Page 27 of The Mountain Man's Curvy Surprisem
The doctor eyes Calliope, raising an eyebrow.
“I’m Callie,” she says, standing to shake his hand.
“And you are?”
She looks at me, face conflicted. “I’m his fiancée.” Her voice sounds thin, watery, and dejected.I’ve done this to her.
“So, I can speak freely about your medical condition in front of her?” he asks me.
“Yes,” I say, eyeing her warmly as she sits back down in the chair next to my hospital bed.
“Alright, Mr. McGregor, you have a comminuted fracture.”
“And that means?” I grumble.
“You’ve shattered your hand. Your injuries are serious, and you’ll need to go into surgery to stabilize your bones. Kind of like putting a jigsaw puzzle back together.”
“Great.” I shake my head, anger filling me. It’s not the searing, explosive kind that made me punch the rock. Instead, it simmers, slow and achingly, haunting me because it comes with regrets I can’t correct. I look away from Calliope, unable to make eye contact. I feel ashamed of myself, though she sits next to me as the doctor talks, her hand resting comfortingly on my knee.
With or without Mack in the picture, one thing’s clear. I’ve ruined everything with this woman.
The beauty eyes me, concern washing over her face. “So, what are next steps?” she asks, advocating for me because I’m past words.
“We’ll get Mr. McGregor checked in and prepped for surgery in the morning. Fortunately, our on-call orthopedic surgeon has nothing scheduled for tomorrow, so you’re at the top of the roster. Will you be taking care of him post-op?” He eyes Calliope, and my heart stops.
I open my mouth to tell her she doesn’t have to, but she cuts me off.
“Yes, of course,” she says, her silky, sweet voice putting tears in my eyes.
Never have three words evoked a greater mixture of emotions in me. I don’t deserve her, that’s for sure. But if there’s even a glimmer of hope for turning this around, I’ll take it. I don’t look at her because my eyes are swimming, my throat tight. But my good hand comes up to cover hers, trying to convey through touch the tenderness burgeoning inside.
Time slips past, silence festering between Calliope and me, before hospital staff get us settled in a room upstairs. She stays by my side the whole time, unspeaking beyond the most simple politeness. Her face is ambivalent, refusing to betray the disappointment she alluded to earlier. But I still sense it, and it kills me.
“You can leave if you want,” I say. “I can give you the key to the cabin, and you can stay there without any pressure or worry.”
She shakes her head. “I’m not leaving you.”
“But you’re mad at me?”
She nods, wiping her hand quickly over her eyes.
“If you’re determined to stay here tonight, then I want you to climb into this bed next to me.”
“But there’s no room,” she protests.
“I can move over. See?” I scooch my body as far to the side as possible, trying not to jar my aching hand. “We can both fit. Unless you don’t want me touching you anymore?” The words come out raw and hopeless. This woman has brought me to my knees, and she doesn’t even know it.
“I don’t know what I want,” she says, her inhale shuddering.
“Please give me a chance to explain myself.”
The corners of her mouth turn down.
“Calliope, you came all the way here to see me. To find out if we could be a love match. Don’t you want to know for sure?”
“I feel like I already know. I’m just too much of a fool to leave.”
“Please,” I plead, voice trembling with emotion as I pat the spot next to me.
