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“Oh my God,” she groaned, wiping the back of her hand across her forehead. “Is your entire life this cram-packedeveryday?”
I chuckled softly. “Actually, it’s usually more school and football practice, but yeah, I keep busy.”
“Damn.” With a weary groan, she pulled her feet up onto the seat with her and hugged her knees to her chest before yawning. “I didn’t even do anything, just followed you around everywhere, andI’mfreaking wiped out.”
“So I’m going to guess that you don’t feel like going over to visit Parker tonight,” I asked as I started the engine.
She cringed at me. “Am I awful if I say not tonight?”
“Not at all,” I assured and geared the truck into driveto take us home.
“I just feel so tired.” Turning in the seat to face me as she kept hugging her knees to her chest, she leaned her head to the side so she could rest it on the back of her seat.
When she closed her eyes and yawned, I glanced at the dark smudges under her lashes. “Do you think you’re okay? I mean, your body at the hospital?”
She shrugged without opening her eyes. “I hope so. Too tired to care right now.”
From there, I swear she passed out cold. I kept glancing at her, frankly concerned, until I reached a light. When it turned green, I knew I should’ve gone straight and just taken her to my house, but I turned right and headed toward the hospital instead. There were another forty-five minutes of visitation left. I could pop in real quick and make sure she was okay, then hurry back to the truck before she woke up.
But as soon as I stopped by the gift store, she appeared next to me, yawning and rubbing her eyes. “What’re you doing?”
“Shit!” I hissed, spinning toward her in surprise. Then I glanced toward the counter where the cashier was to make sure he hadn’t heard me. But thankfully he was droned out on his phone, not paying me any attention.
Spinning back to her I whispered, “You scared the crap out of me.”
She irritably rubbed her eyes. “I thought we were going to your house. Where there’s a bed. I need a bed. Where evenarewe?”
“Hospital gift shop.” Leaning close, I asked, “What’s your favorite flower?”
“Gaillardias,” she mumbled, dropping her arms and blinking at the row of flowers lining the wall in front of us. “Wait. Are you buying meflowers?”
Ignoring that, I turned to blink at her. “Blanket flowers are your favorite?Really?”
“What? They’re the happiest, most colorful flower around.”
“But they’re a freaking weed.”
Raina gasped in offense. “They’rebeautiful.”
I shrugged. “Either way. They don’t sell gaillardias here. What’s your second favorite?”
“Fromthisselection?” Raina wrinkled her nose, clearly not impressed by the carnations and roses in front of her. “I don’t know. The tulips, I guess. Why’re you buying me flowers?”
“Because you’re in thehospital,” I said, plucking up a vase arrangement of white tulips and baby’s breath.
At the check-out counter, I plopped it down and pulled out my wallet to pay as the guy behind the cash register took his time about setting his phone aside and ringing me up.
“Would you like these delivered to a certain room?” he asked.
“Nah,” I answered, pulling out a credit card. “I’m on my way up to the ICU now; I’ll just take them with me.”
“Oh.” Wincing, he set his scanner down. “Sorry, man. But they don’t accept flowers up there. Or food. Nothing perishable. Cards, balloons, and stuffed animals only.”
With a sigh, I started to shove the credit card away, only for Raina’s voice to coo from across the room where she’d been browsing the shelves. “Oh my goodness. Would you look at this horse plushie? It’s like a mini Stetson the Stallion. Isn’t it just the cutest thing you’ve ever seen?”
Pausing to glance over, I lifted my eyebrows at Raina who was crouching down behind a brown horse as if trying to replace it with her face. Then she lifted her hand by its side and waved at me.
“Hi, Foster,” she said with a deeper tone, mimicking what she must think a horse voice would sound like.
