Page 126 of Heart & Hope

He shakes my hand, confusion filtering over his features. “You were in curtain six. Isn’t it Rawlins?”

“Long story. Can we focus on Ruby?”

“Fine. I take it you’re discharging yourself?”

“Yep.” I return my focus to Ruby.

He stares at me for a heartbeat before tracking to the bed. “Your wife has had a hard knock, but her scans came back clean. We sedated her a little earlier. Nothing major, only a Valium. She woke up agitated, she was panicking, calling for you.”

Ruby needed me. And I wasn’t fucking here.

“How long ’til she wakes up from the sedative?”

“A few hours and she will be up. I suggest you be here when she wakes up this time.”

He nods and writes something brief in her chart before walking out and replacing the curtain. Ruby scared is one thing I can’t accept.

I lean over and dot a kiss to her cheek. “Hey, baby. I’m here, beautiful. Whenever you’re ready.”

She doesn’t move.

Just lies there, breathing slow and steady. I can only imagine the dreams she is having right now. I hope to hell she’s not reliving the truck careening off the road. I don’t want her to be scared. That tears me up. Standing, I drag the only chair in the cubicle to her bedside and sink into it. Dropping my head on the side of the bed, I fold her hand between my own.

My body is sore and tired. My head more so, from the months hustling, trying to reconcile with the fact that Rubes is leaving soon. I close my eyes and the room spins. I press her hand to my lips again and let sleep take me wherever the fuck it wants.

“Reed...” Ruby’s voice is weak and raspy. I snap my head up and jolt onto the bed. She leans forward, and I help her sit up. When she is steady and sitting comfortably, I lean back to study her face, needing to see in her eyes that she is okay.

“Baby, you scared me,” I choke.

Her eyes widen, pulling with fear.

I take her face in my hands and move closer. “Hey, hey, you’re okay. You’re safe. I’m right here.”

She shakes her head. “Olive... my work... your—” She tilts her head with a whimper. “Yourtruck.”

Sobs spill from her lips, her fingers sliding into her hair.

Fuck my goddamn truck.

“Ruby, I don’t care about the truck. It’s just a vehicle.” I don’t know what to say on the other two points. I don’t know Olive or how Big Corporate deals with this sort of misconduct.

“You loved that thing.” Tears track down her reddened cheeks. Her face crumples, and she winces.

“Ruby Jane Rawlins, I love you so, so much more.”

She loses it, sobbing hard as I pull her into a hug. I rub her back, dotting kisses to her hair as she lets out every ounce of fear, stress, worry, and hurt. The last few days have been too much. What I wouldn’t give to make all the hard things in her life disappear.

As her sobs fade, she leans back and wipes her face with her hands. Her brown eyes land on mine. “I need to go home, Reed.”

“Sure, baby, I’ll take you home. I’ll grab Harry’s truck.”

“No.” Her voice is barely a whisper. “I need to go tomyhome. I’ve ruined everything. It’s a disaster. I need to try and fix it.”

The stone in my throat sinks, transforming into a full-on fucking anvil in my gut. And it must show on my face, because hers breaks again. She schools it back and sucks in a breath.

“I need to figure out what I want. And where I go from here. I need to talk to Olive. Maybe my parents?”

Forcing air into my lungs, then back out, I stare at our hands, tangled together.

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