The Wedding Party (The Wedding Date, #3)(69)

Theo sighed. He knew head injuries were bad, he had not at all enjoyed the experience of waking up in an ambulance and not knowing how or why he’d gotten there, and he was ready to do whatever the doctors said he had to. He just wanted to get the hell out of the hospital first.

“I am taking it seriously,” he said to the room at large. He looked at Drew. “But really—do you think they’re going to let me go home tonight? No offense, but hospitals are nightmares.”

Drew laughed.

“None taken. I haven’t done adult medicine in a while, but from what I remember, we usually wouldn’t keep concussions in overnight unless there was some evidence of something wrong, something more than just a sore spot and a headache.”

Maddie looked like she wanted to argue with Drew, and Theo couldn’t figure out why. Couldn’t she see how much happier he’d be at home, in his own clothes, without any needles in his arm?

Maybe she was tired of being here. He had no idea how long they’d been at the hospital, but he was pretty sure Maddie had been with him the whole time. She must be exhausted.

Drew and Ben were in the corner talking about baseball, but he lowered his voice anyway.

“Now that Ben’s here, you can go if you want.”

Oh no, now she looked pissed.

“Do you want me to go? I don’t have to stay if you don’t want me here.”

He shook his head. Shit, why did he keep doing that? Shaking his head hurt like hell.

“Of course I don’t want you to go. But it’s getting late, and you’ve been in that chair for I don’t know how many hours. I know I’m grumpy and tired, so I’m assuming you’re getting grumpy and tired and probably hungry. Ben can take over.”

She glared at him.

“I’m not going anywhere. I promised Alexa I’d stay, and I’m staying until you’re out of here.” She frowned as she looked at him. “You look tired. Are there too many people in this room right now?”

Now she was looking at Ben and Drew like she was going to throw them out.

“No, they’re fine. It’s good to have some entertainment while I’m in this stupid bed. And I’m sure Alexa will flip if Drew leaves before he gets a chance to talk to the doctors.”

Maddie nodded and sat back down next to him. She didn’t reach for his hand again.

Ben turned on the TV, then quickly turned it back off after Maddie yelled at him that his brother had just gotten a traumatic brain injury and no screens were allowed. Oh good, she could be mad at Ben instead of him.

Finally, the doctor came back in.

“Okay, Mr. Stephens, how are you feeling?” She looked around the room. “You have a lot of visitors, I see.” She smiled at Maddie. “You, I’ve already met.”

Ben reached out his hand.

“Hi, I’m Ben Stephens. Thanks for taking care of my big brother.”

Dr. Stewart shook his hand and turned to Drew.

“I’m Drew Nichols, a friend of Theo’s. I’m a doctor over at Children’s.”

Ben jumped in.

“Our mom is out of town, and she demanded that Drew be her eyes and ears—forget her own son.”

Theo sighed.

“And yes, Doctor, feel free to speak frankly with all of them in here. Anything to get me home faster.”

The doctor laughed and turned to Drew.

Did the doctor have the test results or not? Were they going to keep Theo tonight or send him home? Just give them the news and stop the suspense.

“So, Doctor, do you have an update for us?” Maddie finally asked.

The doctor stopped chatting with Drew about people they both knew and turned back to Theo.

“Your test results were clear. We’re sending you home tonight. I bet you’re thrilled about that.”

Theo sat up and smiled. Was she the only one who noticed how much he winced whenever he moved? Why were they letting him go home like this?

“I’m very thrilled, Dr. Stewart. Thanks so much for everything.”

“Are you sure about this, Dr. Stewart?” Maddie couldn’t help herself. “Shouldn’t he stay overnight for monitoring? What if there’s bleeding in his brain that didn’t show up on your tests? Or what if he forgets things again, like he did when he first woke up? Shouldn’t he stay here, in case any of those things happen?”

The doctor smiled at her. Maddie could see condescension in that smile.

“I see someone has been looking on the Internet for worst-case scenarios. Don’t worry, we have a list of things to watch out for, but he can easily be monitored by friends and family at home. He might forget things and feel kind of foggy for the next few days, but that’s normal.” She looked around the room. “I can tell he’ll be in good hands, and he’ll be able to rest and recuperate a lot better at home than in the hospital.”

She took out her phone to text Alexa.

The doctor says Theo gets to go home tonight but I really think they should keep him to monitor him but no one seems to be paying attention to me. She’s talking to Drew now



Alexa was clearly waiting for news, because her little bubble popped up immediately.

I wish he was staying overnight too! Glad Drew’s there hopefully he’ll either get the doctor to change her mind or tell us why this makes even the slightest amount of sense