Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 68524 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 343(@200wpm)___ 274(@250wpm)___ 228(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68524 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 343(@200wpm)___ 274(@250wpm)___ 228(@300wpm)
“Are you sure?”
“Definitely. I’m pretty tired, so I’ll probably just take a nap.”
“Are you just saying that, so I don’t feel bad about leaving?”
I totally was. I had no intention of napping, but I didn’t want him to feel guilty about going and getting some work done. “Nope. See? I’m practically asleep already.” I pushed the button and started to lower my hospital bed.
“Okay. I’ll see you in the morning, and I’ll be here bright and early. Your doctor mentioned coming by first thing to sign off on your release, so hopefully I’ll be able to turn right back around and take you home with me.”
“We’ll see.”
“Think positive, Collie.”
I smiled big and flashed him two thumbs up. “Yay, I’m definitely going home tomorrow!”
He smirked at me. “Fine, be skeptical. But I believe you’re finally getting out of here.”
Miller put on his sweatshirt and slung his messenger bag over his shoulder. Then he collected an empty food storage container, his tablet, and two travel mugs. He spent so much time here that he’d learned to make himself at home.
As he started to leave, I called after him, “Thank you, Miller.”
He turned back to me and asked, “For what?”
“Literally everything.”
He flashed me a sweet smile and said, “See you soon, Collie,” before leaving the room.
Once he was out of sight, I moved the bed back into its upright position and hugged my stuffed alligator to my chest. When Miller was here, I could forget that I was in a hospital. But as soon as he was gone, this place became very lonely and a little scary.
I was so happy when they actually released me from the hospital the next morning. That had been the longest three weeks of my life.
Miller helped me pack my stuff. Then one of my sweet nurses took me to the exit in a wheelchair while he hurried on ahead and pulled the car around.
The top was down on his convertible, just like it always was. As he helped me into the car, he asked, “Is the wind going to bother you? If so, I can put the top up.”
“No, this is great. The sunshine feels amazing, but I could use some sunglasses.”
“Check the glove compartment.” I fished out a pair of aviators and put them on, and he asked, “Ready to go?”
“Hell yes. Let’s get out of here before they change their minds.”
As we drove home, I hugged my stuffed alligator and marveled at the absolutely gorgeous day. The sky was vividly blue, a crisp breeze was blowing in off the bay, and here I was, riding in a convertible with a cute boy. This was the California of my dreams. How many times had I pictured myself in this exact scenario?
Although in my San Francisco fantasies, my chest didn’t feel like a donkey had kicked it, I wasn’t already exhausted first thing in the morning, and the guy in the driver’s seat was my boyfriend. But hey, at least we looked the part.
Miller pulled into the garage when we got home. Then he hurried around to my side to help me. I wanted to claim I was fine. In truth though, I felt shaky and was glad I could hold onto his arm to steady myself.
“I’ll come back for your stuff later,” he said. “For now, let’s get you upstairs and into bed.” He entered the code and propped open the connecting door before asking, “Can I carry you?”
I nodded, because those stairs were steep and I had next to no energy. He scooped me up carefully, and I clutched my gator as Miller brought me into the house.
The cat let out a loud meow when she saw me. Then she followed us down the hall. When he stepped into his bedroom, I asked, “What are you doing? I thought I was going to sleep in the front room with the cat.”
“This is going to be your room while you recover,” he said. “You need a good bed, and you also need to be close to the bigger bathroom. You told me it was okay to bring in some of your stuff from the van, so your clothes are in the walk-in closet. I also brought up your beanbag, but I’m not sure if it’s the best idea to climb in and out of it while you’re still healing.”
That wasn’t all he’d done. His bed was made up with new, dark purple linens, which matched the new curtains and the shag area rug. In the center of the bed was another stuffed alligator. This one was skinny, and about four feet long from tip to tail. There were framed art prints on the walls, and Hubery Humphrey was sitting in one of two new comfortable-looking yellow chairs across the room. But my favorite part was the floor lamp beside the bed, whose long, curved arm held a sparkly chandelier.