Page 68 of Feels Like the First Time
Ali.
She was huddled in a chair, a blanket wrapped around her feet, her eyes red and puffy as if she’d cried herself to sleep there. And she had, his gut told him. She’d taken care of Marty, and waited until the nurses were gone and he fell asleep. Then she silently dealt with her grief and fear—alone.
Well, she wasn’t alone anymore.
Hawk crouched down to look at her perfect face, amazed at how beautiful she’d become. She was cute when they’d been younger, but as a woman, she was stunning. Strong and sweet, and so damn amazing, his heart ached.
He tugged the blanket up over her shoulders and was about to sit down in the other chair when she opened her eyes. “He’s going to be okay.”
“I know.” Ali would make sure of it. He’d never met a fiercer person than Ali when it came to her loved ones. But looking at the worry etched into her face, the big bags under her eyes, he wondered ifshewas going to be okay. “How are you holding up?”
“Fine.” And to prove she could handle everything life threw at her, she straightened and gave a big stretch.
Not buying it, Hawk carefully lifted her off the chair and took her seat, cradling her on his lap. Her arms went around his neck and she snuggled into him, pulling her legs in and holding on tight. Hawk pulled the blanket around them, noticing that she was in nothing but pajama shorts, a tank top—and slippers.
“How long are they going to keep him?” Hawk asked, stroking her back.
“I’m not sure. His hydration is back to normal and they’ve been monitoring his levels. They want to run a few more tests after he eats a good breakfast, then they might let him go home.”
Her arms tightened, but he didn’t mind. Having her in his arms allowed him to breathe for the first time since seeing that note on her nightstand. “Has he been waking up?”
She shook her head, her hair brushing his chin and getting tangled in his scruff. “After I got here, we had a talk, then he fell asleep and hasn’t woken up since. Either he hurts more than he’s letting on or trying to avoid another conversation.”
Hawk tipped Ali’s face up, and those sad, green pools swallowed him whole. He couldn’t make tonight disappear, but he could make everything from here on out better. “Let me take you home—”
“No.” She stood up. “I want to be here in case he wakes up or if they have any more questions. They might even release him early and I don’t want him wondering where I am.”
Like Ali wondered where her mom, and her sister, had gone. She’d had to watch while, one by one, the people she loved disappeared out of her life. And she was afraid to close her eyes, in case her dad vanished, too.
Hawk got her situated back in the chair and he went to talk to the nurse. A few minutes later he came back and squatted in front of her.
“They won’t be releasing him until after a final EKG, which is scheduled for two p.m., and will determine if he needs to stay another night.” At his words, her eyes closed with anguish. “The doctor has some nice drugs in that IV to ensure he won’t wake up until morning.”
“I know but—”
“Ali,” Hawk said, with gentle force. He took her hand. It was shaking—the adrenaline crash was hitting her hard, and in about thirty minutes, she would be down for the count. He wanted to get her home before then. “If he wakes up, the nurse assured me she will call my cell.”
“I don’t want to leave him.”
“You’re not leaving him, you’re getting a reboot so you can come back even stronger tomorrow.” He took the blanket off her lap and pulled her to a stand. “Plus, the nurse has a few more questions that you can answer on the way out.”
***
Ali was half asleep when they pulled into the parking lot. Guessing she’d feel more comfortable at her place, he took her hand and led her inside. He was about to ask if she was hungry, but she bypassed the kitchen and went straight to the bathroom.
And closed the door.
Hawk busied himself with pulling the sheet back up, trying to give her space. This was probably the time she’d allow herself to break down, only he was here and he could tell she didn’t know what to do. So she put a door between them.
It had been an emotional night, so he’d give her a door for the moment. He had a call to make. Bridget answered on the second ring, and started crying when he told her about Marty. She said she was heading down to the hospital and promised to say there until he brought Ali back in the morning.
Ali had been handling this all on her own for too long. And she’d hit her breaking point. It was time her sister stepped up and became that woman he always knew she was capable of being. Then he gave Luke a call and asked him to drop by in the morning to deal with the scheduled pickup.
With Marty covered, Hawk went back to the person who needed the most care.
Ali.
His sweet, loving Ali.
