Page 89 of Wasted On You

She spied Mike Paul’s parents as well as his sister Cobi near the nurse’s station. Melody’s face was a blotchy mess, while her husband’s cheeks were wet with tears. Cobi looked up as Ivy approached them and immediately opened her arms for a hug. The two women clung to each other for so long Ivy’s legs began to buckle.

“What happened?” She stepped back and studied their faces. They all looked so damn scared. “Is he okay?”

“He was shot,” Cobi answered slowly. “I don’t know much more than that. It had something to do with Marcus Clappison.”

“Clappison?” Ivy turned in a circle. “Where’s Jacob?”

“He’s here too. I think in the ICU.”

“And Marcus?”

“They’ve got the son-of-a-bitch in custody.” Everett Darlington looked like he wanted to hurt something.

“Any news?” Cal and Millie Sue walked up, faces concerned, voices lowered.

“He’s in surgery.” Melody attempted to smile. “Mackenzie says the surgeon, some Lance something or other, is good.” She nodded and whispered. “He’s in good hands.”

The next three hours were the longest Ivy could ever remember. She paced the floor. Then sat. Then did some more pacing. She didn’t want coffee or water or juice. She was cold, and even with all the pacing and a big winter coat, she couldn’t get warm. It seemed as if days had passed before the surgeon finally walked out to talk to them.

His speech was short and to the point. He mentioned scapula and blood loss and a bunch of other things Ivy didn’t understand other than Mike Paul was in recovery and his immediate family could sit with him.

“He’s going to be okay?” she asked Mackenzie as Everett, Melody, and Cobi followed the surgeon down the hall.

“Yes.” The tall brunette nodded. “He needs to heal, and that will take some time. The shoulder is a tricky thing. His scapula wasn’t shattered, but we won’t know if he’ll get the complete range of motion back. He’s young and healthy, and more importantly, that bullet missed a bunch of stuff that could have proven fatal.” She stepped back. “He’ll be awake in a couple of hours.”

“Come back to the ranch with us,” Mille Sue said. “We’ll return when he’s awake.”

“I’m not leaving.” Ivy shook her head. “I’ll stay. I want to be here when he wakes up.”

“Okay.” Cal hugged her. “Call us when he does.”

Ivy nodded. By now, it was after midnight. She was bone tired, but her mind wouldn’t stop moving. There were too many memories. Too many moments that meant the world to her.

Mike Paul at the jumping rock, so fearless and strong. The four of them camping out at the Bridgestone Founder’s cabin. Sophomore year when he’d dyed his hair pink because Shelby Miller’s mother had breast cancer.

She thought of how her heart turned over when he smiled at her. How warm his touch was. How it felt when he was inside her.

Ivy swiped at a tear just as Cobi and her parents appeared. They looked so tired and drained that her heart went out to them.

“How is he?”

“He’s going to be okay.” Melody hugged her, then whispered. “He’s asking for you.”

Ivy pulled away, and Cobi pointed down the hall. “Room 308.”

Ivy sprinted down the hall and reached the room just as Mackenzie did.

The doctor smiled and checked her tablet. “I hear our patient is awake. I was about to give him an update on Jacob, but I guess you can give him the good news. Tell him Jake’s going to be just fine. He’ll be ready to leave tomorrow, maybe the day after. It will depend on a few things, but he’s heading in the right direction.”

“Thank you, I’ll let him know.”

Ivy let herself into Mike Paul’s room. The lights were lowered, and thankfully, the room was private. She was shaking so bad that she had to take a moment and reach for some calm. When her knees stopped knocking together she walked over to the bed.

He opened his eyes as she approached and attempted a smile. It was a little loopy, but she was guessing he was high on some heavy-duty pain meds.

“You look like shit,” she murmured, coming to a stop beside him. He was pale, and his shoulder was bandaged.

“Pretty sure I feel worse than I look.” He moved a bit and patted the bed with his good arm, so she sat there, eyes lowered, trying her best not to cry.

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