frowned. Just a result of the accident, she told herself and put the cup down. Bright morning sunlight gleamed off the sparkling clean objects in her private hospital room and made everything surreal, and for a second, it felt like time crawled by as she moved her eyes around the room.
“Good morning, lovely lady, how are you feeling?” Tara, Marie’s morning nurse, asked as she walked into the room with a smile on her face. The nurse was young, blond, pretty, and dressed in a salmon pink uniform. They all wore that color in this ward, even the male nurses.
“I’m alright, Tara. How are you?” Marie pushed her breakfast tray away and prepared herself for the examination that the nurse would perform. She held her arms out to the side so the nurse could lift her gown and examine her body. The wound was healing but it still stung when the nurse pulled up the bandages to inspect it.
“At least you didn’t get an infection, you were lucky,” Tara said as she inspected the incision the surgeon made when he opened Marie up to remove the bullet and repair the section of her intestine that was damaged by the bullet.
“I certainly was. Do I get to go home today?” It was a question she’d asked every day for the last month. She was more than ready to go home.
“You are indeed. Your husband is coming to pick you up and the doctor will be here to discharge you shortly.” Tara’s smiled broadened as Marie sighed with relief.
“Thank goodness.” Marie let her head fall back to the pillow and smiled for the first time in days. She’d felt so cooped up in here, smothered, and she wanted to be back out in the world again.
“I love you too,” Tara said playfully, and Marie laughed.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that.” Her cheeks felt warm and she put her hands up to hide the blush.
“No offense taken, sweetie. We love it when our patients get to go home.” Tara patted Marie’s hand and took down her vitals. “I’ll remove your IV when the doctor gives me the go-ahead and we’ll get you ready to go, alright?”
“Thanks,” Marie answered and looked up when the door opened. Matteo was there and her smile grew even brighter as her excitement grew. “I get to go home today.”
He wore another one of his tailored suits, this one a gray that matched his eyes. The suit couldn’t hide the fact that her husband was a very healthy male and kept his body in top shape. Her gaze drifted up and down his body before it came back up to his face. She stopped there as he started to answer.
“I know. I have the room prepared for you with everything you might need in place. How are you feeling?” His smile made his fierce gaze softer as he looked from the nurse to Marie. His face always went soft when he looked at her, even if he’d just been glaring at someone for invading his space. And as far as Matteo was concerned, she thought, she was all his space.
That made her blush deeper, and she looked away before she smiled again and looked back.
“I’m good. A little sore, but that’s to be expected.” She examined his face for signs of trouble, but those glittering gray eyes of his distracted her and nearly took her breath away.
“It is, and it will go soon.” Matteo watched as the nurse left them before he came to sit in the chair at the side of her bed. “You’ll be back to normal in no time, don’t you worry, Marie.”
“I’m not. I know I have you.” She held her hand out for his and when he took it, she felt a peace come over her. That always happened, every time he touched her, he brought her peace. “I can’t wait to get out of here and sleep with you at my side each night.”
“Ah. For now, I’ve decided to put you in your own room, until that wound has healed fully. But I’ll come in with you until you get to sleep each night.”
“That’s your final word on the matter?” She looked up from under her eyelashes as she added a bit of flirtation to her voice.
His left eyebrow crooked before a smile spread over his face. “Of course, it is, dear.”
“I see.” She pouted for a moment, but couldn’t keep it up. “If that’s how it has to be then so