Spike (24 page)

Moments later, the doctor extracts a piece of bloodied wood with tweezers, and it makes a clunk noise as it lands in a silver kidney-shaped dish on the table beside him.

“You’re lucky it didn’t break bone,” the doctor says, as he drops another smaller fragment into the dish. “Okay, you might feel some of this, but we need to make sure we get everything out of the wound. We’ll do a CT scan after to make sure we’ve got it all.”

Aidan grits his teeth in anticipation, and the colour drains from his face. I watch the doctor pick up what looks like a wire brush. Fuck, this will hurt. I lean in and kiss him on his parched lips, doing all I can to give him something else to think about. His body jerks as the doctor does his work, and I kiss Aidan again. “It’s okay, I’m here,” I whisper into his mouth.

And then Aidan laughs. A nervous
I don’t know if I should be laughing
kind of laugh.

“What’s so bloody funny?” I ask, in disbelief.

His hand trembling in mine, he laughs in a low tone, a long “owww” noise escaping his mouth. His pale-blue eyes glisten under the light. I brush his wild hair from his face, smoothing over the fine layer of dust on his forehead.

“I took Sergeant for a run early this morning. That dog’s got some energy.”

A smile sweeps over his face and he winces again, tightening his grip on my hand. I can’t even look at what the doctor is doing; my stomach is already tender enough. So I keep talking. “He’s a good boy, although he was ready to pounce at anyone that came close to me.”

Aidan laughs again, but I don’t know if it was at what I said, or if it’s the pain.

“Okay, let’s get you stitched up now,” the doctor says and rummages through the plastic drawers on wheels beside the bed.

Aidan groans and grits his teeth. “Guess this is the fun part,” Aidan says and winks.

“This is
not
my idea of fun,” I say and squeeze his hands.

A little while later, the doctor finishes up, and we are left alone.

“Do you wanna see my back?” Aidan asks, trying to hide a grin.
I don’t know …

“Okay …”

He lifts the sheet, exposing a large swelling wider than my outstretched palm on his back above his right hip bone. It’s swollen and already starting to purple beneath his skin.

“Oh, baby. Are you alright? I mean, are you in pain? What can I do?”

“You being here … that’s all I need,” he says.

“I just wish I could do more.” My shoulders drop. “I’ve never felt so useless.”

“You’re beautiful … you know that?” he says.

I give him a weary smile.
How is this important right now?

“But it’s not just the outside; you’re more beautiful on the inside. You let me be me. You never resent the time I spend away. You don’t make me choose. I can have it all, and when I come home, the smile on your lips and the love in your heart is all the more sweeter. Everything you do for me … You’re my angel.”

“I just wish I could fix this. Take away the pain,” I say, trying to quash the tears that want to spill down my face.

I take his face in my hands and kiss him softly on the lips. Aidan takes my hands in his, and grips them, the look in his eyes no longer reflecting the pain inside. All I can see is the love I know and cherish. I sit on the bed beside him, careful not to bump him.

“Marry me, Eevie,” he says, his eyes intently fixed on mine.

“What?”

“I said, marry me.” My mouth drops open. I did hear him right the first time. Heat prickles beneath my cheeks, my hair all over standing to attention.

“Are you sure you want to ask me this now? In the hospital? Don’t you have concussion? I …I don’t want you to regret it.”

“Baby girl, I’ve never seen more clearly. I promised myself that once I’d found love I was gonna hold onto it like a vice and never let it go. You see inside of me; you
know
me. You know all the scars underneath … and now on the surface. You love me without restriction, and you do it like’s there’s no tomorrow.”

Oh my God. This is real. He wants to marry me. My fragile heart kicks in my chest, beating out
Y-E-S
.

“If I’ve learned anything about what life throws at us, it’s that we can deal with it. But all that shit doesn’t matter. It’s life. I love you with everything I am and everything I wanna be, so … Genevieve Paige Lawson, will you marry me?”

“Yes. Yes. I … of course I’ll marry you,” I shout out, and slam my mouth into his. My kiss says as much of a “yes” as my words do.

I wrap my arms around his shoulders the best way I can, and he links his arms behind my back. We kiss long and hard as my tears spill between us. But they’re happy tears.
Happiest tears ever
.

“I love you so much,” I say, barely above a whisper.

“Love you too, baby,” he says, and kisses the tears from my cheeks.

“Ah, excuse me,” a male voice interrupts us. I look up at the doctor, and try to get myself together.

“She said yes, Doc. We’re gettin’ married,” Aidan says proudly, brushing the wetness from my face. A blush of pink returns to his face, and he looks much better than he did a few minutes ago. I’m glad that at the very least, I might have given him that little bit more colour.

The doctor smiles for the first time since I’d arrived. “Congratulations. That’s wonderful news. How about we get you down for a CT scan, just to check you’re good, and then we’ll see if we can get you out of here.”

“Sure,” Aidan says. The doctor moves the curtain, and starts to wheel the bed down the corridor.

“If Jones is still here do you want me to send him home?” I ask.

Aidan’s smile fades, and he can barely hold my eye. “Yeah, tell him thanks for coming, and I’ll ring him tomorrow.”

I hope Aidan’s not worried he’s let the team down. Maybe it’s that Jones will be itching to take his place. I won’t say it, but it looks like the season is over for Aidan. And he was doing so well. It’s so not fair.

“Okay, I’ll pop out and tell him.”

Aidan nods. I kiss him softly on the lips, giddy from what’s just happened.

As I turn to walk away, Aidan’s clammy hand grabs my wrist. “Tell Jones that he’d better step up and kill it in the next round, otherwise I’m gonna kick his arse.”

I can’t help but laugh. I shake my head, and lean in and kiss him on the forehead. “I will. You desperate boys with your toys.”

I dash out to the reception area, and soon catch Jones’s eye.

He walks over to the double doors. “Looks like good news, huh?”

“Huh?” I reply, frowning.

“That smile you just had must mean somethin’.”

Oh, yeah. I was just proposed to, but Jones can’t be the first to know.

“He’s just going down for a CT scan to check it’s all okay with his leg. Aidan said to say thanks for coming with him, and he’ll call you tomorrow.”

“Is he good, then?”

“Think so,” I assure him, even though I don’t know it to be the truth.

“Oh, well that’s good. I was kinda worried there for a sec.” He runs both hands through his slicked-back blonde hair.

How sweet. I didn’t think he was all that fond of Aidan. Even though they’re on the same team, and there’s this tense rivalry between them, here he is offering his support. I may have misjudged Jones.

“I’ll talk to him tomorrow, then. See ya,” he says, then presses his lips together. He places his hand on my shoulder. “He’ll be fine.”

“Jones?”

His eyes widen. “Yep.”

I smile, remembering the last words Aidan said to me. “Aidan also said to kill it next round or he’ll kick your arse.”

Jones lets out a loud chuckle and nods a few times. He winks, and leans in closer. “Tell him I will, but not because he told me to.”

Jones turns and strides out the door, the thud of each step with his heavy motocross boots echoing in the hallway.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

* EEVIE *

I take a paper cup and fill it from the water cooler. I slowly sip at it, settling my stomach. It’s all going to be okay. Aidan will be fine.

I throw the cup in the bin and wave at the woman behind the desk. She smiles and buzzes the door back open.

I powerwalk back to the bed to find Aidan lying back with his eyes shut. I smooth my hand up his arm and rest it on his chest as I sit on the bed beside him.

His eyes gradually open, and he smiles as his eyes focus on me. “What you thinking about?” I ask.

“Just how I’m gonna make you the happiest woman in the world.”

Way to melt my heart.

“You already have,” I say with certainty, kissing him feather-light on the lips.

“No … you’re not Mrs Stone yet.
Then
you’ll be the happiest woman in the world. Mrs Eevie Stone … I fucking love the sound of that.”

“Aidan and Eevie Stone. Yeah, has a pretty cool ring to it,” I say, picturing that moment we’re pronounced husband and wife.

“Fuck!” Aidan calls out. He closes his eyes, and shakes his head.

My heart explodes in my chest. “What’s wrong? Do you need the doctor? What?”

He just lies there.

“Aidan! Talk to me,” I demand, running my fingers over his jaw.

He opens his eyes and gazes up at me.

“Ring. I’ve asked you to marry me and I don’t have a ring. The biggest question I’m ever gonna ask in my life, and I’ve got no ring. It’s something pretty fuckin’ important.”

“Hey … your words are what matter. You and me, Aidan. Don’t even worry about that right now.”

“No. I’m gonna do it right. I know this isn’t the ideal place to ask, but I promise you, baby girl, when I can, I’ll do it right.” He grips my hands tight, holding them against his crazy beating heart.

“I don’t care where we are, Aidan. All I know, is that I won’t be forgetting this proposal anytime soon.”

The doctor returns. “I guess I’d better give you and your wife-to-be a run-through of what you’re in for recovery-wise.”

“Lay it on me, Doc,” Aidan says and smooths his fingers over his forehead.

“There’s a substantive amount of soft tissue swelling on your back, but physio pain meds and anti-inflammatories will help with that. And for the leg, I’ll give you some antibiotics to ward off infection. I’ll give you some scripts for some more tablets, but it’s best you go see your local doctor. The CT scan came back clear, but with the damage to the calf muscle, you’ll need to discuss your recovery with a physiotherapist.”

“Sure,” Aidan replies.

“We can loan you a pair of crutches as with the kidney injury, you need to keep off your feet for a while. Plenty of bed rest and sleep. Try and keep comfortable and drink lots of water to help the kidney along. Let’s see how you feel sitting up.”

The doctor takes a remote control from the side of the bed and presses some buttons. Aidan braces himself as his upper body rises. When he’s almost sitting upright, his head bobs around and he closes his eyes. Colour washes from his face and he breathes in and out loudly.

“Are you going to be sick?” the doctor asks.

“Nah … just give me a sec,” Aidan says. He gradually opens his eyes and makes a whistling noise through his parted lips.

“There’s no need to rush home, Mr Stone. Just take your time. When you’re feeling well enough, we’ll help you get dressed and organise a wheelchair.” The doctor looks to me. “You might need some help getting him in and out of the car until he can take some weight on his leg. One of the orderlies can give you a hand here, but you’ll need help once you get home.”

“Okay, I’ll call someone,” I say. “Who do you want me to call, Aidan?”

“Ring Rob.”

****

After another hour passes by, we finally exit the hospital. And it’s dark. We’d spent almost eight hours in there, but the air outside smells sweet. It’s the smell of going home.

One of the male orderlies wheels Aidan out front, and I run to my car and drive it around to the emergency drop off point. The man helps me get Aidan into the front seat. It’s a difficult operation, which takes a good few minutes. I thought I was reasonably strong, but moving someone, of his height and weight, who can’t move like he wants to because of the pain, the stitches, and the bruising …
Ah
! I’m going to have to suck it up, because he needs me. I’m going to get him through this.

My future husband.

That’s the only thought I need to drag my thoughts to a positive place. We can do this. Obstacles, schmobstacles.

****

When I pull up to the house, Rob’s Ute is parked on the street, leaving the driveway clear. I press the garage remote and drive in and shut off the engine.

“Getting inside’s gonna be fun, huh?” Aidan says, wincing as he takes off his seat belt. I peck him on the lips.

“It’s okay. Rob’s here to help. A good night’s rest and you’ll be feeling better tomorrow.”
I hope
.

I get out and walk around to the passenger-side door and open it. Rob walks into the garage and nods, the corner of his mouth twitching.

He leans down and moves his head close to Aidan. “How are ya, mate?” Rob says, his words full of empathy.

“Never better,” Aidan replies.

“Come on, let’s get you inside,” Rob says, resigned.

After shuffling his legs out, Rob leans in and hauls Aidan up gently until Aidan can take his weight on one leg. I move under Aidan’s other arm, and we carry him inside. Thank God someone else is here for this. It could be dangerous otherwise.

We make it into the bedroom without too much fuss. “Do you need to go to the bathroom?” I whisper, trying not to embarrass him in front of Rob.

“Yeah, I’ve gotta take a piss. Grab me the crutches and I’ll see if I can stand up. I’m sure Rob’s got better things to do than watch me. Even though he probably wants to.”

How can he crack jokes at a time like this?

Rob supports him and I rush back to the car, and get out the crutches from the back seat. I hand them to Aidan, and he shakily takes a few steps, Rob hovering with each one, until he makes it into the bathroom. We prop him up, and Rob moves back into the bedroom. I stay close by, just in case.