Page 30 of Fools in Love

“Can I see him?”

He gave me a soft nod. “You can. You have to say you’re his girlfriend though. I vouched for you. He’s in room301.”

I leaned up and gave him a squeeze. “Thank you, thank you,” I said as I stopped hugging him. “Are you guys coming up?”

“In a bit. You go first,” Luis said.

I practically sprinted toward the stairwell. I figured the stairs would be faster than an old hospital elevator.

I’d spent hours in Robbie’s room, sitting in a chair right next to his bed as I waited for him to come to. The nurses told me that they’d sedated him for the pain, so they weren’t sure when he’d wake up. After they reassured me that he wasn’t in a coma—too muchGrey’s Anatomyfor me—I relaxed as much as I could.

He was visibly bruised, and there were scratches on his face and ears. Parts of him that shouldn’t have been were noticeably swollen, but I had been told that was all normal as well. Robbie’s body was in healing mode.

“Visiting hours will be over soon,” one of the nurses told me.

I asked if I could stay. I didn’t want him to wake up alone. She said that I could, and I almost cried with relief even though I knew I wouldn’t have gone far. If they’d said I couldn’t be in his room, I would have moved to the main waiting area. I wasn’t leaving this hospital until my man opened his eyes.

Whoa.

My man?

“April…” Robbie’s scratchy voice filled the air, and I gasped out loud as he looked around, confusion etched all over his face. “Where am I?”

“You’re in the hospital, you big jerk.” I wanted to smack his leg, but I refrained. For his sake.

“The hospital?” His eyes pulled together as his mouth closed tight before he tried to nod, but stopped quick. “Right. I was jogging.” He visibly relaxed, as if all the pieces had just put themselves in place. “I hit something. Or something hit me?”

“You versus a car. The car won.”

“I sort of remember that,” he said before asking, “What are you doing here?” For once, he didn’t sound rude or annoyed.

“Someone called Captain Alvarez. Captain Alvarez called Sheila. Sheila told me.”

“And you came here?”

“Of course I came here.” As if his stupid behavior from earlier could have been enough to warrant me giving up on him that easily. “I was worried.” I wiped at my eyes with my knuckles, but it was no use. Emotion welled up out of me, and the tears fell down my cheeks.

“About me?” He looked at my hands, which were inches from his body, but not touching him.

“Yes, you idiot. I was worried about you.” I sniffed and wished I could stop crying.

“Even after I made you leave?”

This man was going to be the bane of my existence. Testing me at every turn. Forcing me to confront my growing feelings for him.

“Yes. Even after you made me leave,” I said before I started feeling a little insecure. What if he didn’t want me here now? What if I’d misread the entire situation and gotten my interpretation of him all wrong? “Do you want me to go?” I asked softly, holding my breath while I waited for him to answer.

He tried to move but winced with the pain and stopped. “No.” His green eyes met mine. “I don’t want you to go.”

All the air left my lungs, and the tears fell a little harder as my emotions got the best of me.

“I’m sorry I acted like such a dick this morning,” he apologized.

I didn’t want to tell him thatit was okaybecause that felt like giving him a pass to do it again in the future. But I also didn’t want him thinking that I was angry with him because I really wasn’t.

“I think I got scared,” he said, saving me from having to come up with the perfect response to his apology.

“I know.”

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