Page 83 of Wish I Didn't Want You Back

“You scared the hell out of us,” Tuck said, stepping forward.

Marty sighed. “I just needed a bag of fluids. Don’t make a big deal about it.”

Hayes snorted and leaned over to pat his arm. “Sorry to leave you hanging, old man.”

I walked over to the window to give them all a few minutes alone. The doctor came in, went over everything, and reassured them that he could go home tomorrow as long as he continued to show signs of improvement.

After the doctor left, Marty sighed and adjusted his head on the pillow. “Now that I’m fine, you can all go home and stop hovering over me like a bunch of mother hens.”

“What if we want to stay a little longer?” Hayes asked with a grin.

Marty grunted and stared down at his hospital gown. “Too bad. I’m tired of looking at all of you. Why don’t you go get dinner or something? Maybe cook some of that fish you caught. You did catch a fish, right?”

“Of course we did,” Tuck answered, giving him a small pat on the shoulder.

Marty’s eyes looked heavy. I could see he was worn out. “Good. Now, go home and cook it, and let me rest.”

I kneeled over the bed and kissed his forehead. “Get some sleep.”

He glanced at me and patted my hand gently. “It’s been a long day. Thanks for coming to get me, sweetheart.”

“Always.” I gave him a small smile.

He turned to Brooks. “You got yourself a good one.”

Brooks looked down at me with affection in his eyes. “I do.”

“Don’t screw it up.” And then he pointed a shaky finger at me. “That goes for you, too. No more leaving town, you hear?”

I rolled my lips together. “I’ll be back tomorrow.”

Brooks grabbed my hand and led me out of the room. He shut the door and spun around. “I’m glad you were with him.”

I sagged into his chest. “Me too. I was so scared.”

He kissed the top of my head. “He called you for help.”

I nodded, feeling the emotions of the day catch up to me.“I’m just glad it wasn’t anything too serious.”

He stared down at me. “It could have been worse, but you got him here in time. I don’t think I could ever repay you for that.”

“I only did what anyone else would do.”

He shook his head and pressed his forehead to mine. “No. Not everyone would. You stayed with him. Made sure he was okay. You kept him calm.”

“It was good for both of us because I needed the distraction.”

His eyebrows pulled together. “From what?”

I looked down the hall and back at him, unsure if now was the right time to tell him about the call I had with my dad. He already had enough on his plate, and I didn’t want to pull his attention away from where it needed to be, but I knew he would be more upset if I kept it from him.

“My dad called right before Marty.”

He tensed. “What did he want?”

“He said if I don’t come back by the end of the week, he is going to ruin you.”

He blinked. “He said that to you?”

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