clutch him tighter. His arms wrap around me, and I just let myself take comfort in that. It feels like I’ll be okay as long as he’s got me. I want to believe he can fix all of this, even though my brain tells me he can’t. I so want to believe.
“We need to get her to a hospital, but we have no insurance,” I murmur against his shirt.
“Doc’s taking care of her.” His big hand strokes the back of my head.
Minutes drag on and finally after what seems like hours, the doctor emerges. “She’s stable now. We pumped her stomach.”
“Thank you.”
His eyes move between Gypsy and me. “I understand the sensitivity of the situation. We can move her to my clinic and watch her, or you can take her to a hospital. It’s up to you.”
“Clinic will be fine,” Gypsy answers for me. “She’s Growler’s ol’ lady.”
The doctor nods as if that is explanation enough. “I’ll send the club the bill.”
“Send it to me,” Gypsy corrects. “Club doesn’t need to know about all this.”
“I understand.” His eyes move to mine. “She’s going to need some ongoing treatment. I know of a rehab upstate that will take her for a five-thousand-dollar deposit. Think you can swing that?”
I’ve got about four hundred dollars in the bank until my next paycheck. Right now five thousand dollars sounds like a fortune. I have a credit card, but it will max it out.
“I’ll see it’s taken care of,” Gypsy offers.
“No,” I snap. “I’ll take care of it.”
“You’ve got that kind of money, babe?”
“I can put it on my credit card.”
“You sure?”
“Yes, thank you for everything, both of you.”
“Think you can carry her out to the van?” the doctor asks Gypsy.
“Of course.”
He scoops her up in his strong arms and carries her down. I ride with her, and Gypsy follows on his bike.
We arrive at the clinic and enter through a back door. The doctor stops me there. “We’ll take good care of her. She’ll be closely monitored all night, but she’s not going to wake up for a while. You should go home and get some rest. You’ll need your strength tomorrow.”
Gypsy pulls on my arm when I want to protest, peering to look down the hall. “But—”
“Come on, babe. Doc’s done this before. She’s in good hands.”
I let him lead me out to his bike, where he pulls the spare helmet from his saddlebag and holds it out to me.
“Tess, I saw the destruction in the family room when I walked in. You don’t need to be up half the night cleaning that shit up, and that’s exactly what you’ll do if I take you back.”
“If you take me back?”
“We’re goin’ to my place, and you’re gonna get a good night’s sleep.”
I give him a sad, tired smile. “You and me in a bed just sleeping? You sure about that?”
The corner of his mouth lifts. “For the most part.”
I take the helmet and strap it on while he fires his bike up, then I climb on behind him, hold tight, and press my cheek to his back. His hand pats my leg, and then squeezes above the knee. “You ready?”
I nod and off we go.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Tess—
I roll over and see Gypsy on his stomach, fast asleep. I put my elbow in the pillow, rest my head in my hand, and study him at my leisure. His back is beautifully muscled and his shoulders broad. I long to run my palm over his skin, but I don’t want to wake him. I lift the sheet and peer at his phenomenal ass.
Quacking draws my eyes to the window and the view of the pond beyond where several ducks swim. Smiling, I climb quietly from the bed, slip on my panties and one of his flannel shirts, and pad barefoot into the kitchen. I find a loaf of bread and steal four slices, then slip out the sliders onto the back porch and down to the grass. It’s cool outside, and I breathe in the fresh air.
When I reach the edge of the pond I rip a few small pieces of bread off and toss them. The ducks soon swim toward me, eager for a meal.
I laugh, tossing them more.
One brave duck, a white bird with an orange bill climbs up on the grass and approaches, cocking his head at me.
“Here you go, buddy.” I toss him a piece.
I throw some more to the ducks in the lake. Soon more are climbing from the water to