His Appeal

Chapter Nineteen

“Don’t want to open my eyes,” Eve grumbled.  “Tired.”

“Honey, do you know where you are?” Thad asked.

“I’m in bed,” Eve still refused to open her eyes.  “Why are you here, Thad?  I’m telling Camille that you snuck into my bedroom to perv on me.”

“Eve, you’re in the hospital,” Doug blurted.

Eve’s eyes snapped open to see Doug three inches from her face.

“You had appendicitis and have to have surgery,” he told her.  “As soon as they check you out, they’re going to move you to a room.”

“Surgery?” Eve whispered.

“You’re fine,” Doug rushed.  “They caught it before your appendix burst.  You can come home tomorrow.”

“Surgery,” she whispered again.

“Thad,” Doug tried to keep his voice calm.  “I think you should get a nurse.  She’s looking kind of pale.”

“Surgery.”

“Yes, but you’re okay,” Doug tried to reassure her.  He wasn’t sure she was hearing him.  “Eve, look at me and try to focus.”

“I had surgery,” Eve said.  Her eyes flew to Doug’s.  “Oh my God!  I had surgery.”  In her panic, Eve started breathing heavily.

“Eve,” Doug snapped.  He grabbed her face between his hands.  “You need to calm down and focus.  If they have to sedate you, you’ll never get to a regular room.  If you can’t go to a regular room, you can’t go home tomorrow.”

“Calm,” Eve said.  “Yes, I’m calm.”

“Ms. Porter,” a cheerful nurse said coming into the room.  “I’m so glad to see you could join us again.”

“Again?  What does she mean again?”  Eve sounded frantic.

“Calm, Eve,” Doug said.  He forced her eyes back to his, his hands still cupping her cheeks.  “You woke up earlier, but you were distraught and your blood pressure went up.  They had to sedate you to get you to calm down.”  He shook his head at her.  “We don’t want that to happen again, do we?”

“Calm,” Eve repeated.  “I’m calm.  I want to go home,” she said jerking her face from his hands.  “I feel okay, just very tired.  I’d rest better in my own bed.”

“You’re not going anywhere just yet, Ms. Porter,” the nurse said.  She nudged Doug aside so that she could grab Eve’s wrist.  “Just let me get your vitals and then we’ll get you transported to your room.”

“How’s she doing?  What’s her pulse?  How’s her blood pressure?”  Doug fired his questions at the nurse.

“She’s doing well, sir,” the nurse said.

“Thad,” Eve called.  His head popped around the nurse and he smiled at Eve.

“What’s up, buttercup?”

“You need to get him out of here,” Eve said.  “I’m fine.  He saved me.  But he has got to go before I find a suture kit and sew his mouth shut.”

“Don’t be too hard on him,” Thad told her.  “He’s been pacing the waiting room and terrorizing pint-sized pseudo drill sergeants for hours.  No one would tell him anything, and he was freaking out.”

“Were you worried about me, Doug?” Eve asked softly, a shy smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

“Of course I was worried,” Doug said gruffly.  “You were puking and feverish and in pain.  Then you just passed the hell out.”

“I’ll give you a few minutes before I call for a gurney,” the nurse said.  She slipped quietly out of the cubical.

Doug stepped up to Eve’s bed once again.  “You scared the shit out of me.”

“I’m sorry,” Eve said.  “Thank you for taking care of me, though.”

“Please, don’t do this to me again,” Doug said picking her hand.  “I swear I aged ten years in the last few hours.”

“You should go home and get some rest,” Eve told him.

“I’ll stay until they get you settled into a room.”  Doug gazed into her eyes and lightly squeezed her hand.  “I want to make sure you have everything you need.”

“I don’t think I need much.  I would feel better if you let Thad take you home.  You look exhausted.”

“I don’t want to leave you.  What if you need help?”

“It’s a hospital,” Eve smiled at him.  “I think someone will help me.  Please let me have the assurance that you’ll make it home safely.  If I need you, I swear I’ll call.”

Doug nodded and reluctantly let go of her hand.  Swiftly, before he could talk himself out of it, he bent at the waist and planted a moist kiss on her mouth.

Pulling back slightly, he said, “I’ll be here first thing in the morning.  You’d better call if you need anything at all; even if you’re just lonely and can’t sleep.”

They stared in each other’s eyes for a moment before Doug turned on his heel and left the room.

There will be a wait for the next update.  I just got the manuscript for Royally Tamed back from my editor and I have a lot of work to do to get it out next month.  If you haven't read it yet, go check out Royally Trained on Amazon.  You can download it free with Kindle Unlimited.