Page 82 of The Wedding Planner's Manny
Leaving Nathan with Ethan, I climbed back up to the road and called an ambulance.
2 9
R H Y S
The hospital kept Nathan overnight. The fall had given him a concussion, a broken arm, a broken ankle and a light case of hypothermia. Ultimately, we were told he was going to be fine, though. I could almosthearthe weight falling off Ethan's shoulders and thudding to the ground when he got the news. I breathed easier too. For a while there, out on the hill, I'd been terrified.
When Ethan went to the hospital again the next day, I insisted on coming with him too. Maybe it was my pregnancy hormones kicking me into parental mode, but I wanted to fuss over Nathan. He'd scared me so much the night before that I couldn't imagine not watching him like a hawk for at least twenty-four hours.
“I'm staying over tonight,” I told Ethan as we walked through the hospital corridor, our footsteps echoing through the wide hallway. “Or maybe I should just do as you suggested and move in.” What better way to make sure the kids were all right?
And I could start thinking about how I wanted the nursery set up too. We needed to get a crib. Nick told me maybe Kade still had one. I’d have to ask him about that. We needed to paint the room too—
maybe in soft blue tones.
“You sure you want to move in?” Ethan took my hand and smiled. I hadn't seen him this happy since they told him his son was going to be just fine.
“Yes, and I want to set up the nursery. Kade might have an old crib, and I think Griff might have some paint left over from when they did Aiden's room.”
Ethan's smile grew into a grin.
“What?” I asked.
“Nothing. It's just cute to see you nesting.”
“I’m not nesting. I’m making plans for our future.”
Ethan gave me a kiss. “Even better. I like having a future with you.”
At that, I had to grin too. Yeah, it was a good thought.
When we entered Nathan's room, the boy sat up in his bed. It was good to see that some color had returned to his cheeks. The night before, his skin had been almost as white as the bed sheets. “Did you bring anything to eat?” he asked. “The food here is terrible.”
“Maybe think about that next time you're running away,” Ethan said, sitting down in one of those uncomfortable hospital chairs beside the bed. I took a seat in the one next to him.
“I wasn't running away! I just...”
“You what?” Ethan prodded. We hadn't talked about this at all last night, when relief won out over irritation, but it seemed Ethan wanted to get to the bottom of it all now.
Nathan lowered his gaze and studied the still-pristine cast his left arm was in. “Mom said that you're getting divorced and that she's getting custody and that I'll have to talk to her when she does. I had to get out. I wasn't gonna be gone for long. But there was something on the road, like an animal. A squirrel or something. I didn't really see but I swerved to avoid it.” He looked up again. “That's pretty much the last thing I remember.”
“You're lucky the bushes broke your fall,” Ethan stated.
“Lucky?” Nathan's eyes darted back to his cast. “I don't feel lucky!”
“You got a few scratches on you, but it could be worse.” Ethan shook his head. “From now on, you'll be home before nightfall or you can say goodbye to that new gaming console you want for your birthday next month.”
“I don't care about that.” Nathan pouted. “I don't want to celebrate my stupid birthday. Not ifshe'sgoing to be there.”
It didn't take me two guesses to know who he meant by that.
“She's not going to be there,” Ethan assured him. “If you don't want to invite her, we won't invite her.
Even if she does move back to Oceanport, that doesn't mean you have to see her. I will fight for your right not to, if it comes to that.”
“Really?”
Ethan stroked his son's blond hair. “As much as it pains me to say it, you should know by now that you can't trust what your mother says. She's never going to get custody. She said that to rile you up. It's what she does.”
