Page 49 of Breaking the Alpha
“Book another appointment for one week from today,” the doctor instructed as Angelina handed him his crutches.“And cut back on the strenuous activity, River.Those lungs and ribs of yours aren’t ready to take on a marathon yet.You’ll end up doing a hell of a lot of harm if you keep pushing it.”
Angelina nodded solemnly.“I’ll make sure he rests more and exercises less.”
“I haven’t hit the gym since—”
She gave him a look and his mouth snapped shut.“Since yesterday,” she finished for him.“And you’re not going back for at least four weeks.”
The doctor followed them down the corridor.“I know it can be tough for an active guy like you to stay still, but you already popped nine of your stitches.I was able to use glue on them, but we don’t need you opening those wounds up more.Or further straining your lungs and ending up in here again.”
“Nine stitches,” Angelina echoed.“Did you hear that, River?Nine.I don’t believe you mentioned those this morning.”
Checking for an update from Birch and finding none, he shoved his fear for Grey to the side while they exited the hospital, his mind slowly putting together the pieces of the discussion with the doctor.“Wait,” he said as he got into the passenger seat of her car.“Did you and the doc basically agree we can’t have sex for four weeks?”
“We did.”
His jaw dropped open.“What the hell?No!I’m, like, halfway recovered.”
“What the hell, yes.”Backing out of their parking spot, she turned out of the lot and onto the street.“And you aren’t halfway recovered, you’re ten percent recovered.Maximum.I saw those oxygen and lung capacity numbers.”
“But—” He sat back in his seat and stared at her, noticing her purple sundress for the first time.“But you look gorgeous,” he finished pathetically.
With a smile, she reached over to pat his knee.“Thank you.I’ll remember to wear this again in twenty-eight days.”
Chapter Twenty
Angelina jolted awakewith the piercing ringing of a phone, her mind taking a moment to clear as Birch answered his cell.
“Hello?”
She lifted her head from River’s lap and felt his arm tense around her, pulling her upright against his side.
“Uh-huh,” Birch mumbled, meeting his brother’s eyes and giving his head a small shake.“Yeah.No.Of course.Okay.”He hung up and sat back on the love seat beside Jocelyn.“Nothing yet.Fogerty says there are teams situated all around Lincoln and the connecting highways, but they’re pretty much at a standstill.”
River’s eyes narrowed.“A standstill?That’s bullshit.He was supposed to be released thirty-six hours ago.He’s somewhere.”
With a nod, Birch let out a groan of frustration and leaned his head back, closing his eyes.“They’re moving slow and staying out of sight because they don’t want to be seen and scare the guys off in case Grey hasn’t been let go yet.”Lifting his phone, he squinted at the screen.“It’s four a.m.Let’s head to bed.I’ll wake you up the second I hear anything.”
Although she could tell River was reluctant to leave the living room where they’d been waiting impatiently for two nights, he released his hold on her and stood, forgoing his crutches and limping up the stairs behind her.
“I hate waiting.”He collapsed onto the bed and reached out to her.“Waiting and not knowing.”
She climbed in beside him, sighing in contentment when he covered them both with his blanket and wrapped his arms around her.“It won’t be much longer.There are too many people looking.”
“We should be out there looking.”
“We were told to stay put,” she reminded him, cradling his arm between her breasts.“And I hate it too.”
Birch and Jocelyn’s bedroom door clicked closed and River nuzzled her hair.“What if they didn’t release him?”he asked in the darkness, voicing what all of them had thought at least once over the past day and a half.“What if they don’t?”
Her eyes were already closing as she struggled to stay awake with him, refusing to leave him alone despite her exhaustion.“They need Serpent’s Tongue.And the only way they can guarantee your and Birch’s cooperation is if Grey comes home.So they will.”
His shallow breathing slowed to match hers and she drifted off into a restless sleep, hoping for better news come dawn.
*
River watched thespeedometer creep up on Birch’s truck as they sped along the highway, Jocelyn riding shotgun and Angelina sitting beside him in the cramped back seat.
Lincoln General.
