Together, they stated firmly, “She won’t be.”
The doctor smiled again. “She can manage her pain with ice for her shoulder, along with the OTC meds I’ve recommended. Her ribs will be most painful for the first week, but then should start to get better.”
“How long?” Callie asked.
“Four to six weeks to heal. We’ll follow up outpatient if needed, but there’s no benefit to keeping her here.”
Callie said, “She can come home with me.”
What?Kam leaned around his brother. “No, I’ll be with her at her house.”
Tanner stood up between them and again held out his hand to the doctor. “Thank you. How soon can we see her?”
Understanding the predicament, something she likely saw often with the families of patients, the doctor said, “A nurse will let you know shortly. Oh, one more thing: She’s anxiousto get the blood out of her hair. She’ll need help to do that without a shower. After twenty-four hours, if she attempts a shower, it should be brief because of the sutures, without water directly hitting those areas.”
“She has a handheld shower nozzle,” Callie said. “I can do it and be really careful.”
Kam locked his jaw. He wanted to help Glory, but he supposed he should let things go for now. There’d be plenty of time to iron out who could do what after he got her home. But hewastaking her home.
The second the good doctor was gone, Kam took a stance. He kept his tone gentle, but he wasn’t about to be swayed. “Glory is going home with me.”
“You have to work,” Callie said. “If she goes with me, Addie or I can always be with her.”
A quick glance around the waiting room showed they were still alone. “There was a fire at my shop today.”
Slowly, Tanner turned to face him. “How bad?”
“It was set in a big garbage bin where we tossed out cardboard boxes, plastic and some wood. It singed part of the front exterior wall on the shop, but luckily, Robby, from the landscape shop, saw the flames and ran over with his fire extinguisher. No major damage done.”
Tanner ran a hand over his mouth. “Hell of a coincidence, though, your jobsite dealing with a fire and someone tailing Glory.”
No shit.Kam had been thinking about it nonstop, along with his fear and worry for Glory. “I don’t think the driver tailed her all day. From what she said...” He had to stop, to clear his head and fight back the alarm he’d felt when she screamed.
Tanner and Callie waited, not pushing, but he could feel their concern, and it bugged him. Hell, everything was bugging him.
He needed to see Glory.
“It wasn’t until she was on Mill Road that she noticed him.”
Nodding, Tanner drew Callie into his arms. “I agree with my brother. He needs to be there with Glory. She’ll be most comfortable in her own home, and,” he said, when she tried to object, “we’ll take turns helping out. All of us.”
That was one of the million perks of having a brother. To Callie, he said, “Thank you for understanding,” even though she hadn’t yet offered her understanding or, from her expression, accepted the decision.
A male nurse stuck his head in the door. “Family of Glory McCallahan?”
Once again, all three of them surged forward.
“Sorry, but only one at a time,” the nurse said.
Tanner, doing him a solid, held Callie back at his side so that Kam was the first in the room. Dread smothered him as he saw the pulled curtain and heard the beep and buzz of hospital machinery droning in the background.
He hesitated only a second, then said, “Glory?” as he eased the curtain aside. Thank God he’d braced himself. The sight of her nearly sent him to his knees. One eye was practically swollen shut beneath a neat row of stitches that cut through her eyebrow. Her cheekbone was swollen, split, and the side of her nose was bruised.
She tried to turn her face away.
“Don’t. I need to see you. To know that you’re going to be okay.”
Her lips, her beautiful lips, drew him, quivering a little as he bent and very gently touched his mouth to hers. “You scared a decade off my life, babe.”