Page 60 of The Hookup
She checked his chart and told me she was slightly reducing his pain meds, since he’d been out of it since his surgery. After she left, I curled up in the chair I’d moved right beside his bed and closed my eyes. It had been a long twenty-four hours, and weariness was bearing down on me.
Sometime later, Ryder whispered my name, and my eyes flew open. I jumped up and gently cupped his cheek as I told him, “I’m right here.”
He rasped, “My mouth is really dry.”
I poured some water from a plastic pitcher on the side table and held it to his lips. He raised his head and took a sip, and after he dropped back onto his pillow, he murmured, “I’m having a hard time telling the difference between fantasy and reality.”
“That’s probably because you’re on some powerful painkillers. The doctor was here a few minutes ago and dialed them back a bit. That’ll probably help clear your head, but does your hip hurt?”
“There’s a dull ache, but that’s better than being totally out of it.” He searched my face for a long moment as I stroked his hair. Finally, he asked, “Did I try to break up with you?”
“You actually tried pitching a six-month break, told me you loved me, and passed out.”
“Wow.”
“Yeah.”
“I didn’t tell you what happened?”
“No, but I found out two minutes later, when I asked Vee to message one of your teammates. Then I hopped on the first available flight.”
He seemed confused. “Why did you do that?”
“Because I love you, Ryder, and this is where I belong.”
“I wish I wasn’t so out of it right now,” he muttered. “I’m pretty sure you just told me you love me, but there’s like, a fifty-fifty chance I’m dreaming or possibly hallucinating.”
“All of this is a lot to process right now, but don’t worry. I’ll tell you again when you’re more lucid, then again and again, every day from now on.”
He mumbled, “Is this a pity thing? Did they fuck up the surgery? Am I minutes from bleeding out?”
“No, it all went perfectly. There’s some cool new hardware in your hip, which will probably set off every metal detector you come across from now on. And it’s definitely not a pity thing. It’s something I’ve been wanting to say for a while now.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“Because I was a coward, and I wanted to hear you say it first.”
“Sorry it took being stoned off my ass to finally tell you how I feel.” I leaned in and kissed him, and he muttered, “I’m probably so gross right now. The last time I brushed my teeth was Saturday morning. What day is it?”
“It’s Sunday. Your surgery was this morning.”
“Sunday…” He thought about that for a few moments. When the lightbulb went off, it woke him up a bit and he blurted, “You can’t be here!”
“Why not?”
“Because your fashion show is tomorrow. You need to get back to San Francisco! If you leave now, maybe you can find a flight and make it back in time.”
I sat down and held his hand between both of mine. “I’m not going anywhere, Ryder.”
“But the show?—”
“Isn’t even sort of as important as you are.”
“You have to show your collection. You worked really hard on it, and it’sso good.”
“Don’t worry. I talked to Vee and Kit during one of my layovers, and they offered to stand in for me. I also emailed my instructor and told him I was called out of town on an emergency. He’s fine with them showing the collection in my absence. The clothes are ready, and my models know what to do, because we rehearsed it. Vee and Kit are perfectly capable of taking it from here. All the rest of my schoolwork is done too, by the way. I turned in the last of my assignments on Friday.”
“But if you’re not at the fashion show in person, you won’t get to talk to the recruiters, or scouts, or whatever they are. If you miss out on a great job offer because of me, I’ll never forgive myself.”
