Page 48 of Choosing Skyler

“Nothing yet. He was in a meeting. I left a message with his assistant and then called his cell phone and left a voicemail there too,” he tells me, sounding disappointed. “Please don’t tell Skyler until I hear back from him.”

“I won’t. Get some rest. This week is going to be rough, man,” I tell him.

“Yeah, you too. Kiss Skyler for me.” He chuckles when I growl.

I huff. “Goodnight, Devon.”

“Night, man,” he says before ending the call.

Chapter 19

Skyler

I wake with a burning feeling, like I’m about to pee my pants. I grab the remote attached to the bedrail and press the nurse call button. It’s still dark, so it must be the middle of the night. Brady is snoring next to me.

Julie’s voice comes through the speaker. “Yes?”

When I start to speak, nothing comes out but a wheeze.Damn it.

She must hear it, though, because she answers, “Skyler? I’ll be right there.”

She comes in a minute later carrying a syringe. I point at it and shake my head.

“It’s just Tylenol,” she assures me. “Do you need something stronger?”

I shake my head and point to my lap, waving my hand toward the bathroom. I frown, remembering Brady asleep next to me. I look at him, sleeping peacefully and I don’t want to wake him up.

Julie doesn’t seem to mind, though. “Wake up, sleeping beauty,” she says, her voice louder than necessary.

Brady jolts upright, before turning to me with a panicked expression. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?” he asks as reaches up to cup my face.

I smile at him, placing my hand on top of his and nod.

“She wants to get out of bed,” Julie tells him. “I’m going to help her to the bathroomafterI give her this Tylenol,” she says before turning her gaze on me and raising an eyebrow.

“I’ll be right here, Beautiful,” Brady tells me as Julie injects the medicine into my IV.

I smile and nod, nuzzling into his hand on my cheek. He kisses my forehead before gently climbing out of bed.

“Don’t rush. One step at a time. I’ll be right here in case you stumble,” she tells me.

Brady comes straight to me and starts to lift me up, but Julie stops him. “Brady, she needs to walk. She needs to start getting her feet back under her. Let her do this,” she orders him.

He frowns but nods. “Okay, Beautiful. Listen to Julie. Up you go.”

I grip the walker and stand on shaky legs. I feel like a newborn foal, walking for the first time. Brady is right there with his hands around my waist. Once I’m standing, he steps back, following me as I slowly make my way into the bathroom. I look at Brady and point to the door. He just shakes his head.

“You can’t call out when you’re done. So, either I stay, or Julie comes in. Which is it?” he asks, crossing his arms stubbornly.

I chew on my bottom lip and spin my hand ordering him to turn around. I guess that’s all the privacy I get for now.

After helping me shower and stand at the sink to brush my teeth, Brady guides me back to the bed. I sit and lay back, exhausted. Brady starts to sit in the chair, but I shake my head, patting the bed next to me.

He chuckles. “Okay, Beautiful. Let me go shower and change and I’ll lay with you. Is that okay?”

I drop my gaze, chewing on my bottom lip. I don’t want to tell him that I’m afraid to be alone. Before I realize what he’s doing, he’s reaching for the remote and pressing the call button.

“Yes?” Julie’s voice comes over the speaker.

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