Luscious (Topped #1)(15)

Big Tag was fond of his lemon pie.

Ally had done what? His brain wasn’t quite functioning. He had to process the information. “Who found us? Where is Ally?”

“The crew was at a bar in Deep Ellum,” Sean explained. “When they heard where the tornado hit, they came running. They found you in the kitchen with Ally protecting your nasty ass.”

“She’s alive?”

Sean moved to his left and gestured toward the window. “She’s fine. She’s asleep. I convinced the nurses to bring in a cot and let her spend the night.”

He sat up despite the knife that threatened to split his brain in two. She was lying across a small cot, her body curled up and her back to the wall. Her arms were crossed over her chest and there was something about the way she slept that made him think she was protecting herself.

“She covered my body with hers?” He let his voice go low, not wanting to disturb her.

“Yeah and she’s got the bruises to prove it,” Sean said. “Her back took a couple of nice whacks, but would you like to know what she said when we tried to get her into the ER?”

“She wouldn’t go because she can’t afford it.” He knew what Ally’s first fear would be. She wouldn’t want to run up a bunch of bills she couldn’t afford. “She hasn’t been around long enough. Her insurance hasn’t kicked in.”

“Yep. I brought in a friend of mine. He checked her out. She’s fine. And she can sleep through anything,” Ian said as his pink blanket moved. The big guy looked down. “Root around all you like, baby girl. Nothing’s coming out of that. I need to take her to her momma. Kenzie should be finished by now. The girl eats like a Hoover. She makes Daddy proud.”

“Charlotte’s here?”

“Of course. Dude, you’re important to us. You make the pies.”

“What Ian is trying to say is you’re family,” Adam said, rolling his eyes. “Everyone’s out in the waiting room. Charlotte and Avery are having a breast in. Some dude was dumb enough to tell them to find somewhere private to feed the babies, so now they’re letting it all hang out in protest.”

The door opened and a tall man in a white coat walked in. “Good morning, Adam’s brother. I’m Will Daley. I’ll be making sure your brain is functioning today.”

“Ask him if he remembers how to make the pies, doc,” Ian said before heading off to find his wife.

“Sorry about my brother. He’s an idiot,” Sean said as Will took a look at his chart.

“He’s also more sarcastic than usual when he’s freaked out. He thought Sean was closing,” Adam explained. “He showed up a few minutes after the crew. He was the one who forced everyone to wait for the ambulance. Ally was going to try to get you into her car to take you to the hospital.”

“Ian acts like an ass most of the time, but he really does have a heart of gold,” Sean said. “I think you’ll discover my brother believes he owes you for more than good pies. And so do I.”

“Is she really all right?” He couldn’t take his eyes off Ally.

“That one is stubborn as hell, but she seems fine,” the doctor said.

“You checked her out?” When Ian said he’d brought a friend in, Macon thought it was likely an old Army buddy with some medic training. He would feel so much better if a practicing doctor had examined her.

Will pulled out a penlight. “Yes, I did. I had to promise there would be no paperwork. That girl is terrified of hospital bills. Not that I blame her. Yours is going to be a doozy. Let me take a look at your eyes.”

After a few moments of flashing too-bright lights in his eyes, Will proclaimed him ready to go home. He’d taken a whack to his head, but Will hadn’t seen any real damage in the incredibly expensive CT scan he’d been put through. “I can release you today, but I want you to rest for a few days. With your leg injury, you could be off balance. You’re not long post op, are you?”

He shook his head, uncomfortable even talking about it. He knew Ally knew, but he’d been careful around her. She hadn’t seen him trip or have to adjust the damn thing. She certainly hadn’t seen his stump. Knowing and seeing were two different things. “It’s been almost a year.”

“Well, it can take even longer for you to get truly confortable with the prosthetic. I noticed your organic leg is banged up.”

“What?” Adam asked.

His brother could be a mother hen at times. “I fell while I was jogging.”

Will held up a hand, stopping Adam’s next comment. “It’s good. You should attempt to do all the things you did before. Trying to get back to normal is an excellent sign, but you have to take better care of those scrapes and lay off the running for a week. You need someone to keep an eye on you for the next few days and I’ll need to see you again in about a week.”

“We’ll take care of it, Will,” Adam said.

“No. I will.”

Everyone turned to look at the woman who had said the words. Ally sat up, blinking and then covering her yawn. She looked like a sleepy kitten waking up. She stood up and stretched, her breasts moving against the thin fabric of her T-shirt.

“He’s not the only one who needs watching after,” Daley said with a frown, looking her way. “I have no idea how you slept on that thing. Aren’t you sore?”