Page 59 of Sleigh Bells and Snowstorms
“Thank you,” I said and dabbed the corners of my eyes. “Sorry. Today has been a lot.”
He kissed me again. How did that feel so natural? It was as if suddenly there was nothing more normal in the world than Jensen kissing me.
I decided not to think too deeply about that. I had enough on my plate. For the moment, I’d simply enjoy it.
Enjoy him.
“Are you hooked up to anything?” He glanced around the bed and peeked beneath the blanket.
“No. I just have to wait for my discharge paperwork.”
He rolled his eyes. “I hate paperwork. Let’s be on our way.”
I laughed. “Jensen, I work here. I can’t walk out without being discharged.”
“Fine.” He stood. “Who do I need to talk to?”
“No, just wait.” I took his hand and tugged on it, nudging him to sit. “She’ll get to it as soon as she can.”
He lowered himself onto the edge of the bed again. “Are we in danger of being late for Annabel?”
I checked the clock on the wall. “No, she doesn’t get out of school for another hour.”
“And you’re sure you’re all right? No internal bleeding or anything?”
“I’m sure. If I were bleeding internally, I’d have a lot more pain, especially in my abdomen. Plus weakness, dizziness, rapid bruising or swelling at the impact site, cold clammy skin, and nausea and vomiting.”
“I suppose you do know what to look for.”
I nodded and glanced around the room. “I’ve actually never been a patient here. It’s weird. I think this is the room where we treated the guy who’d nailed his hand to a two-by-four a few weeks ago. He didn’t want to pull out the nail himself, so he sawed off the end of the board and brought it with him.”
“You mean he came in with a nail through his hand, still attached to the wood?”
“Yep.”
“Well, good on him for thinking on his feet.”
“That’s what I thought. We were able to get it out and it didn’t do any permanent damage.”
The nurse came around the curtain and thankfully, she had my discharge paperwork. No one likes having to spend time in emergency, but I felt especially awkward, considering my coworkers were all outside picketing.
Once she left, Jensen stood. I was in a hospital gown and my clothes had been set aside, so I hesitated, clutching the blanket that covered me.
“I need to get dressed,” I said.
The corners of his lips turned up in a wicked grin. “Go ahead.”
“The first time you see me naked is not going to be here.”
His smile grew, and his tongue slid across his lower lip. “Is that an invitation to see you naked later?”
“I don’t know,” I said decisively. “I haven’t decided about you yet.”
“All right.” That smile was going to kill me. “What about dinner, then? Have I convinced you of that?”
He turned up the heat, his dark eyes smoldering with suggestion. But I wasn’t giving in that easily, no matter what his kiss had done to me.
“How about this? You can come to dinner at my house. With Nina and Annabel there.”
