Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 74956 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 375(@200wpm)___ 300(@250wpm)___ 250(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74956 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 375(@200wpm)___ 300(@250wpm)___ 250(@300wpm)
“Of course, I should stretch my legs anyway.” I stand, wincing as my lower back protests my time crouched in a hard plastic chair instead of the plush recliner in the corner. But I wanted to be as close to Stone as possible and the big chair is too heavy to move. “Any word on when the doctor will be in to follow up? The night nurses said it would be sometime after seven this morning, but…”
“I don’t have any update on that yet,” she says as she moves to Stone’s bedside, adjusting one of the monitors. “But I’ll let you know as soon as we do.” She casts a smile over her shoulder. “You must be Remy. Carrie said Mr. Stone was calling your name in his sleep when he first came in. She was so happy when you showed up a few hours later.”
I blink and my heart flips in my chest. I don’t know who Carrie is—she wasn’t one of the nurses I met—but I’m suddenly very glad she likes to gossip. It makes me so happy that I trusted my gut and bailed on everything in Seattle. A little voice in my head said Stone would be pissed at me for skipping the Seattle Storm game on Saturday—and the chance to network with the owners of the new pro women’s team, who’d invited me—but I just couldn’t stay.
I had to be here. With him.
I’ve always been a driven, work-focused person, but with the man I love on his way to the hospital in an ambulance, it suddenly became very clear to me that my priorities have shifted. Stone’s my number one now, and when he’s in trouble, I’m going to move heaven and earth to be there for him, the way I know he would for me.
“Yeah, I’m Remy,” I say with a smile.
“Nancy,” the nurse says, motioning to her badge.
“Thanks for taking such good care of him, Nancy. Everyone’s been so great.”
She beams. “Well, thank you. We try. The team here is really special. I’m glad to have met you. My grandkids will be so excited to hear I met someone with the same name as their favorite cartoon rat.”
I let out a soft laugh. “I love that cartoon. Sadly, however, my real name is Artemis.” I shrug. “But I couldn’t say that as a kid, so my mom started calling me Remy, and it stuck.”
“Artemis, the goddess of the hunt,” she murmurs as she records something on her tablet. “That’s a good name, too. Very strong.” She glances back at me. “Looks like it fits. But don’t be too strong, okay? Even the toughest women need sleep. If you decide to nap, I promise I’ll wake you the second he opens his eyes.”
“Thanks,” I say. “I might take you up on that. I’ve been up for about twenty-four hours by now, so…”
“Sleep,” Nancy says, wagging a finger my way as she heads toward the door. She flicks out the already muted lights, leaving only the lamp above the sink on the other side of the room to illuminate the small space. “I’ll be back when I have an update on when the doctor will be by for that follow up.”
When she’s gone, I sigh and plod reluctantly toward the recliner. She’s right. As much as a part of me still hates the idea of going to sleep before Stone knows I’m here, I won’t be much help as an advocate for him if I’m too tired to think straight.
But just as I’m preparing to kick off my shoes, Stone stirs. I turn toward him, my pulse spiking as his lips begin to move. But he doesn’t open his eyes or murmur my name. Instead, he mutters something that sounds like, “no more planes,” before exhaling a ragged sigh and sinking back into a deeper sleep.
Planes.
He always has weird dreams about planes, ones he shares over coffee so Barb and I can hear all about his bizarre nightly adventures. For some reason, the fact that I know that—that I know him so much better than I did even a few months ago—sends a wave of tenderness rushing through my chest.
I step closer, leaning over to press a gentle kiss to his forehead. “Can’t wait to hear your plane dream later,” I whisper against his skin. “Get some rest, and I’ll be here when you wake up.”
“Remy, what are you doing here?”
My father’s voice from the doorway is like a glass of ice water poured down the back of my shirt. I jerk upright, stomach coiling into a knot as I face him across Stone’s prone form.
Dad lurks in the doorway, dressed in his coaching gear despite the fact that it’s not even six thirty. His grey eyes move from me to Stone and back again, his expression unreadable. But he doesn’t look angry or even particularly shocked, so maybe he didn’t see me with my lips on Stone’s forehead?