Page 65 of Highway To Destiny

We got back to my phone and saw I had numerous texts, phone calls, and email messages to go through. With Eli and Connor as my hands and eyes, they whittled down the emails quickly. The voicemails and texts were another thing. I needed to know what the voicemails said first, so Connor played them on the speakerphone.

As soon as I heard Sylvia’s voice, it struck me that neither she nor Jack had any idea I was in the hospital, and I was in Seattle. She’d left a few voicemails over days, and with each message, it was clear she’d become extremely concerned. They had expected to see me at Thanksgiving.

Connor dialed their number and handed me the phone.

40

CONNOR

Mason took the phone from my hand and put it to his ear. I knew he didn’t want it to be on speakerphone. I looked at Eli and canted my head toward the door to give Mason some privacy.

Eli spoke first once we got to the hallway. “Now your family is here, do you want to meet them for dinner?” he asked, maybe thinking I’d changed my mind about waiting to see them tomorrow.

“Eli, we discussed going to a nice restaurant tonight for a salmon dinner I know you’ve been thinking about all day,” I replied. We needed a break from the hospital, and that would give Mason a night to rest without us hovering.

Eli snickered and said, “Yeah, Ihadbeen thinking about it all day. I went ahead and made reservations once I suggested it to you.” He seemed relieved, and I had the impression he didn’t necessarily like eating at a nice restaurant in the big city by himself.

We went back to Mason’s room after a few minutes, and he’d just finished his phone call. I saw he still held the phone in his hand, but it lay by his side. He stared at the ceiling.

“Is everything okay?” I asked. He closed his eyes before he spoke.

“They’ve been in a panic about me, and I feel guilty about the worry they’ve been through,” he said sadly. I slipped my hand in his. “They plan on coming to see me this weekend. She said they’d call before they do and when I’d be up for a visit.”

I knew Mason’s caring nature and understood how he felt. “You know it’s not your fault. You had an accident and were gravely injured, babe. I wish I’d thought about getting hold of them and letting them know. They live here, and I should have thought of calling them. Now I feel shitty,” I said as I stroked his hand with my thumb.

Eli chuckled next to me. “Well, you can both feel shitty, but it’s neither of yours fault, so let it go,” Eli said, addressing Mason. “They won’t hold it against you.”

Mason looked at us both. “I want you guys to meet them, and I need you both to be here when I have that conversation. It’s important.”

I looked at Eli, and his confusion matched my own. Mason looked tired, and I knew it had been a long day for him, seeing Mom and Kyle, let alone the phone call he’d just had. I felt it was a good time to let him get his rest, and I wanted to talk to the doctor about the next steps in his recovery.

I leaned over and kissed his lips tenderly. “Eli and I are going to dinner, so you need to get your rest tonight,” I said as I gazed into his eyes, which had become hooded with sleepiness. I had a feeling he’d pressed his pain medication button after the phone call.

Mason hummed, and I yearned for him. I knew it would be a long time before we could be intimate again, but I brushed that aside, knowing we’d be able to tangle together once he’d healed. It had been well over two weeks, and I hadn’t even thought of sex. But now, my dick stirred at the thought. I knew if I’d stay any longer, though, I wouldn’t be able to pull myself away from the handsome man lying in that bed.

Eli and I went back to our hotel to clean up and then headed out for dinner. It was a nice change from the routine we’d fallen into. Fast food and the hospital cafeteria didn’t have the same appeal after the exquisite meal and service we experienced tonight. Mason and I both had fresh Coho salmon that had been grilled to perfection. I could easily get used to it, but I knew it would require graduating from school, finding my career path, and making good money to afford that kind of luxury.

During dinner, Eli and I discussed the next steps for all of us. Mason was soon to be placed in the neurology ward, where they could monitor his progress better. Dr. Ellington was pleased with his cognitive ability and felt he’d be able to be discharged in the next week or so. Mason would require rehabilitation, and he’d yet to have the cranioplasty to replace the part of his skull they’d removed. My head swirled with questions.

Where is Mason going to go once he’s discharged? Who will care for him? How long will he be in rehab for recovery? How long before he’s able to work again?So many questions and variables needed to be thought out.

I needed to get back to the university, and Eli needed to get back to Crescent City, but we needed answers about Mason’s recovery first. I was just happy I could work on my thesis remotely, and Spencer was a godsend, sending me the information I needed from the university’s library. And it gave me a chance to talk to my best friend, who I missed terribly. Eli stayed in touch with the staff at his bar, and he was a bit more flexible with his time away.

I couldn’t sleep, and I had a restless night. I couldn’t shut off the mind chatter as I thought of all the things Eli and I had talked about at dinner. I found myself up in the middle of the night, jotting down more questions than answers. I only hoped that over the next few days, we’d have a plan.

When Saturday morning came, Eli and I decided to head to the hospital together around mid-morning. Not having had much sleep, I was moving slower than normal. Eli felt it was worth teasing me about. I knew Mom and Kyle would probably wait until closer to lunchtime before they showed, and I planned on texting them once we arrived. We still weren’t sure when Mason’s ex-in-laws would be visiting, though. We stopped for much-needed coffee and headed to the ICU.

Amanda greeted us as we arrived at the nurse’s station and said Mason had been taken out of the ICU earlier in the morning. Dr. Ellington preferred him to be in the neurology ward, which she directed us to.

As much as I thought Amanda could be a first-class bitch at times, I was thankful for the care she’d given Mason. She was a good nurse. I’d miss Sam the most, but I made a mental note to come up and see her later when her shift started.

We found Mason’s new room easily enough, and when we walked in, there was a woman who had a tape measure around his head. Mason looked our way, trying not to turn as she worked, and I couldn’t tell whether he was amused by what was going on or irritated. I’d hoped for the former because I didn’t like a grumpy Mason. I walked up and gave him a quick kiss as she removed the measuring tape.

The occupational therapist smiled at me and greeted us warmly, introducing herself. She told us she was measuring Mason’s head for a protective helmet he’d need to wear before his cranioplasty took place. I stifled a laugh because I knew damn well he wasn’t going to like wearing it. I thought it might be fun to decorate it with stickers to make it more annoyingly fun for him.

Mason’s new room had a window with a view of the Seattle skyline. It was brighter and didn’t feel as gloomy as the ICU. He also didn’t have the monitors that continually beeped—even though I’d gotten used to them. The biggest score was a TV in his room. I was sure he’d want to watch his football. I did notice there was only one chair next to his bed, so I handed my coffee to Eli and took the opportunity to scrounge up a couple more.

When the therapist finished and left, we had three comfortable chairs at our disposal. I also texted Mom that we were here, told her about the room change, and said they could visit at any time.

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