Page 16 of Bossy Baby

Mac tightened his fingers in Hayley’s hair. “So what do you want to do after this? Go sky diving? Bunging jumping? Oh, I know! How about zip-lining?”

Hayley giggled.

“I’m giving the pain meds now,” Sammy said quietly.

Mac nodded but kept talking to Hayley, coming up with the most outrageous activities they could do until Hayley’s eyes drifted closed. His boy tried to fight it and stay awake, but with Mac rubbing his scalp and talking softly, he finally drifted off.

“That will allow him to rest until we can get the X-rays,” Sammy said. “I’m going to check on where the doctor is. Be right back.”

Mac nodded but didn’t let his gaze leave his sleeping boy. One of them had to stay alert.

Three

Hayley

Hayley woke up in pain.God!So much pain. He blinked his eyes open and the first thing he saw was Mac’s hovering face.

“Mac.” He wanted to call him Daddy so badly. Hurt and in pain, he needed his Daddy. And Mac had acted like a Daddy before. Carrying to the car. Racing to the hospital. Ordering everyone around until Hayley was taken care of. “Hurts.”

“I know, sweetie. They reset the bone and you have a pretty new accessory.”

“A new accessory?” Hayley turned his head.Holy Cow!“What…”

“Do you like it?” Mac moved into view from the other side of the bed.

Now Hayley could see both his cast and Mac. “I—”

“They needed to know what color you wanted your cast.”

Hayley nodded. But how?

“I asked you one time what your favorite color was,” Mac explained. “You had some shirts that had arrived and were so excited about them. You were talking about how many colors they came in. I asked which color was your favorite, thinking I’d get you flowers or something sometime.”

“You remember that?” Hayley asked.

“I remember everything you ever told me,” Mac replied with a hint of a blush on his cheeks. His gentle giant was blushing! “You told me then that you could never pick just one color to be your favorite. All colors in the rainbow deserved to be your favorite. So when they asked me what color…” He rubbed the back of his head. Hayley was starting to love that gesture. “I told them to make it a rainbow.”

“I love it,” Hayley told him. “I love it so much.”

“Oh good,” Mac responded. He finally smiled. “I feel so guilty letting you get hurt.”

“You didn’t let me do anything,” Hayley said. “It was an accident.”

“No more accidents.” Mac pointed his finger at Hayley. “Ever again.”

That was such a Daddy thing to say. “Okay.”

“Promise me,” Mac ordered.

“I want to promise but I also don’t lie,” Hayley said. “I will do everything I can not to get hurt.”

“Then I guess you will have to stay by my side to ensure it. You shouldn’t have run off.”

“I’m sorry.” Hayley dropped his head. “I was just so excited.”

Mac sat on the side of his bed. “I understand. But still you have to be much more careful.” He brushed the hair off Hayley’s forehead.

“Awake?” Sammy, the nurse, came bustling in. “I bet you need a bit more of pain meds before we release you?”

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