Page 110 of Love Takes Home

“That’s all? I feel like I’ve slept for a week. Is he…is he dead?”

She nods, her eyes filled with sympathy and reflecting the pain slicing through me. Not pain that he’s dead. Pain that people are going to start judging me again. “I feel like I’ve decimated the ‘didn’t die from natural causes’ numbers around here.”

“Ginny, why did he hit you?”

“Because that’s what he does when you make him mad?”

“You mean he’s—” She cuts herself off, shaking her head. “Doesn’t matter. We can talk about it later.”

“Trish? Where’s Joker?”

“We forced him to go to the cafeteria. He was driving us all up a fucking wall.”

I smile at that. “That sounds about right. Is my bag here? Can you get my phone out so I can tell him I’m awake?”

She goes over to the corner and opens my bag, grabbing my phone out. “Huh. It’s dead. We’ll have to charge it. I’ll text him from mine.”

“How can it be dead? It was fully charged this morning.”

“Shit happens, babe. We’ll get a charger in here, but now that you’re awake, maybe they’ll let you go home.”

“Home would be nice.”

Trish sends the text and I swear it’s not even a full minute before I hear him outside my room. He pushes open the door and stops when he sees me. His eyes say so much. “Beautiful,” he whispers before coming over to my bedside.

I reach out and grab his hand. “I’m sorry,” I tell him, the tears welling in my eyes.

“I know.” He gives me a lopsided grin. “It’s okay. How are you feeling?”

“I feel like I’ve been sleeping for a week, but I remember someone screaming? Is everything okay around here?”

He stiffens at my question and shares a look with Trish.

“What? What is it?” I ask, looking between the two of them.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, he takes both of my hands in his. “Baby, that was you.”

“Me?”

He nods. “Every time we thought you might wake up, you would scream, and they’d have to come give you something to calm you back down.”

“Why was I screaming?”

“I don’t know, Gin. Maybe you were having a bad dream. Maybe it was a subconscious reaction to what happened.”

“Everyone here is going to think I’m crazy, aren’t they?” I whisper.

Trish snorts. “They already thought that, remember?”

“This is true.” I smile at Trish.

“There’s some people out in the hall who want to see with their own eyes that you’re okay. And probably a nurse or doctor who is being blocked from coming in.” He grins at me.

“Still not scary,” I tell him.

“Speak for yourself.” Trish chuckles.

“Are you ready?” Joker asks and I nod.

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