Page 92 of Road Trip
Chapter Twenty-One
Abra
“I missed you,” I whispered. “I’m going a little bit crazy.” When I pulled back from hugging the shit out of him, his business face was on.
“I missed you, too, doll. How’s Gran?” he asked, his frown so deep, it reminded me of the night I first met him.
“They just came out a few minutes ago and told me she made it through surgery in good shape, but she’ll be here at least another day. After that she’s probably going to need a wheelchair because the cast is so heavy that she has to wear. I think I can manage to get her around in the house, but we don’t have a ramp or anything. I’m pretty sure I can get her in and out of bed, and—”
“Hey,” Kelly said, pulling me close again. He spoke against my ear, giving me chills. “I’m here, okay? You don’t have to do this alone.”
I hoped to God he was right, because shit just got totally real.
We waited until Gran was in a room we could visit and got to go in and check on her. The nurse told me she would be groggy and sleepy but that we could visit for a few minutes. It was really difficult to see her looking so tiny and frail in the huge hospital bed with a cast that probably weighed as much as she did. She smiled as we approached the bed.
“How do you feel, Gran?” She smiled brightly at me, her skin crinkling around her eyes in amusement.
“Either they gave me wonderful drugs, my dear, or you’ve got quite the handsome fellow with you.”
Kelly laughed and leaned a little closer. “Ma’am, I’m Kelly. It’s an honor to meet you.” He couldn’t exactly shake her hand, so he just stood at my side and leaned down a little.
“Such a gentleman! I’m happy to meet you, too.You must be the police officer?” she asked with that bemused smile.
I groaned audibly. “Yes, Gran. He’s a cop and he’s also my boyfriend. Feel free to embarrass away.”
Gran had so much dirt she could dish out on me. She usually refrained, but she seemed in a mood.
“I would never,” Gran said. “You can call me Bettina if you like.”
Kelly nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Gran, are you in pain? That cast looks so big.” I was trying to keep the fear from my voice.
“I’m fine, dear. Just tired. You two need to go get some rest. I know you’ve had an eventful week. Thank you, Abra darling, for taking care of your mother. Oh, and please check her blood pressure and she needs to have—”
“I got it. You told me already.Lila is helping out. I think I’m going to call Sally over to help me build a ramp. They said you were going to need a wheelchair for a while because that damn cast is going to be too heavy for you.”
“Oh bother,” Gran said, her brow furrowed. “That will be mighty inconvenient. Well, I’m sure Sally will know what to do.”
I leaned down and kissed Gran’s cheek. “I wanted to see you before you fall back asleep, but Kelly and I need to go relieve Lila so she can come see you, too. I love you and I’ll be back in the morning to check on you.”
Gran looked at Kelly again and her smile was just past sweet to downright dopey from the drugs. We said goodbye and left her room. I felt like I’d been carrying a huge weight and a small portion of it had been removed. The heavier weight was sitting at home waiting for me. I heaved a huge sigh and leaned into Kelly some more.
“Need me to carry you?” He would, too. Damn.
“I just want to get out of these clothes and shower. I hate hospitals.”
I’d spent many a night in the E.R. and in the Psych ward with Mom and it just really creeped me out and made me feel dirty. I didn’t like feeling that way around Kelly. I wanted to keep him away from it, although I was reminded of what he did for a living.
Kelly helped me into the truck, chuckling to himself over how much work it was for my short self to get up into his big ass truck. He closed me in and jogged around to the driver’s side. I peeked in the backseat as I was watching him make his way around the truck and noticed a huge bag.
“Is there a body in there?” I joked as he shut his door.
He glanced back and laughed. “No, ma’am. I swear. It’s just my essentials. Well, it’s kind of all of my clothes.”
I frowned at his answer, and he must have noticed because he was quick to speak.
“I packed up as much as I could because I don’t want to go back to my house for a while, at least not until they catch the other guys and the jerks stop casing my place. I’m kind of tired of Livermore anyway. I’m going to move to the ranch.”
