“Sure.” He gave me an exaggerated wink before tapping on the frame with his knuckles. “I’m going to go back to my machine if you’d like to make a call.”
He turned and left without another word. I went to close the door, then finished changing while mulling over what he’d said. I was a doctor and she was my patient’s mother. Plus, she was a co-worker. Being worried about her and checking up on her wouldn’t be crossing any sort of line.
I sank down into the threadbare office chair behind the desk and logged into the hospital system. I didn’t have her number, but our employer would.
After I’d made the promise to Adi that I’d be there for her, calling when I hadn’t heard from them for so long was only proper. The surgery had gone well. I’d kept my word and had been there while it happened.
There was no medical reason I knew of that April shouldn’t have been back at work and Adi should’ve started physical therapy by now. Calling them wasn’t only proper. It was the right thing to do.
Keep telling yourself that, Matthews. Maybe if I started believing that was the true reason for my call, it would somehow become true. It was a long shot, though, considering I already knew it wasn’t.
I was calling her because I was curious and because I wanted to speak to her, not because it was the right thing to do. But she never had to know that. Nor did she have to know about the dirty fucking places my mind went to these days whenever I heard her name.
No, it was best that part stayed my secret. I wanted to know whether her smart mouth was still smart when she was between the sheets. I definitely didn’t need to find out what that mouth was capable of if she turned her sharp words against me.
I’d really rather she just used it on me. Not that I planned on ever letting her find out that little tidbit of information either.
Chapter 6
APRIL
Adi sighed and set a jar of mayonnaise down on the counter with a bit more of a thump than was necessary. She was moving around better, but she was still in a neck brace, and her arm wasn’t quite cooperating yet.
I felt her frustration with the jar echoing as a ripple in my own chest. Walking around the small kitchen table to give her a hug around the shoulders, I bent down to drop a kiss on top of her head.
“Let me help you with that, sweetheart.” I cracked the mayonnaise jar open and handed it over. “How are you feeling this morning?”
She shrugged, but the desperation in her eyes gave her away. “I’m okay, but my arm still doesn’t want to work, Mommy.”
Her voice cracked on the last part of her sentence and she sucked in a deep, long breath to get it back under control. Adi had been born an adult, but seeing her trying to act like everything was okay even now was like a flaming lance being twisted in my heart.
“You don’t have to act all tough with me, baby,” I said softly, pulling the plate with the sandwich she had been making closer. “It’s okay to feel what you’re feeling. You’re angry, sad, scared, and you’re in pain. You don’t have to hide any of that from me.”
Tears suddenly glistened in her eyes as she wrapped her good arm around me. “Will I ever get better?”
“Yes,” I said confidently. “You and I are going to do everything in our power to make sure you’re back to one-hundred percent in no time. It’s only been two weeks. I know it feels like a long time, but if you think about it, it’s not such a long time when your body has to heal.”
“I know, but…” She trailed off, drawing in a shuddering breath that told me she was still trying to hold back tears.
I held on to her tighter. “I’m so sorry this happened to you, angel. If I could take all the pain away from you and take it myself instead, I’d have done it in a heartbeat. But I’m right here for you, every step of the way.”
Craig, the asshole responsible for all this, was nowhere to be found, of course. We hadn’t heard a peep from him since he got removed from the hospital. He hadn’t contacted me about contributing to Adi’s medical expenses, to find out how she