Her eyes glisten with unshed tears as she leans her forehead against mine, “What did I do to deserve such a sweet guy like you?”
“Oh sweetheart, you didn’t do anything, you were just you. And you did give me that amazing gift basket,” I say trying to lighten the mood a bit.
She laughs as tears track down her cheeks and she presses her soft warm lips to mine. She pulls away slightly and whispers against my lips, “That’s the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me.”
A knock on the door interrupts our moment as seconds later the door as it opens and the doctor enters the room. “Good morning Ms. McDaniels.”
“Good morning. Doctor Weaver, this is my boyfriend, Alek Berringer.”
The doctor nods in my direction, “Ms. McDaniels, I have to ask if I can freely discuss your treatment in front of your boyfriend.”
Rose squeezes my hand as she answers, “Yes, of course.”
The doctor nods again, “Very well then. As you know, we repaired the compound fracture in your arm with some pins, and the hairline fracture in your shoulder should heal on its own with continued rest.” He flips through the chart in his hands, “According to the nurse’s notes, you’ve not displayed any signs of concussion in the last twenty-four hours.” Closing the chart he continues, “Since it appears that you’ll have help at home, I’m going to discharge you. The nurse will be in shortly to go over your discharge instructions. I expect to see you in my office next week to follow up.”
“Thank you Doctor Weaver, I’ll be there,” Rose says a smile spreading across her face.
By the time the nurse comes in to give Rose her discharge instructions, it’s well after lunchtime. After a quick stop at the pharmacy, we climb back in the car and Rose says, “I really should go to the shop and check on the order for the wedding.”
I reach over and give her knee a squeeze, “Are you sure you feel like doing that?”
She smiles as she covers my hand with hers, “It will ease my mind to know everything is on track and I won’t have a disappointed bride on my hands.”
“Okay. I’ll take you to the shop so you can visit and then I’ll go pick us up some lunch. Deal?”
“Deal. Thank you.”
I lean over and place a soft kiss on her lips, “You’re welcome.”
I pull out of the parking lot and drive the short distance to the flower shop. I pull into a parking spot, turn off the engine and exit the vehicle to assist Rose out of the car. Opening her door, I help her to stand before walking her into the shop.
A young strawberry blonde greets us as we enter. “Hi, can I…Rose what are you doing here?”
“Hi Stacy. We were on our way home and I asked Alek to stop by so I could check on you all.”
Before Stacy can say anything else, Janet comes through the doorway, stopping short with her hands on her hips. Tossing a glare my way I raise my hands in surrender.
“Rose McDaniels what are you doing here?”
Rose smiles and shakes her head, “Don’t be mad at Alek, I asked him to bring me by. I’m not staying, I just stopped by to make sure you were doing okay with the wedding order.”
Janet softens as she steps toward Rose and hugs her gently, “We are doing just fine. I have two more bouquets to make and the boutonnieres to put together. Stacy is going to help me with the delivery tomorrow, and Taylor is watching the shop while we’re gone.”
Rose visibly relaxes, “I hope you know I never doubted that you’d have everything under control, I just wanted to make sure for my own peace of mind.”
Janet smiles softly at her, “I know. Truth be told, I would have done the same thing. You know I could make those arrangements in my sleep, so you have nothing to worry about. Now you let this handsome man take you home and get some rest.”
Rose wraps her arm around Janet’s neck and gives her a hug. “I will. Thank you all for taking care of everything.”
Janet steps back out of her embrace, “It’s no problem at all. Now get out of here. We’ll call if we need you for anything.”
We say our goodbyes and then head over to the café to get us each a sandwich, before we are on our way back to Rose’s house.
We pull into the drive and I place the car in park before retrieving the bags from the backseat. I round the front of the car and open the passenger door, offering Rose my hand with a slight bow, “M’lady.”
Rose giggles and places her hand in mine, “Why thank you kind sir.”
I raise her hand to my lips and kiss it gently, “Come on let’s get you inside and feed.”
By the time we get inside and settled down to eat I can tell Rose is getting tired. Other than a few walks around the nursing station, this is the most she’s been up in the past few days.
As we begin to eat our sandwiches, Rose glances up at me and says, “In case I haven’t told you, thank you.”
I sit my sandwich down and take a drink from my bottle of water before I offer, “For what?”
She tilts her head to the side as if to study me, “Leaving your tour, rushing back here, sitting with me in the hospital, taking me by the flower shop, for everything.”
I scoff a laugh and shake my head before my eyes meet hers again. “One of these days you’re going to understand there isn’t much I wouldn’t do for you.”
Rose gets up from her chair, walks over and sits in my lap. Wrapping her arm around my neck, she leans in and kisses me. “There isn’t much I wouldn’t do
