“Good,” I say.
Trix slides off her chair and walks over to sit in the empty one beside me. “Listen, Melanie,” she says as she tucks her legs beneath her. “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have kept that secret admirer stuff from you.”
I smile. “It’s okay, Trix.”
“No, it’s not. I knew I was being a bad friend, but I also saw how happy it made you, and I made a bad call. I’m truly sorry.”
“I’m sorry, too,” I say.
“And I wasn’t laughing at you. I really meant well, I swear.”
“I know.”
“I shouldn’t have said those things to you. I don’t think you’re a joke. Please, don’t hate me.”
“Or me!” Nora adds. “I was just a bystander in all this.”
I turn up my hand on the armrest, offering it to Trix. She takes it.
“I don’t hate you guys,” I say. I stare down the hall at the doors marked for hospital personnel only. “There are more important things to worry about right now.”
Trix pulls me closer. I rest my head on her tattooed shoulder as Nora shuffles over to sit on my right. She takes my other hand and the three of us sit in silence as we wait.
Forty-Three
Robbie
Ouch.
Well, this feels… unpleasant.
My mouth is dry. My entire body is stiff. The air is cold and sterile. Voices murmur somewhere nearby, small and muted. Female. Definitely female.
Melanie.
My eyes twitch, desperate to open and see her face. The fatigue is almost too much, but I raise my eyelids just enough to let some light in.
A gasp. “He’s waking up.”
A shuffle of feet. Multiple females.
“Hey, Robbie?”
“Robbie? Can you hear us? Are you okay?”
“Blink twice for yes.”
“Good god, Nora, it’s not a brain injury.”
“Still, you never know!”
Fingers wrap around my right hand.
“Chill out, guys.”
There.
That’s my Melanie.
I squint to block out the harsh white lights above my bed. A hospital bed.
Their faces slowly come into focus. Nora stands on my right with a large to-go cup of coffee in her hand. Trix leans in beside her, eager to get a good look at me over Nora’s shoulder.
And Melanie. She cradles my left hand between hers, as warm and comforting as the smile on her face. While the others appear well-rested and dressed to impress, she’s looks tired and worn out. She’s been here a while.
I look at each of them standing around my bed. All of my gals.
I wet my raw lips. “Either I died and went to heaven or Melanie finally talked you ladies into that foursome,” I say.
They deflate, relieved and annoyed.
“Yeah, he’s fine,” Trix says, rolling her eyes.
I try to laugh, but a heavy pressure in my chest stops me. I cough instead.
“Ouch,” I groan.
Melanie lays a hand on my shoulder. “Try not to move too much,” she says. “You’ve had surgery.”
I eye the IV sticking out of the back of my right hand. “Lovely,” I say.
Nora sighs, her eyes playfully scolding me. “You know, when you said you were going to pretend to be Batman, I didn’t think you were serious!”
“You’ve got a lot to learn about men, Bubbles,” I say.
She laughs, her eyes glistening. “I can’t believe you took a bullet for me.”
“Yeah,” Trix says. “That was alpha as fuck, dude.”
I attempt a nonchalant shrug. “Don’t act so surprised.” I cough again.
Nora leans over and kisses my forehead. “Thank you,” she whispers. “I’ll never forget it.”
I look at my hospital gown, feeling wretched and cold, but at least I’m alive.
At least Melanie is here.
I try to squeeze her hand. She squeezes me back.
“Alex is in jail, by the way,” Trix says.
“Oh, good,” I say. “I was hoping.”
“No deals, no mercy this time. And if they set him loose again, he won’t make it past the sidewalk.”
I chuckle at the joke, but that vicious glint in Trix’s dark eyes says it’s probably not a joke. Pissing off the princess of the Argento crime family was the last mistake this guy will ever make, that’s for sure.
“Thanks,” is all I can say.
She pats my knee. “Don’t mention it, big guy. Seriously, this conversation never happened.”
I look at Melanie’s downturn eyes. “You’re awfully quiet,” I say.
She presses her dry lips together. “Not much to say.”
“That’s a first.”
Her smile is brief, but pained.
Nora takes a step back. “We’ll go let the nurses know you’re awake,” she says, nudging Trix’s arm.
“Right.” Trix takes the hint. “Get some more coffee, too. You want?”
Melanie shakes her head. “No, I’m okay,” she says.
She’s not okay.
“If I pass out before you get back,” I say, “thanks for being here, ladies.”
Nora and Trix grin as they link arms and exit the room together.
Melanie’s silence continues. Her eyes fall and she stares at our intertwined fingers for a few moments more.
Her throat clears as she sits up a little. “I gave Roger the keys to your place,” she says slowly. “He’s going to grab some things for you, since you might be here a while. The doctor wants to keep you under observation for a few days.”
I nod. “All right.”
“You have two broken ribs,” she continues, swallowing hard.
“Oh, that’s not too bad.”
“And a punctured lung.”
I wince. “Ah.”
“I’ve already talked to your supervisor. He said they’d hold your slot through the end of March, so you don’t have to worry about losing your job.”
“Well, that’s good,” I say, feeling numb.
“The doctor thinks you’ll be back on your feet long before then, so long as you don’t strain yourself too much.”
I glare at the IV again. “Is this morphine?” I ask.
Melanie nods. “I asked if it were possible for you to go without and he said that you’d have to be a real stubborn bastard to do that.” She briefly smiles, then lets it fall again. “We talked about a treatment plan. Once you leave here, you’ll need someone to handle your pain meds for you. Roger volunteered.”
I gaze at her sunken brow and the weight on my chest grows even heavier.
She looks at my left side, her
