“I need you, Wynn. Come back to me. Please. Please, come back. I need to tell you so many things but the most important of all is that I love you. I love you, Wynn Gallagher.”
She pressed a fervent kiss against his knuckles, not holding back her tears. They spilled onto their joined hands.
“Scarlett?” Wynn croaked.
CHAPTER 25
Scarlett’s head snapped up. “You know me?” she asked, holding her breath as she waited for him to answer.
“Yeah. You’re Scarlett. My head hurts.”
She kissed his hand again. “I know, baby. I know.”
“It’s a little hard to see you. Everything’s . . .” His voice faded.
“Blurry?” she offered, knowing he might be having trouble finding the word.
“Uh-huh.” Wynn frowned.
“You were in a car wreck,” she told him. “Do you remember that?”
“No.” A moment passed and he asked, “I was in a car wreck?”
“Yes. You’d just dropped Cady off.”
He thought a moment. “Okay. Why?”
“I don’t know where the two of you had been, Wynn. We can worry about that later. Right now, we need to let the nurse know you’re awake.”
“Wait,” he said softly.
She’d half-risen from her chair and sat again.
He gave her a crooked grin. “I love you.”
Scarlett’s heart burst with happiness. “I love you, too.”
His eyes fluttered and then closed.
“Wynn?” she asked softly.
“I’m awake. My head hurts.”
She leaned over and brushed a kiss on his lips. “I know.” Pushing the call button, she waited a few moments and then the tall nurse built like a linebacker hurried through the door. Scarlett glanced at the whiteboard and retrieved the man’s name.
“Ted, Wynn is awake.”
The nurse looked at his patient and frowned seeing Wynn’s eyes closed.
“Wynn, tell Ted you’re awake,” she prompted.
“I’m awake. My head hurts.”
Ted’s features relaxed as he nudged Scarlett’s hands aside to take Wynn’s pulse. “It’s good to have you back, Mr. Gallagher. I’m a huge Carbon Man fan.”
Wynn opened his eyes, looking puzzled. “Carbon Man,” he repeated.
Scarlett thought he looked unsure as to who Carbon Man was.
“I’m going to page Dr. Thomas,” Ted said and left the room.
“Who’s Carbon Man?” Wynn asked the second the door closed.
Scarlett took his hand again, her fingers entwining with his. “He’s a role you play. You’ve filmed three Carbon Man movies. Do you remember that?”
His face scrunched up in thought. “Maybe.”
“It’s okay. The doctor said you might have a few memory gaps when you woke up. I’m glad you remembered me,” she said warmly.
He gave her a tired smile. “I wish I could kiss you but everything hurts. Even when I breathe.”
“You have two broken ribs. It’s going to take time for your body to heal.”
“I feel really bad. Like I had too much to drink and it’s the world’s worst hangover ever. And a truck hit me. An eighteen wheeler.” He thought a moment. “Does Carbon Man wear gray?”
“Yes.”
“I think I remember being in a gray, stretchy outfit.”
“You look good in it.” She grinned. “You also look good out of it.”
He chuckled and then groaned. “That hurt. Don’t make me laugh.” His eyes roamed over her. “You are my girlfriend, right?”
“I am.” She tenderly cupped his check. “And you’re my everything.”
Dr. Thomas quickly entered the room, followed by Del and Cady.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Gallagher. How are you feeling?”
“Bad. My head hurts.”
“He’s mentioned that several times,” Scarlett said.
“I’m not surprised, Mr. Gallagher. A car doing almost fifty miles an hour T-boned you. I’m surprised you only suffered a broken arm and a couple of broken ribs. I’ve already paged another doctor who worked on you. We’re going to give you a thorough examination.” The physician turned. “I’ll need everyone to leave the room for a few minutes. It won’t take long.”
As they left, Scarlett heard Wynn say, “Do you think my girlfriend is beautiful? I do.”
They waited in the hall as another doctor entered Wynn’s room. Scarlett told both Youngbloods everything she could recall from her brief conversation with Wynn.
“I’m glad he doesn’t remember the accident,” Cady said. “I’ll never forget the one I was in.” She shuddered.
“I was able to tell him he’d dropped you off but I didn’t know where you’d been.”
“An art exhibition for my boyfriend,” Del said. “Rob is on the floor below in a waiting room with your friends. Only family is allowed up here.”
“I didn’t realize Keely and Mac were still here. I should go tell them Wynn is awake and that they should leave.”
The door opened and Dr. Thomas stepped out. “I believe Mr. Gallagher is going to make a full recovery.”
Relief swept through Scarlett. She said, “He repeated himself a lot. Is that a cause for concern?”
“No. The fact that he’s articulate, forming full sentences is very good. Part of the muddled thinking will involve repeating himself. That will decrease dramatically in the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours. He’s hungry. I’ll have a nurse bring him something to eat but it may be hard for him to chew because of the swelling in his face. We’ll keep him on a soft diet for a couple of days.”
The other doctor came out and introduced himself. Scarlett learned that Wynn’s broken ribs had been stabilized and he’d received a steroid injection earlier to reduce the inflammation and pain and help him breathe more easily. The doctor would order one more injection but this could weaken Wynn’s immune system, so he’d need to be watched closely in case he developed pneumonia.
They thanked him and returned to Wynn’s room. He talked with them a few minutes, asking where he’d been. When Del mentioned the art exhibit and Wynn meeting the artist, Rob Delgado, Wynn had no recollection of the night. He was also vague about the days leading up to the accident and Scarlett knew he’d forgotten about their argument. When the time came, she would need to tell him about it and hope he forgave her.
Wynn told them he was tired and the three left him to sleep. Del texted
