up and spit out.

The last hour of our drive I’d been given the silent treatment because I hadn’t let her walk through Buc-ee’s, and instead forced her to ride in her wheelchair to the handicap bathroom.

I’d even asked an employee to push her into the handicap stall since I knew the moment I left her, she’d try to walk.

Which led to now, pulling into her parents’ driveway, with her angry as fuck.

Harvey met us at the driveway and helped Ellodie into her wheelchair, luckily saving me from the fight.

And, before either of us could push her inside, Hall came around the corner and waved manically, a small shovel and a bushel of flowers in her hand.

“Mom,” Ellodie pleaded. “Please, take me to the garden. Give me something to do!”

“Tsk, tsk,” Hall teased. “Let’s go.”

And together, the two disappeared around the house.

“She’s by far the worst patient I’ve ever encountered in my life,” I said to the man at my side.

Harvey chuckled, slapping me on the back.

“Thank you for keeping her safe,” he held out his hand for me to shake.

I took it but was shaking my head as I did. “I didn’t keep her safe, though.”

He leveled me with a look, one that spoke volumes about what he thought of my assessment of the entire situation.

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