Page 157 of Off Season

“What can I do to help?”

She reaches for my hand. “Just pray for her.”

KAMRYN

“No. Fucking. Way.”

Tanner clenches his jaw. “Yes. Fucking. Way. I’ve already made all the arrangements. I’ve purchased all the equipment she could possibly need. You know full well she’ll be more comfortable recovering and doing her therapy at my house than at some cold hospital.”

Is he stupid? There’s a reason people need to be inpatient.

I pull my hair as I bark out, “Hospitals have professionals for this very reason. Who is going to work with her? You? The person who did this to her.”

He exhales a few calming breaths. He’s clearly at his wit’s end with me, but I don’t give a shit. “Fallon is moving in. She’s taking a leave of absence from her job to be totally dedicated to Bailey for the next three months. I trust her and only her to do this. There’s no one better and certainly no one who will care more.”

“Maybe you hit your head harder than they thought. You’re telling me that your former fuck buddy and your current fuck buddy are all going to live together as one big happy family?”

He sighs. “You are a child. Grow up. How are you possibly related to her?”

Cheetah pulls me into the hallway and grabs me by the shoulders. “Hey, relax.”

I shake my head. I’m so fucking exhausted, but I refuse to leave or sleep until my sister is out of surgery and awake. Every inch of my body is running on caffeine and adrenaline right now. It feels like it could all give out at any moment.

I collapse my face into his chest and start sobbing. “Why did this happen to her? She doesn’t deserve this. It should have been me.”

He rubs his hands over me in a soothing manner. He’s a godsend. I’d be institutionalized right now if he wasn’t here.

He lifts my chin so our eyes meet. “Don’t say that. Don’t ever say that. I know your head is spinning, babe, but think about howmuch happier Bailey will be in his home than in some random hospital. Harper will be there. She loves Harper so much. You know that. She’ll be in a real bed, not a hospital bed. She’ll be surrounded by people who love her all the time. You won’t have to deal with hospital hours and rules. You can come and go whenever you want.”

I nod robotically and a bit reluctantly. He does make compelling points.

“Let’s go back in and tell him that you’re onboard. It’s best for Bailey. When she wakes up, you two need to be a unified front. After we tell him, I want you to get some sleep.”

I shake my head. “Not until I know she’s out of surgery and her back is fixed.”

“We’ll sit in her room. You’ll sleep on me. I’ll stay awake. When she’s out of surgery and conscious, I promise to wake you. Don’t you want to be fresh for her? She can’t see you freaking out. You need to pull a Kamryn Sarah Hart.”

I pinch my eyebrows together. “What’s that?”

He smiles as he rubs my face. “Making people laugh. Making everyone around you happy.”

“I don’t think I make Tanner happy.”

He chuckles. “Definitely not.”

“I think my mind is too tired to come up with jokes. Do you have one I can use?”

He thinks for a few seconds. “Hmm. Oh, I’ve got a thematic one. What do you call a nurse with dirty knees?

“What?”

“The head nurse.”

I let out a laugh, and he winks at me. “I love that laugh. Bailey needs you at your best. You need sleep to be at your best.”

“So do you.”

“It’s just like sex. You first.”

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