Page 38 of Compelling Urges

Ivy’s jaw dropped. “Cooper! Give me some credit. Do you think I’d bethatfickle?”

“I don’t know anything anymore, Ivy. My best buddy is lying here fighting for his life, and you’re being cryptic.” His voice rose in volume, despite his attempt to control it. “My brain isn’t exactlyprocessingthings really well at the moment, and everything is a mess!”

Just then, an alarm went off on Bodhi’s vast array of connected equipment, and he started to shake harder and moan.

“Oh, shit. Ivy, we need to shut up. They said not to upset him, and here we go doing just that.”

As Cooper spoke, a stern-faced nurse rushed into the room. She’d heard his last statement, so she asked them, “Would the two of you take it outside? Mr. Monaghan needs his rest!” She shut off the alarm, checked Bodhi’s IV, and adjusted a couple of things while they stood staring at her. Turning to them she said, “Well?”

Chastised, Cooper said humbly, “We promise we’ll behave. Please don’t kick us out. We both love him, and we’re sorry for acting like dopes.”

She narrowed her eyes at him and answered, “One more argument in front of him, and you’re outta here for good. Got it?”

“We get it,” Ivy said in a soft, pleading voice. “We’ll be careful.” She looked at Cooper and said, “Neverdoubt my love for you.”

That seemed to soften up the nurse a bit, but she gave them a sour look before she left.

Sighing, Cooper relaxed. “I’m sorry. I know you love me. And I agree you need to tell Bodhi as soon as possible that you love him too. I’m still not sure what this means for us getting married but somehow, we need to work it out so that he’s happy too… if that’s what you want. I can’t see him hurt again.”

Ivy thought a moment and then said, “When Bodhi gets better, I think all three of us ought to have a chat with my friend Casey. He’s in a triad and he’s probably the happiest man I’ve ever known. They even have the cutest little girl. He’s shown me about a million photos of her.” She continued to softly stroke Bodhi’s hand while she spoke. “Maybe we could meet all three of them and get some pointers.”

“That sounds like a good idea.” Cooper nodded, and his stomach growled. “You hungry?” he asked. “I’m starved, and it doesn’t look like our boy here is going to sit up and start demanding to get out of here very soon. I could go get us some dinner and bring it back, if you want to stay with him and keep him company for a while.”

“Um… I guess.” She shrugged. “I’m not really hungry.”

“Do you need anything from the hotel?”

“I don’t think so, but I guess it’s good we didn’t give up the room. Do you think we ought to reserve a few more nights?”

“Good thinking. I think I’ll run back and talk to them, take a quick shower, and I’ll bring back some burgers or something. I’ll be quick, but I’ve never sweat so much in my life, and I desperately need a clean shirt.” He gave her a kiss and then leaned over to kiss Bodhi on the forehead. “Hang in there, man. I’ll see you soon,” he choked out. Seeming to think better of his plan, he looked at Ivy. “Do you want to come with me?”

“I’d rather stay here so he’s not alone.”

Nodding, Cooper said, “That’s what I thought. Okay, I’ll be back as soon as I can.” Walking away, he thought it was selfish of him to feel hungry, but he knew he couldn’t help what his body needed. “What a clusterfuck,” he mumbled as he headed out to his car.

Chapter 29

Cooper’s quick shower and a fresh change of clothes made him feel nearly human again. He booked the room for three more nights, which seemed to thrill the front desk manager. Idly, he wondered how much business they actually had. Heading out to a nearby hamburger restaurant, he called his dad from his car to explain that he would need a few days off from work. He’d already told his father most of Bodhi’s story, but the parts about the surfing injury and the trip to Arizona were new information.

“Give Bodhi my best, Cooper. I hope all goes well for him. You’re a good friend to stick with him like this through the difficult times. Your mother will be happy to know we raised you to have your heart in the right place.”

“Thanks, Dad.” Cooper felt himself getting choked up. His father wasn’t usually sentimental. “I’m so scared for him,” he whispered.

“He’s young and fit and strong. He’ll pull through, son. We’ll keep him in our prayers in any case, though. Don’t forget to take care of yourself too. And don’t worry about your clients. Your sister and I will make sure everyone’s happy.”

Cooper promised to keep his family in the loop and pulled in to order some dinner.

∞∞∞

When he got back to the hospital, he rushed up to the sixth floor, nervous to find out if anything had changed for the better… or…no, he wouldn’t think about the worse. He found Ivy snuggled up as close to Bodhi as her chair would allow. Her head was resting on his shoulder, and she had his unencumbered arm in her hands. It looked to Cooper as though she’d been crying again, but was exhausted from all of the emotion. He hated to disturb her, but he also thought having something in her stomach would help. The tacos she’d eaten had been hours and hours ago by now as it was after ten o’clock.

“Ivy? I have a burger for you and your favorite milkshake. Do you want to have some food?” Cooper had always looked for practical, tangible ways of helping.

She opened her eyes, smiled up at him, and answered, “Bodhi woke up for a moment.”

“Did he say anything?”

Ivy scoffed. “He said, and I quote, ‘I feel like shit.’ Then he groaned and went back to sleep. At least it was something. Unfortunately, he still has a high fever according to the nurse, so they took him out for an x-ray or scan or something. No one said anything when they brought him back, so I guess they don’t know anything yet. Typical. I hate waiting for news.” She took a whiff of the air and said, “I’ll take that burger now, please. Where’s yours?”

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