Page 5 of Passionate Hearts

“Thanks,” Brianna offered a smile.

“That was nice of Tiffany,” Brianna forced herself to add.

“It really was. But I also want to thank you for picking me up,” River insisted.

“It was just a ride,” Brianna waved her off.

“Still, it meant a lot.”

“In that case you’re welcome.”

Brianna looked at the vegan feast in front of her. As a lifelong meat eater she wasn’t sure what to do with a meal that didn’t include meat.

“What did the doctor say about taking care of yourself?” Brianna asked.

“I’m not supposed to get the casts wet. Mostly, I need to rest up. The casts will stay on for six to eight weeks. I’ll obviously need to limit my physical activity during that time.”

“All of that sounds very doable. Or at least easy enough to work around,” Brianna smiled. She tried her best to sound encouraging. Her efforts seemed to work as River’s lips quirked into a smile.

“I love how encouraging you always are,” River stated. Brianna felt her neck and cheeks go red hot.

“Well, you make that easy,” Brianna met River’s dark eyes.

She had never noticed how deep River’s eyes were. Brianna felt as though she could fall into those eyes. She chastised herself internally, swallowing a groan. What was all of this nonsense about eyes and falling?

“The whole gang wanted to come visit you. I hope you don’t mind but I insisted on them giving you a couple days before swarming you,” Brianna laughed.

“Look at you being all protective,” River teased. This time Brianna knew for sure she was blushing.

“Well, you asked me to help take care of you. And part of that is making sure you get some rest.”

“Yes, ma’am,” River laughed.

“Good girl,” Brianna teased. She was pretty sure they were taking their fun banter to a whole new level today. River had the benefit of being on pain medicine, so what was her excuse?

“Seriously, thank you. I don’t know if I would want to do this with anyone else,” River said, her tone suddenly genuine.

“What do you mean?” Brianna asked.

River started to twist a strand of her dark hair. Brianna waited patiently. She knew that her friend would find the words she was looking for.

“You always make me feel safe. When you’re around I know everything is going to be okay. You know what I mean?” River asked.

“I do. I feel the same way about you,” Brianna admitted.

“I don’t know how safe I am. After all, I just got hit by a car,” River chuckled unconvincingly.

Brianna had been struggling to put any thoughts of River’s accident out of her mind. She wasn’t prepared to look into the reality. The fact was River was lucky. If the car that hit her had been going even a little faster, she could have experienced something much worse than a couple broken bones. She could have died. Brianna’s mind wasn’t prepared to imagine a reality without River in it.

“Sure. But you’ll get through this,” Brianna assured.

“Do you really think so?”

“Are you kidding me? You’re one of the strongest people I know. Of course, you’ll get through it. And I’ll be here to make sure things go smoothly.”

“My hero,” River laughed.

“Don’t you forget it,” Brianna chuckled. She paused for a moment.

---