“Maybe it was three,” he teased.
“I know it wasn’t three,” I said with certainty.
“We’ll check the papers when we get home.”
“When will that be?” I asked and yawned. The pain pill I’d taken before we left the hospital had kicked in, and I could feel myself getting drowsy. I hated that they made me so sleepy, but I was also grateful for the relief they provided.
“We’ve got at least another hour to go. Go ahead and close your eyes. I’ll wake you when we get there.”
* * *
He didn’t wakeme when we arrived. Instead, I woke up in his bed at the clubhouse. Coal was beside me with his arm draped across my abdomen, resting heavily on my very full bladder.
I knew he was exhausted, so I tried to get out of bed without disturbing him. However, the moment I moved his arm, he was wide awake. “You okay?”
“I’m fine. I just need to pee.”
He hopped out of bed like he hadn’t just woken up from a deep sleep and helped me to my feet before escorting me to the bathroom. Despite the progress I’d made, I was still unsteady on my feet and needed help to move around.
Once I was back in bed, he sat down beside me. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m a little sore, but otherwise okay for the moment. What time is it?”
He picked up his phone from the nightstand and checked the time. “A little after six. Are you hungry?”
“Not really, but I probably should try to eat something. I’m not supposed to take any of the medicines they gave me on an empty stomach.”
He typed out a message on his phone and climbed back into the bed beside me.
“Um, what are you doing? I thought you were going to get food.”
“Wait for it,” he grinned.
Not even five minutes later, someone knocked on the door.
“Come in,” he called.
The door opened, and Kathleen walked in, carrying a large tray of food. “I heard someone was hungry.”
“Oh, you didn’t have to do that,” I smiled. “But thank you, it smells wonderful.”
“I thought you should have a nice home-cooked meal after suffering through days of hospital food.”
“So it wasn’t just me?” I asked, causing them both to laugh.
“No, it wasn’t. The food really was awful,” Coal agreed.
I placed a bite of food in my mouth and moaned at the taste. “This is delicious.”
“I’m glad you like it. Eat up. There’s plenty more where that came from.”
“Seriously, this is hands down the best lasagna I’ve ever had.”
“Well, if I didn’t already think she was perfect for you, I certainly do now,” Kathleen said.
I wasn’t sure what she meant, so I looked to Coal for clarification.
“This is my favorite meal. She used to make it for me once a week until I moved to Devil Springs. Now, she makes it every time I go home for a visit.”