“Hi,” I said shyly and waved awkwardly.
The guys nodded, and Harper waved back with a smile, “Hello. So—”
Jonah removed his arm from around me and stood. “So, we’re going to head out and get some dinner. You guys going to be here for a bit?”
“I was going to offer to spend the night. You’ve been here the last two nights,” Harper said.
Jonah walked over and enveloped her in a hug. “Thank you, sister cousin. You’ll call if anything changes?”
“Of course. Love you, brother Judge.”
“Love you, too, Harpy. River, you ready?”
“Yep, let’s roll,” I said and waved goodbye to the group as I followed Jonah to the elevator.
Chapter Sixteen
Judge
The next few days were a whirlwind of activity. Mom went from being on the breathing machine and completely unresponsive to awake and ready to get out of the hospital.
For some reason, I assumed she would just wake up all of a sudden and start acting like herself, but that’s not what happened. It was a slow, gradual process, and I was grateful to have River by my side to explain things to me. I felt bad about her spending her days off at the hospital, but she said she didn’t mind being there, so I didn’t argue with her because I needed her there with me.
After going back to my house so both of us could shower and change, I drove us back to the hospital in her car. I knew she had to work, but I hated to let her go, which I told her right before I kissed the hell out of her in front of the elevators.
“Jonah,” she breathed. “I work here.”
“Yeah, but you’re not on the clock just yet,” I said and gently tugged on her bottom lip with my teeth. I groaned and pressed my body against hers. “Knew I should’ve fucked you again before we left.”
She playfully slapped my chest and stepped back. “I really have to go. I’ll see you in the morning,” she said and winked at me before disappearing through the double doors that led to the Emergency Department.
I readjusted myself while I waited for the elevator to take me up to Mom’s floor. If all went well, she would be discharged the following morning.
“There’s my boy,” Mom said with a wide smile when I entered the room. “Where’s your girlfriend?”
“She’s not my girlfriend, Ma, and she had to work tonight,” I explained.
Mom rolled her eyes. “That shimmery lip gloss smeared across your lips says otherwise.”
Harper started laughing from her perch in the corner of the room. I immediately looked away and wiped my hand over my mouth. Damn River and her fucking lip gloss that tasted like cotton candy.
“You must be doing okay if you’re feeling well enough to give me shit the moment I walk into your room,” I grumbled.
Mom smiled brightly, “I am. I’ll be even better once I get home.”
Despite her insistence that I go home, I stayed the night with her again. I didn’t want to leave her by herself, and I liked being in the same building as River.
I did manage to slip out of the room without waking Mom and go downstairs to join River for her break. They seemed to be pretty busy, but she assured me she had plenty of time to eat.
“So, I’ll just plan on coming up to your mom’s room and hanging out until she is discharged, which will probably be around lunch time, give or take an hour or two,” she said around a mouthful of lettuce.
“Yeah, that’ll work,” I said and fidgeted with my hands.
“You okay?” she asked.
I chuckled nervously, “Yeah, I, uh, wanted to ask you if you would be willing to stay at my mom’s house for the next week or so. Not as her nurse or anything, but I’ll be staying there, and it would make me feel a lot better if you were there, too.”
She paused with her forkful of food in mid-air. “Does she have room for me?”