I did that often, just sat next to her bed and talked.
“Rhett and Landon went to your old apartment and gathered up all the boxes we’d packed. They’re waiting at the house, because I’m not sure where you would want everything, and I want it all to be perfect for you.” I heard someone come into the room, but I didn’t stop talking; I didn’t care who heard me rambling on. They could think what they wanted; I was talking to my girl, even if she couldn’t hear me. “They’d planned to go back in a few days to get all the furniture. There’s not much from my place we’re taking, just my personal stuff.”
My apartment was furnished, so none of the furniture there was mine.
“I told them to just put the furniture in each room but not to worry about where, because that’s up to you.”
I saw movement to my left, just before a soft purple blanket was draped over Maddison’s waist. I could tell by the hands it was a woman, and by the ring she wore, I knew it was Alexis. That meant it was just after four, because she came that same time every day.
“How’s our girl doing?”
“Still as beautiful as ever.” Alex placed her hand on my shoulder and offered me a gentle squeeze.
“After the swelling went down from the surgery, she started to look more like herself.”
She’d been through three surgeries since the day of the accident, one on her leg and two on her face. There would be scarring, but we were being told it would be minimal. None of that scared me. To me, she was my Pretty Girl no matter what.
“Why don’t you get yourself something to eat? A coffee maybe? Stretch your legs a bit.”
“I’m good.” I hated leaving her.
“I know, Mike.” I looked up at Alexis, and she offered me a smile. “I’d like to spend some alone time with my daughter. Just for a bit.”
I knew I couldn’t deny her, but it was almost impossible to make my legs move. With one big deep breath in, I pushed up off the chair and was surprised when Alexis pulled me in for a hug. “I love the way you love her,” she whispered, and I felt the tightness in my chest grow. “You’re a good man, Mikey.” Everyone in the older clan still called me Mikey, and each time they did, it made me feel like a kid again.
“You of all people know just how easy she is to love.” I offered her a hug in return before stepping back and forcing myself to walk out of the room. But not before I paused in the doorway to look back at Maddison one last time.
I spent over an hour walking the halls of the hospital, wandering to the maternity floor once again and pausing to watch the babies. A flashback of the conversation Maddison and I shared about children warmed my heart before tears sprang to my eyes.
It was then that I knew I needed to see her; I could feel an intense pull to be near her.
I walked first at a fast pace and continued to pick up speed until I was jogging to the elevator. When it didn’t come fast enough, I hit the stairs and took them two at a time until I was three floors up and pushing through the door, exiting into a long hallway. Again, I started to jog, people looking at me as I passed by, some looking offended, but I didn’t care.
I rounded the corner and could see the nurses’ station just across from Maddison’s room. The doctor stepped out of the room, a nurse trailing close behind, and they were both smiling. The sounds of my shoes hitting the tiled floor must have gained their attention, and they both looked up just as I skidded to a stop.
“What’s going on?” I hated that I missed their visit.
“Why don’t you go take a look for yourself?” The doctor pointed toward Mad’s room just as my phone chimed in my back pocket.
When I pulled out my phone and peeked at the screen, I swore my heart fucking leaped out of my chest. A deep, penetrating ache was followed by such an unbelievably fast heart rate hammering in my chest, I felt slightly woozy from it all.
Rhett: She’s awake.
That was all it said, and I dropped my phone without meaning to and pushed open the door with caution, my hands shaking intensely. My eyes instantly found her, and then my legs grew weak as I fell to my knees in the middle of the doorway. My head dropping, I lifted my hands to cover my face as I wept in relief.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Maddison
I was still groggy from the medication but alert enough to understand what was taking place. Seeing Mike cry broke something inside of me. I swore I felt it crack inside my chest, a pain so deep and so intense that it hurt to breathe. That could also be related to the injuries my mother told me I sustained, but I knew a huge part was due to the man I loved weeping in the center of an opened doorway as not only the doctor and nurse stood behind him, but also a few random members of my family. My father and brother, Gran and Gramps and Rhett, stood back, giving Mike the chance to recover.
When he lifted his head to look at me once more, I reached out for
