Page 113 of Save Me

“Devin Lawson,” he replied with a grin. “You and I played football together in high school. Welcome home, man. I heard you just got back.”

“Yeah.” With a mirthless laugh, he said, “Not the greatest reception.”

Nodding, Devin agreed. “I hear ya.” Pausing, he checked the wound on Connor’s head. “The good news is this gash should just need some stitches. It’s not too deep. The bump on the back of your head is probably going to give you a bitch of a headache for a few days. They’ll want to do X-rays for it, though.”

“I figured.”

The drive to the hospital was short, and Connor was aware of Ivy following behind them and staying just off to the side while he was admitted. Within minutes he was in a triage room, and after a nurse confirmed all of his information, she left, and it was finally just the two of them.

She looked hesitant and scared and just as beautiful as he remembered. This wasn’t how he imagined seeing her again would be.

Hell, he wasn’t even sure if he ever would see her again. Especially not after his last deployment…

“You should sit,” he told her, and it was crazy how gravelly his voice sounded. “We could be here a while.”

Pulling a chair closer to the bed, she sat. “Head injuries usually take top priority. I’m sure someone will be back here any minute to whisk you off for a CT scan. Then, depending on what they find, they’ll determine whether they need to admit you or if it’s safe for you to go home.” She paused. “Are you staying with your folks?”

“No, uh…they’re currently at their place down in Florida and don’t know I’m home.” Looking back, Connor knew it had seemed like a good idea at the time—not telling them he was coming home, but now he wasn’t so sure. “I’m staying with Jamie until they get back.”

Her big green eyes went wide. “Oh.” Then she paused. “Then I guess we should call Jamie?”

“Why? He already knows I’m here.”

“Well, yeah, but…he’ll need to come and get you at some point. I just thought…”

Unable to help himself, Connor reached out and took one of her hands in his. “Hey,” he said softly. “It’s okay. Once we know something, I’ll call him. For all we know, he and Patrick and Ryleigh followed us here and are out in the waiting room.”

Glancing over her shoulder, she said, “Maybe…”

He knew she was itching to go out there and see for herself, but he wasn’t willing to let her go yet. When he gently squeezed her hand, she faced him. “Ivy…I…”

“Okay, Mr. Easton!” an overly cheery nurse said as she walked in. “Time to take you for some pictures!” She moved around the room and made sure he was secure in the bed before releasing the brakes on it. Then she turned to Ivy. “I promise to have him back to you just as quick as we can!”

He repeated her name, but she took a step back and gave him a weak smile. “I’m going to give Ryleigh a call and let her know what’s going on.”

“You’re going to be here when I get back though, right?”

She nodded, but the nurse had them on the move and all he could do was settle in for the ride.

* * *

A little over an hour later, he was back with Ivy and being prepped for stitches.

So not the way I envisioned this night going…

He still had a ton of questions he wanted to ask Ivy, but she was chatting with the physician and nurse who were working on him as if they were old friends. It was ridiculous to feel like an outsider—especially in this situation—and yet…he did.

Closing his eyes, Connor forced himself to relax. Getting stitches wasn’t anything new, but right now, his anxiety was starting to get the better of him and he just wanted everyone to leave so he could have five minutes alone with Ivy.

“I thought you were off this week, Ivy,” the physician said casually as he began stitching Connor’s head.

“Yeah, wasn’t this supposed to be the start of your long-awaited vacation?” the nurse added.

Even with his eyes closed, he knew Ivy was probably blushing.

“Um…yeah,” she said quietly. “But are we ever really off the clock?” Then she laughed, but he knew it was from nerves. “I wasn’t going out of town or anything. It was just a staycation.”

“I can’t believe you turned down going on a cruise,” her nurse friend commented. “I love those things. All-you-can-eat buffets, tropical locations, and you know there are always a ton of hot guys on board. If someone invited me to go…”

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