Page 21 of Anything For This Love

“I did.”

“When?” she scoffs, turning her ire on me. Irritation flares to life, prickling my skin as I take a step toward her.

“The night Ethan performed at The Barn,” I begin, pushing past the more unpleasant memories from that night, “I asked you about them dating. You laughed and brushed me off.”

Her eyes dart back and forth between mine, searching her memory for that conversation. The moment she finds it, her eyes widen. “I remember,” she whispers. “I’m sorry I jumped all over you. You didn’t deserve that.”

“It’s okay,” I assure her. “But I think we need to take this conversation elsewhere.” I glance around and her gaze follows mine. We’re starting to gather attention from the nursing staff. I need to get us away from prying eyes and ears before someone calls security.

“I need to see my brother.” Abby’s face hardens as her glare lands on Tiff.

“I’ll leave,” Tiff says, sidestepping me. “But I won’t promise not to come back. Despite what you think of me right now, Idolove Ethan. I want him to know that. I want him to know that I was here every day, every single chance I got, to make sure he wasn’t alone.” With that, she turns on her heel and walks away.

For a long moment, Abby stares at the spot where Tiffany disappeared into the elevator. I gently palm her elbow, breaking her from her trance. “Let’s go see your brother.” She nods and follows me back to his room. Fresh tears pool in her eyes when she sees him, and she rushes to his bedside.

“Ethan,” she squeaks out, her voice already hoarse from the episode with Tiff. She grabs his hand and sinks into the chair beside him. “Please wake up. I need you to be okay.”

The doctor comes in to make his rounds shortly after we arrive. It’s a different doctor than the one we met last night, but he’s thorough in his explanations of Ethan’s condition and his care. They plan to repeat some of his tests and will know more when they have those results. Ethan’s blood pressure is improving and he’s reacting to painful stimuli, which the doctor explains is a good sign.

There’s a flurry of activity in his room most of the morning with nurses checking on him, administering medications, and recording vital signs, along with a social worker and the orthopedic doctor’s assistant. By the time we leave, Abby feels more optimistic about Ethan’s prognosis.

Ama is feeding Chloe lunch when we arrive home. She accosts us as soon as we come through the door, needing an update even though Abby has been texting her everything. Abby assures her nothing has changed since her last update.

“Are you feeling better?” Abby asks.

“Yes, my blood pressure is back to normal and my headache is gone,” Ama replies, pushing her arms through the sleeves of her coat. “I’m going to go see my boy. I’ll be back later.” She presses a kiss to Chloe’s hair and Abby’s cheek, patting mine as she hurries out the door.

Once Chloe goes down for her afternoon nap, I pull Abby to my chest, wrapping my arms around her. I kiss her forehead, soaking in her sweet scent. She tilts her head back and leans up for a kiss. I frame her face with my hands and grant her silent request. When I pull away, she grips my sides, urging my mouth back to hers. She deepens the kiss, backing us out of Chloe’s room and shutting the door quietly. We stumble into her bedroom and she softly pushes the door closed.

“Make me forget,” she whispers against my lips. She’s hurting, scared and worried over her brother and needs a distraction. She looks to me for comfort, and there’s no chance in hell I’m letting her down. Abby moans into my kiss and I suddenly need the connection just as badly as she does. I lift her, pressing her back to the door and her legs wrap around my hips. I spend the entirety of naptime making her forget everything except my name.

We geta call from Ama later that afternoon. She’s laughing and crying, her speech so rapid and garbled we can’t understand her.

“Slow down, Enisi. I can’t understand you,” Abby says.

“He’s awake! Ethan’s awake!”

Abby nearly drops the phone so I take it from her, pressing the speaker phone button even though Ama’s yelling so loudly we can hear her without it.

“That’s great! Can I talk to him?”

“The doctor is in there now checking him out.”

“Oh,” Abby replies, deflated.

“But you can talk to him when he’s done.”

Ama chatters on excitedly while Abby chews on her lip. She’s anxious to hear her brother’s voice. When he finally comes on the line, she lets out a sob. It takes her a long moment to find her voice, too overcome with emotion to speak.

“What happened? You’ve always been such a good driver.”

He’s quiet for a moment before he lets out a long sigh. “I don’t know, sis. The road was wet and starting to freeze over. I took the curve too fast and lost control. I don’t remember anything after that.” I’m sure he’s thankful for that part.

Abby glances up at me with trepidation in her eyes, and I can guess what she’s about to say. “Tiff came to see you this morning.” Her announcement is met with silence. “She was the first person there when visiting hours started.”

“Oh. Really?”

Is he really going to play this off and try to keep the ruse going?

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