Chapter 17

Striker swallowed down the bile rising in his throat and closed his eyes. Puking up his guts was all he needed. Already his body screamed in pain. Even breathing hurt. But he was alive. He’d seen Brandon’s car coming toward them a second too late. Without thinking, he’d pushed Ella out of the way. He’d tried to move, too, but didn’t quite make it. He remembered the sudden impact, his head slamming into the street and then nothing.

He’d woken up to the sound of an ambulance’s sirens, and Steve sitting near his head. Stuff between then and now was a little fuzzy. He remembered seeing his mom. He’d asked her about Ella. She’d promised him she was fine. He believed her, but would prefer to see it for himself.

Striker tried to look around. Even the slightest movement added another layer of pain to his head. Fuck. He closed his eyes again, taking a deep breath and immediately regretting it.

Someone in the emergency room got him into the ugly hospital gown. What had they done with his stuff after? The clothes he didn’t care about. The ring and wallet he did.

“You look settled.” His mom entered the room and approached the bed. “Is there anything I can do to make you more comfortable?” She tugged the blankets up higher, careful to avoid his arm. He didn’t know why she bothered. Even if she bumped it, the arm couldn’t hurt more than it already did. The doctors had told him it would require surgery. Or he thought they had. Maybe he’d imagined it. Considering how much his head hurt, anything was possible. The arm was in a splint, though, so it was injured.

“Not unless you’ve got a magic wand hiding somewhere.” Did he sound like he was drunk?

She kissed his forehead and smoothed his hair back, the way she had when he’d been a kid. “I wish I did. Are you up for visitors?”

No. “Yeah.” If anyone in his family or Ella sat in his spot, he’d want to see them. They’d feel the same way. For now, he’d suck it up and deal. “Mom, what happened to my clothes?”

“I’ve got everything, including your wallet and keys, in a bag. Tomorrow, I’ll bring you clean things.”

He didn’t see any bag in her hand. “Can you give me my jeans?”

“Why? You’re not going anywhere tonight. They’re keeping you for observation, remember?” She smoothed his hair back again. “Don’t worry about the clothes. Just rest so you can start healing.”

He moved his jaw back and forth, hoping it’d help the ringing in his ears. It only made his jaw ache more. “I need to make sure the diamond ring is still there.” He hated that his mom would know his plan before he asked Ella, but she wasn’t cooperating.

Her hand flew to her chest. “Oh.” She patted Striker’s uninjured arm. “Your dad has the bag. He’s out in the hall. Hang tight. I’ll get it.”

Judging by her reaction, Mom approved of what he had planned. He’d figured she would. Both she and Pop adored Ella. They’d both expressed their displeasure when he broke up with her, each taking turns to tell him what an idiot he was being. The only difference between their lectures had been their word choice.

His mom came back, carrying the clear hospital bag. His torn and dirty clothes were stuffed inside. “What pocket should I check?” she asked, pulling the jeans out.

“Front right.” Let it be in there. The rest of the day had gone to shit. Maybe he could catch one break today.

“Striker, it’s beautiful.” Mom held the ring up and showed him it was safe. “Were you going to ask her at the park?” She examined the engagement ring closely.

“Yeah.” Until she’d confessed and pissed him off, and he’d decided to wait. Now he wished he’d stuck with his original plan. Instead of lying here with pain everywhere but in his little toe, he and Ella might be naked, curled up together in his bed planning their future.

“She’s going to love it. I’ll take it home and keep it safe.” She put the ring into her purse and then returned his jeans to the plastic bag. “Be right back. I’m going to get everyone so they can say hello. They’ve been worried about you. Then you need to get some rest.”

When Mom returned moments later, she took the seat near his bed and Pop stood behind her. Cat took the other chair, while Tony and Mack took up positions near the windows. Ella, however, hung back, standing just inside the doorway. Although everyone appeared relieved, he saw the side effects of the anxiety and strain they’d all suffered.

Before he got questions from everyone about how he felt, Striker said, “I’m good. Don’t worry. I’ll be outta here tomorrow.”

“If you want, I’ll go get Elvis and bring him to my house. He gets along with Socks,” Mack said. “He can stay as long as you need him to.”

“Appreciate it. Thanks.”

“When we get home, I’ll see where they towed your truck,” Pop said.

Until Pop mentioned it, he hadn’t thought about his truck. He hoped it’d made out better than him. “How bad is the damage?”

“Matthew only said your truck wasn’t drivable. Could mean anything,” Pop answered. “Don’t think about it.”

Easy for Pop to say; Striker loved his truck.

“Striker needs rest, Jane.” Pop squeezed his wife’s shoulders. “Let’s go home.”

Everyone followed Pop’s lead and said their goodbyes. Mack, Tony, and Cat were the first to actually leave the room.

“We’ll give you a ride home,” Mom said, walking toward the door and Ella.

“Thank you.”

“Ella, don’t go yet.” She’d barely said anything to him since walking inside. Before she left, he wanted a few minutes alone with her.

“Edward and I will be in the waiting room down the hall. Take your time.” Mom pulled the door closed behind her, giving them some privacy.

He’d planned on proposing. But hadn’t. She’d heard his conversation with his mom. Ella didn’t think anyone else had. Anxious to get inside and see him, she’d stood right outside the door when Mrs. Striker went inside. Everyone else had stayed across the hall, closer to the nurses’ station.

He’d had the ring with him. He’d intended to give it to her during their picnic. Somehow, she just knew it. Then she’d gone and screwed things up. Talk about being an idiot.

“Mack’s dad drove me here. He got there before anyone else.” Ella approached the chair his mom had been using. “He stayed here until he got a call from the station.” Should she bring up the argument they’d had earlier? He looked so uncomfortable. She could only imagine how much pain he was in. “My parents and Claire called me to see how you’re doing.” She’d avoid their argument altogether for now. He needed rest, not a reminder of how angry he’d been with her. “Kelsey called me, too. Word about the accident spread through town fast.”

“Are you okay?” He sounded tired, his words the slightest bit slurred.

“I’ve probably got a huge bruise on my butt, but otherwise I’m perfect.” Physically perfect anyway. Until she figured out exactly where they stood, her heart remained close to collapsing. “Thank you.” She put her fingers on his uninjured hand and waited for his reaction. When he didn’t pull away she closed them around his. “I didn’t even see Brandon coming. If you hadn’t pushed me, I’d be in here, too.”

“And I’d end up in jail after killing Brandon for hurting you.” Striker grimaced, and she wished there was something she could do to ease his pain.

“He tried to get away. Jack Doyle and another man physically kept him there until the police arrived. They arrested him.”

Striker’s eyelids drifted closed. Was he asleep? Fatigue was a common symptom of a concussion. Leaning over, she kissed his cheek below the deep purple bruise. “I love you,” she whispered, hoping not to wake him. “See you later.”

She backed up. She’d let the nurse know he was asleep and then find his parents.

“Love you, too.” Striker blinked his eyes a few times before pinching the bridge of his nose, pain etched on his face.

The question came out before her brain finished processing it. “Are you sure?” If she could take the words back, she would. “Never mind. Go back to sleep. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He ignored her command. “Ella, I love you.”

“Then why did you change your mind?” Wow, her mouth had a mind of its own tonight. “I heard you ask your mom about the ring.”

“I decided it’d be better to wait until I wasn’t angry.”

“Fair enough.” She took another few steps back and reached for the door handle. “Rest. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“What would you have said?” He blinked again, as if fighting to stay awake.

“Yes.”

“Good,” he mumbled, his eyelids drooping closed.

Ella took his closed eyes as her cue to leave and went to find Mr. and Mrs. Striker down the hall.

***

“Thanks again for the ride tonight,” Ella said when Mr. Striker stopped in her driveway a short while later.

“Not a problem. Are you sure about picking Striker up from the hospital tomorrow?” Mrs. Striker asked.

Ella pulled her keys out from her pocket. “Positive. I want to do it.”

“If you change your mind, call,” Mrs. Striker said, the same exhaustion Ella felt obvious in the woman’s voice.

After reassuring Striker’s mom she had it covered, she walked to her front door. Thankfully Striker’s dad stayed in the driveway, his headlights providing her with some light. She hadn’t thought to leave an outside light on when she and Striker left hours ago.

Before pulling on her pajama bottoms, Ella checked her backside in the full-length mirror. Sure enough, she had a large purple bruise on her butt, explaining why she’d been so uncomfortable sitting all night. Compared to what she might have suffered, it was nothing. If Striker hadn’t acted so fast, she might not even be standing here. Goose bumps formed on her arms and she started shaking. He’d potentially saved her life. Risked his life in the process. His injuries could’ve been so much worse. He could’ve died. What if instead of merely cracking, one of his ribs had split into pieces and punctured an organ or damaged a major blood vessel? What if he’d suffered some major brain injury rather than a concussion? People died from severe blows to the head.

“He didn’t. He’ll be home tomorrow,” she said to her reflection. And she’d be there to take care of him. He might not require more time in the hospital, but he’d need help at home. She’d stay with him for as long as he needed her, or he could stay here. Whatever worked better for him.

His mom and dad planned to help, too. They’d discussed it in the car. Ella couldn’t be with him around the clock. She had courses to teach, so they’d agreed to work out a schedule. Mrs. Striker figured they could also count on Cat and Tony for help. Between the five of them, Ella doubted Striker would ever be home alone.

Ella dropped the chamomile teabag into the mug. Her hand still shook but at least the chills had gone away. While she waited for it to steep, she started working on her numerous voice and text messages, all messages she’d received from friends who wanted information about Striker. She sent a short text after listening to each voice message. Each one she sent said the same thing, reassuring their friends that he’d be okay and promising to call them back later.

She finished responding to the last voice message with a text and paused to add sugar to her tea. Before she started on the text messages she’d received, the doorbell rang.

Kelsey still wore her work clothes. “I saw the lights on inside when I drove by and wanted to make sure you’re okay,” she said, stepping inside and hugging her.

No matter what, Kelsey, Cat, and Ella looked out for each other. And she planned on doing just that with Kelsey. Whether Kelsey liked it or not, she planned on having a serious talk with her soon. Kelsey needed to make some changes before she burned herself out.

“Yeah. I’m still wound up, but okay. I’m hoping some tea will help.”

“Forget the tea. Pour yourself a glass of wine.” Kelsey followed her over to the counter where she’d left the tea.

“Thought about it. But I’m all out.”

“Do you want me to go get you some? I don’t mind.”

Ella sipped her tea before she answered. “No, thanks, this will be okay.”

“How’s Striker?”

Ella sipped the tea again before listing Striker’s injuries.

“Sounds like he got wicked lucky,” Kelsey said, echoing her thoughts. “He’s not home alone, is he?”

“They’re keeping him overnight for observation. He’ll come home tomorrow. I’m going to stay with him. Or have him stay here.” His house was all one level. It might be easier if he didn’t need to navigate any stairs.

“Good idea. He shouldn’t be alone. If you need my help, let me know. I can play babysitter.”

Out of everyone she knew, Kelsey had the least free time to spare. “Between his parents, Cat, Tony, and me, I think we’ve got it covered. But if we need you, I’ll call.”

“I never told you because I knew you wouldn’t believe me, but I knew you’d get back together.”

“He was going to ask me to marry him today,” Ella said, wishing for yet another reason that the afternoon had turned out differently. “He had the ring with him.”

Kelsey’s eyes grew huge. “Did the accident stop him?”

“Let’s say I killed the mood.” She blew a loose strand of hair away. “We got into an argument.”

“Yep, that’d be a mood killer. If you know about the ring, why didn’t he ask at the hospital?”

“He could barely keep his eyes open.”

“Good point. He’ll ask you soon. I know he will.”

Ella agreed. Striker wasn’t a patient guy. Sometimes she hated that particular trait of his. This time, she was grateful for it.

“You’ll say yes, right?”

“What do you think?”

Kelsey smiled, washing away some of the fatigue on her face. “Just checking.”

“My turn to do some checking. How’d it go last night with Drew?” Ella took a long sip of tea before getting some ginger cookies from the cupboard. After taking one, she offered the package to Kelsey.

Kelsey finished a cookie and reached for another before she answered. “Okay. I finally told him I’m teaching science.”

“He didn’t know?” It was no big secret Kelsey taught at the middle school, so Drew’s parents or brothers were bound to know. Wouldn’t they have shared the information?

“He knew I had been. He assumed I’d gone back to school, and I never told him otherwise.” Kelsey left the table and put the teakettle back on the stove. “He wanted to know if there was anything he could do to help. Told me to call him if I ever need anything. Like I’d ever do that.”

Kelsey didn’t ask even her closest friends for help, so Ella knew she’d never reach out to Drew.

Since the water was still hot, it didn’t take long to boil again. Kelsey made herself a cup of tea before sitting back down. “He said we’d talk soon,” Kelsey said, doing her best imitation of a male voice. “Guess that means he’s not going to stop calling me every month.”

Considering he’d come to town when she didn’t return his calls and he’d tracked her down at the wedding, Ella suspected Drew planned on being a more active participant in Kelsey’s life. Maybe he’d be able to do what her friends hadn’t: Get her back to living instead of going through the motions every day.

Ella kept her suspicions to herself. Time would tell what happened. “Having him care isn’t the worst thing in the world.”

“I guess you’re right. But I don’t need another brother. I don’t need any guy taking care of me. I’ve got things under control.”

Kelsey didn’t mention Ian often, and no one brought him up. Ella knew they’d been close, and she’d seen firsthand the emotional toll losing him had taken on Kelsey. “Having friends is always a good thing. Don’t push him away because he reminds you of Ian.”

“He can go back to making his monthly calls and I’ll answer. If I don’t, he’ll show up at my door. But I’m not going to start sharing personal stuff with him. I’ve got you, Cat, and Jessie for that.”

Wrapping her hands around her mug, she lifted it toward her lips. “Just a suggestion, Kelsey. Do what’s best for you. And whenever you need me, I’m here.”