Page 41 of No Broken Promises

“She’s not going to die,” I croak, agreeing with him. “She’s just dealing with some head stuff.”

Nox surprises me by turning his head and lifting his eyes to meet mine. “Good. She’s all I have left.”

One more glance and he dismisses me completely. The doors open and Dr. Susan Lawrence, the doctor taking care of Parker, comes out. I am on my feet in a second. She is wearing a pair of bright-purple scrubs, with a matching surgical mask covering her mouth, which she lowers when she sees me approaching.

With zero fucks given for the fact that the Hayes are there, I take Nox by the hand and wait for her to come to us. We are clinging to each other, using only our hands, and the tension hanging in the room is palpable.

“Hey, Remy. I’m sorry we have to see each other again like this.” Susan and I actually saw one another pretty frequently, because she is the on-call physician for the police department, and she’d been married to a cop for forty years before he finally retired. “The first thing you need to know is that Parker is going to be okay. She’s asking for Nox.” She gives a soft smile to the child clutching my hand like it is a lifeline. “Why don’t you two come with me.”

Without waiting for a response, Susan turns and walks back toward the door. Nox immediately moves to follow her, yanking on my arm so I’ll pick up my already quick pace.

Walking quickly through the bare white hall, with Nox holding on to my hand tighter than before, everything in my chest starts to ache. Even hearing the fact that Parker will be okay does nothing to ease the tension building in my bones. I have to see her, to make sure for myself that she is okay.

“I swear to all that is holy, if you don't get that catheter away from me, I'm going to throat punch you. Don't think for even a minute that I don't remember you, either.”

Parker's growl echoes out into the hall, and Susan turns to me with a shake of her head. Then she marches into the room and puts her hands on her hips.

“What are you doing in here, Mallory? I didn't order a catheter on this patient.”

“Oh.” The voice sounds vaguely familiar. “I'm sorry, Dr. Lawrence, I thought this patient's chart said that she needed a catheter for mobility concerns.” Personally, I think the lady sounds way too chipper to be putting a catheter into Parker, but what do I know?

The nurse turns, and I almost choke on my own breath as I attempt to do three things at once. First, I have Nox by the hand and pull him into Parker's hospital room so that he can see his mother. Immediately, he lets me go and runs to Parker's bedside, but I don't have time to watch their interaction. Second, I turn and put myself between Parker and the nurse. Third, I forcefully cross my arms over my chest, and it is a good thing that I don't have Nox by the hand still; otherwise, I would have lifted him straight up into the air with them.

“Don't even think about it,” I bark when Mallory starts to back away.

Both Susan and the nurse stare at me. From the doctor, I see curiosity and suspicion, not to mention a little bit of affront mixed in. Only the nurse, who honestly is lucky that Parker didn't end up pressing charges, stares at me like I hold her life in my hands and will crush her into dust.

A bitter smile lifts one side of my mouth, and I can feel the snarl before anyone has time to react.

“What's going on?” Susan eyes me, then turns her attention to the nurse, moving her hands from her hips to across her chest. “What did I miss?”

“Did you see the concussion mentioned in Parker's chart?” I don't have to ask, though, because Susan is the most thorough doctor I know. When she nods, I go on. “This woman caused it. The only reason she wasn't arrested for assault is because Parker opted not to press charges. But she’s been banned from Lucy's, and I advised her to stay away from Parker.”

Parker's quiet gasp fills the air, and for a second I think she is injured. I turn to see her working herself into a huff, squirming on the hospital bed while trying not to let the loose gown they have her wearing slip down her chest. Nox has crawled up into the bed with her. Despite the chaos in her hospital room, I smile at the sight of her awake, with her son at her side. But she doesn’t interrupt what Susan and I clearly have well in hand.

“Mallory,” Susan says with a lethal tone, her eyes narrowing darkly. “You need to go to the nurses’ station, right now. I will speak with you after I finish with this patient.” The fire in the doctor's eyes is strong enough that I almost feel bad for the other woman, but not really. She's earned whatever disciplinary action comes as a result of her interference.

The nurse flees the room, but not without shooting daggers and sneering at Parker. Dr. Lawrence shuts the door to give Parker more privacy, and she apologizes with a look.

“Did she touch you?” The question catches me off guard. “I have to file a report no matter what, but I need to know if she touched you.”

Parker shakes her head slowly. “No. She'd just walked in and told me she was here to give me a catheter. Then you came in. I don’t know why she hates me so much. I mean, she’s always at my neighbor’s house, since she’s best friends with his girlfriend. And she’s always a dick. Always.” She closes her eyes and leans back against the stark white pillow, bringing Nox with her. The way her dark hair stands out against the white bedding and even the light-blue gown makes my heart stutter. Parker looks sick.

Dark circles under her unusually dead eyes, mixed with pale skin that I've never seen before, has me swallowing down the sudden emotion that sticks in my throat.

“Thank you for bringing Nox, Remy,” Dr. Lawrence speaks softly. “You can go now.”

“No,” Parker answers for me. “He can stay. He's…” She trails off, and even with her eyes closed, I can see the uncertainty on her face.

I clear my throat, bringing all the attention in the room to me. Even Parker opens her eyes, wide with panic as she silently pleads with me not to leave. I can practically taste her fear.

“I'm her boyfriend. But we're not telling anyone about it just yet. You understand.” Actually, I didn't think that Dr. Lawrence understood. Though she is a good friend, and she'll respect my desire for no one to know. Especially since I am lying out of my ass.

Susan smiles broadly at both of us, her entire face lighting up. “Oh, that’s amazing news!” She claps her hands together, still smiling. “I always had a feeling the two of you would be amazing together.” Susan moves forward and pats Parker’s leg. “I even told your parents that back when you were just kids tearing through the middle of town after school. I’m glad you’ve found each other now.” Her face shifts then, turning back into the no-nonsense emergency room doctor that she is.

“Now, Parker. You seem to have been dealing with persistent post-concussive symptoms. Symptoms that you’ve either chosen to ignore or just haven’t seen in yourself.”

Parker’s cheeks flush, and when she bites her lip, I can see that she’s been hiding her pain.

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