Page 136 of Bulletproof

“No, I don’t know—because how dare you fuckin’ ask it.”

“Don’t swear.”

“I love you on feet or on wheels. Don’t be an ass.”

He was mad, and I liked that. I could deal with him being indignant over me asking if he’d stay. I could not deal with him walking out the door. That would kill me.

“So, when do we leave?”

“Soon.”

“I wanna sleep in bed with you.”

“I know.”

“I wanna go home.”

“Same here. Just try and rest for now, okay?”

“Okay. You’ll stay here, right?”

“Where else am I gonna go?”

“I dunno. Out dancing?” I teased him.

“Yeah, right. All I wanna do is sit and watch you sleep.”

I closed my eyes and let out a deep, settling breath. “Wish granted.”

Poor Dr. Ing. She looked befuddled. She was squinting at me, standing between two other doctors, and she had just curled a piece of hair around her ear to keep it from falling in her face. She had a lovely one. Possibly later fifties, early sixties, with dark brown almond-shaped eyes, delicate features, and a warm smile. She had tried for upbeat and positive, but I had too many questions, and I was bogging her down.

“Mr. Harcourt⁠—”

“Jory,” I said, cutting her off, pointing at Dane. “He’s Mr. Harcourt.”

She turned to look at him. “Brother?”

He gave her a ghost of a smile, not really in the mood. “Yes.”

The man had breezed into the room two hours earlier and hugged me very tight for longer than usual. And then he yelled, “For the love of God, Jory, I can’t let you go anywhere!”

Yeah, well …

But the yelling stopped, and he calmed, and he and Sam did the guy clench and talked while I flipped channels on the TV.

“Aja is pissed at me for making her stay home,” he told me. “But she just started a new job and cannot be gone.”

“I’m glad you insisted.”

“I didn’t. I wouldn’t have been able to. She saw the logic, and since all she would be doing here was watching you sleep, she came to the correct conclusion.”

I nodded.

“Not that she hasn’t been having second thoughts.”

“Please tell her I love her and that I’m glad she’s not here. Hospitals are the worst.”

“Agreed,” he murmured, and then he took a breath and forced a smile for me. “You look good,” he said before tipping his head at Sam. “Better than him.”