Page 51 of Bossy Ex's Brother

“No.” She shook her head and attempted to push herself up, but I refused to let her go. “I’ll be fine. The bacon we had for breakfast was probably going bad or something. I should probably call the kids’ school and make sure they’re okay.”

“You can do that. I don’t care,” I said. “But you’re going to the hospital too, and that’s that.”

She sighed resignedly and avoided my gaze as she softly admitted, “I can’t afford that.”

“Did I ask you if you could?” Did she really think I was going to let her pay for it? She must not know me at all.

I picked her up in my arms, ignoring her little squeal of surprise. She made a little sound of protest as I began carrying her toward the door, her body stiff in my arms, her eyebrows furrowed stubbornly.

“I don’t want you to pay anything for me,” she said. “I don’t want to depend on you or owe you anything.”

“Bullshit.” I walked out the door, nodding toward Brandon, who merely raised an eyebrow in surprise.

Jane buried her head in my shoulder. “God, at least put me down.” The sound was muffled against my shirt. “Everyone’s watching, and this is so embarrassing.”

“Oh yeah?” I didn’t know about that, and frankly, I didn’t care. I didn’t want her feet to even touch the ground in case something might crack, and she started throwing up again. My heart still hadn’t stopped beating in my chest. I couldn’t completely identify the feelings churning through me, but all I knew was that the thought that anything would happen to her terrified me more than anything else.

Jane continued to argue even as we got to the parking lot. I headed to Brandon’s Jeep because I didn’t think she was healthy enough for a motorcycle ride. The key was in the side compartment as usual because Brandon was a trusting son of a bitch who liked getting new cars every month anyway.

I had a bunch of cars, too, but they were all parked in my driveway. All flashy plastic shits that I bought when I was young and didn’t know any better. I barely drove them, but now I wished I had brought one. But Brandon’s Jeep would have to do the trick today.

It was about ten minutes to the nearest emergency center, and I made the trip in seven. Despite Jane’s continued protest, I carried her in through the door, flagging down the closest nurse to get me Dr. Colson. He was the doctor who treated most of my men for gunshot wounds and the like, and not once had he revealed anything he’d seen to the cops, even under pressure. Over the years, the man had proved that he was someone I could trust, and he was now something of an old friend who had stitched me up more times than I could count, no questions asked. It was odd. He either didn’t remember that I was the kid who stole his car parts, or he didn’t care.

When Dr. Colson arrived, I told him everything that happened, with minimal input from Jane. After, they drew blood samples and carried out a physical exam. All the while, she sat there in tense silence.

“What’s up your craw?” I asked after Dr. Colson left.

Her frown deepened. “I don’t like being pushed around, and I don’t like decisions being made for me.”

“Too bad,” I said. When she glared at me. I smiled.

She slipped off the bed then. “That’s it. I don’t have to do this. I’m leaving.”

“Jane—”

“No, I’m not going to sit here, wasting my time while you—”

“Please,” I muttered, and she looked at me, shocked. But then more words started coming, honest words that I could barely recognize. “Just stay. For me. Because if anything happens to you, I don’t know what I’ll….”

I didn’t complete the sentence, but I didn’t need to. The inexplicable emotion was throbbing in the atmosphere between us.

Jane’s eyes were wide, and she seemed frozen in indecision for some time. And then she gave me a sharp nod before crossing her arms and staring out the window.

She glanced at me once during the time we waited, running an evaluative look down my body. Her eyes rested on my knuckles, and she frowned.

“What happened to you?” she asked.

“Nothing serious,” I told her. “I spent all night hitting punching bags at the gym.”

Surprise flashed in her expression. “You weren’t at a club?”

“No. Why would I be?”

A combination of confusion and relief showed in her expression. As well as a kind of satisfaction that teased the corner of her lips.What was that about?

Dr. Colson knocked on the door at that moment, interrupting our conversation. He stepped into the room with a wide smile on his face. “Well, I guess this is congratulations, then.”

I frowned. “For what?”

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