Page 122 of Anything To Be With You

I blink down the hallway. "What…ah, what…" I can’t finish my thought.

Nisha touches my shoulder. "The doctor will explain everything," she leads me into the room and sits me down in a chair. "Mason made it through surgery wonderfully. You have a very strong son."

"Thank you." I breathe.

Nisha nods and leaves the room. I bite the side of my thumb, my leg bouncing as I watch the door. After a few minutes, I jump up and pace the floor, glancing at the door every time I pass it. I pace around the room for what feels like hours, my thumb is bleeding because I chewed the skin off. All these horrible scenarios run rampant through my head.

Was he attacked?

Did he try to help someone and got hurt?

Did Josh do something?

The door opens and two nurses wheel the bed into the room. My hand goes to my throat when I see Mason. He looks so fragile, even though his gigantic frame engulfs the bed. I take measured steps towards him, machines beep on the left side of his bed. A bandage wrapped around his head and his right arm is in a cast. A black bruise covers his jaw, and his leg is elevated, also in a cast.

"Ms. Carter?" a deep voice causes me to jump. I spin and find a dark-skinned man standing in the doorway to Mason’s room.

"I’m Dr. Lewis. I did Mason’s surgery." He holds out his hand.

I shake my head and step forward, taking his hand. "Yes. Sorry. This is…" I trail off as I look back at my baby.

"It’s hard, I know." Dr. Lewis drops my hand.

"What happened?" I inquire. He motions to the chair next to the bed. I sit slowly, dropping my purse on the floor.

"Drunk driver jumped the curb, pinning Mason between his truck and a tree."

My hand flies to my mouth.

"Mason’s size played a huge factor in saving his life. If he was a smaller guy, it could've been a lot worse."

I will never yell at him for eating everything in the house again. Reaching over, I take his massive hand in mine, curling my fingers around his.

"Mason has an eight-inch laceration across his right temple, his forearm and wrist are fractured. His jaw, surprisingly, is not broken from when he hit the tree, but the bruise is nasty.

"When the truck hit him, the impact tore the quadricep tendon in his right leg. I re-attached it, but he is going to need some physiotherapy once the cast comes off."

I nod absentmindedly, trying to rack my brain on how I’m going to afford all this. My benefits haven’t started yet, and I would hate to borrow money. "Thank you."

I don’t look at Dr. Lewis as he leaves the room. Bringing Mason’s hand to my lips, I kiss the tips of his fingers like I used to do when he was a baby.

"Daniella Lynne Carter!" Erin yells.

You’ve got to be kidding me.

I rush to the door and find Erin looking like a creeper into each room she passes.

"Erin Siobhan Matthews!" I yell.

Her head snaps up and she races down the hallway, slamming into me with the force of an hippo, knocking me back a step.

"Why didn’t you just ask at the nurse’s station what room Mason was in?" I scold.

Her arms tighten around me. "Because this is more fun." I can’t help the smile as she pulls away and looks down at me.

"I hate you sometimes," I say walking into the room.

"But not all the time." Erin counters as she follows me into the room, shutting the door behind her. Erin gasps when her eyes land on Mason, her hand finds mine and squeezes tight.

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