Alpha Hero - Hope Ford Page 0,14
okay?”
She stiffens next to me. “Yes, of course, I’m fine.”
I almost ask her about it, but then I hear, “Knock, knock” from across the room.
“Hey, Terry.” My captain and everyone else had already been here and they told me Terry would be stopping in later.
“Hey, bud. How’s it going?”
“Good, good. I’ll know more tomorrow.” Jane tries to get off the bed, but I stop her. “No, stay.”
She pats my chest. “I think I need to stretch my legs. I’ll be back soon.”
I finally let her go but not until she kisses me.
When I hear the door shut, Terry slaps me on the shoulder. “You’ll be back fighting fires before you know it.”
I grimace. “I hope so, man. I’ve been sort of lost without it.”
He laughs then. “Not too lost from the looks of it.”
I can’t stop the smile from forming on my face. “Yeah, Jane is perfect. Everything I’ve ever wanted in a woman. So where have you been? None of the guys were talking so I figure something’s up.”
He’s hesitant when he answers me and since I can’t see his face, I just wait for him to answer.
“I was just helping April.”
I sit up on the bed, ignoring the headache I feel from the sudden movement. “April? What’s happened to April?”
The bed shifts and it sounds like he’s gripping the handrail. “She’s fine. I just helped her move, that’s all.”
“She had to move?” The guilt that I thought had left me resurfaces.
He pats my shoulder. “She’s fine, Mack. You have my promise, I’ll make sure she’s okay.”
There’s something in his voice. I want to ask him about it, but I don’t. I simply nod my head.
He flips on the television and he starts doing commentary of the basketball game that’s on.
I half listen, but I can’t get my mind off April or what’s bothering Jane.
I don’t feel right again until I hear her come back into the room. She tries to stand off to the side, but I don’t let her. I beckon to her and when she gets close, I pull her to me, asking her to lie down beside me.
Only when her curvy body is pressed to my side does the beating of my heart return to normal.
An hour later, Terry leaves. The nurses come in and offer to bring in a rollaway bed. But I shoot them down. From this point forward, I don’t ever plan on sleeping away from Jane again.
When the room is quiet and I’m about to fall asleep, I finally ask her again, “What’s wrong, Jane? You haven’t said much.”
She sniffs and it’s then I know she’s crying. “Why are you crying?”
“Nothing. Really. I’m fine. It’s just been a stressful day.”
I hold back my yawn. I’m really tired all of a sudden and I know it’s because of the surgery. “I’m sorry, but I need you to promise me something.”
She doesn’t hesitate. “Anything.”
“Promise me… you won’t ever leave me.”
9
Jane
I want to ask him the thing that’s been on my mind all day. What if he sees me and decides I’m not the one for him? But I don’t. I can hear the drowsiness in his voice, even his words are slurring.
“I promise,” I tell him.
He squeezes me. “No, say it.”
I whisper to him, “I promise… I won’t ever leave you.”
He kisses the top of my head and I lie back down on his chest. He’s softly snoring only moments later.
I lie awake most of the night and when the doctor comes in the next morning, I sleep through Mack getting out of bed. When I wake up he’s sitting on a chair in the corner of the room.
“So how you doing today, Mack?”
“Good, Doc. Let’s get these bandages off,” he says impatiently.
“Let’s talk first.”
I excuse myself to the bathroom and come back quickly, not wanting to miss anything important.
“Now listen, Mack. I’m pretty sure that we got it all. I did a rush job on it and the mass was benign. So no cancer. No radiation, no chemo. However, I do want to tell you that the eyes are tricky. You may leave here with your sight intact. You might have some floaters that I stirred up and it may be hazy for a few days. I also feel the need to make sure you’re aware that there is always the possibility that this could come back. You will need to come back for scans and tests.”
The longer the doctor talks, I can see Mack’s confidence wavering. I’m so nervous I feel