“I’m fine. Just let me sleep.”
She’s not gonna be happy with me, but I don’t give a shit. We said “in sickness and in health,” and I’ll be damned if I let her get worse. I lift her into my arms, and she flails weakly. “Rhett, put me down.”
“We’re getting you fluids at the ER.” I skim her body. “After we get you dressed.” She’s wearing a tiny tank top and panties. “Jace, if you look at my wife right now, you’re a dead man.”
He chuckles as he heads for the door. “Call me if you need help.”
After I get Paige dressed, I scoop her up again. When I get her out to my truck, I recline the passenger seat and lay her on it before I drag the seatbelt across her chest. “Hang tight, wildflower. We’ll get you feeling better soon.”
Since I’ve been bossing her around, I expect more pushback, but all she does is curl up in her seat and close her eyes, which worries me.
I break all the speed limits to get her to the hospital.
When we get there, my truck squeals to a stop. I hop out, and a minute later, I’m carrying her in.
Dr. Joan Bixby, who delivered my boys, is manning the nurses’ station. “Whatcha got there, Rhett?”
“My wife got overheated today. I’m worried she got heat stroke and needs fluids.”
Joan directs us to a little room where I gently place her on a gurney. “What are Paige’s symptoms?”
It doesn’t surprise me that Joan knows Paige. I rattle off the reasons I’m concerned as I adjust the pillow behind my wife’s head.
Paige’s eyes crack open. “I’m just tired.”
Joan listens to her heartbeat, checks her pulse and blood pressure, then nods. “Let’s get some labs and start an IV to see if that perks her up.”
When a nurse jabs her, Paige is so drowsy, she barely flinches. Once the nurse gets the IV going, I pull up a chair next to Paige, who falls asleep again. After a while, her pulse finally slows down and her breathing looks more relaxed, which Joan says is a good sign.
A nurse closes the curtain around us, leaving me and my wife shrouded in a dim light. I thread my fingers through Paige’s and brush her hair out of her face. She’s so beautiful. Even a little sunburned and exhausted.
I bring her hand to my mouth and kiss it. “Baby, I’m so sorry for the other day. I know I’m an asshole. I’m just overwhelmed. I feel like I can’t think beyond getting the ranch’s finances figured out.” I shake my head. “I want to be more for you. I just don’t know how to get there.”
Why is it easier to say this to her when she’s asleep?
I love you.The thought whispers through my mind.
As much as I wanna tell her, it wouldn’t be fair to make that declaration until she’s made her decision about whether she wants to stay or go. I don’t want to sway her one way or another. I think Danny would approve of me putting her first.
I stroke her soft cheek and smile. This woman strolled right up and stole my heart out of nowhere.
Amber was my first love. We were young and dumb and horny. Had I any sense, I would’ve thought more with the big head on my shoulders than the little one in my jeans. But I was eager to have a family, to create what was always elusive for me and my brothers. A happy place where my kids didn’t have to worry about their father falling down drunk or yelling at us all the time.
Now that I’m older, I’m not as quick to dive off into the deep end of the pool, but I also recognize that Paige and I have the potential to be so much bigger than what I had with my ex.
I kiss the back of Paige’s hand again. I might not be able to say the words, but maybe I can show her how I feel.
Once the IV finishes, the machine starts to beep. Paige’s eyes flutter open.
“Hey, baby. Are you feeling better?”
“Better. I don’t know what happened. Why I got so weak.”
Joan and a nurse pop in to turn off the machine and check Paige’s vitals. The doctor smiles at Paige. “Missy, I know you’re an elite athlete, but the Texas sun and humidity don’t play favorites. I’ve seen triathletes go down in this August heat. Did you work out longer than you expected?”
She nibbles the corner of her lip. “I ran pretty hard on the way home, and I went farther than I planned. I’ve been rehabbing my ankle all summer, and I guess I’m not in the kind of shape I thought I was.”
“On the bright side, being as fit as you are is why you’re bouncing back so quickly.” She has the nurse remove the IV while she jots notes in Paige’s chart. “Just be sure to pace yourself. Before I forget, my daughter is your biggest fan. She and I watched your nationals competition. She wants to fling herself off human pyramids now.”
