Doing It Over (Most Likely To #1)(61)

Nathan placed a hand on Jo’s arm and attempted to push her aside. “I’m here to see my daughter.”

Melanie cringed and snapped a glance to Hope.

Hope was looking around the room as if seeing it for the first time. “Mommy, where am I?”

“Out of my way.” Nathan’s voice bordered on violent as he pushed past Jo. “Good God, what happened to her?”

“Keep your voice down, Nathan,” Melanie tried to calm him.

“Don’t tell me to keep it down. Is this what you call protecting our daughter?”

Once again, Melanie cringed.

“Mommy, who’s that?”

“I’m your daddy, Hope. And I’m going to protect you from now on.”

“Hey!” Jo shoved in between the bed and Nathan.

“Please, Nathan. Not now!”

Hope started to cry. “Mommy . . . where am I?”

“You’re either going to arrest me or get the hell out of my way, woman!” Nathan all but spat in Jo’s face.

“Don’t tempt me.”

“Mommy . . . why is that man yelling at Aunt Jo?”

“You know, Nathan . . . now might not be the best time to upset the patient.” Wyatt’s words brought Nathan’s gaze across the bed.

“Who the hell are you to tell me what to do?”

Melanie felt the charge in the air crack when the nurse walked into the room. “I don’t know what’s going on in here, but it stops now!” She pushed past Jo, Nathan, and Wyatt and moved to the monitor above the bed. “Everyone out!”

“Mommy!”

“Except Mom. Everyone else, solve your issues outside.”

“Let’s go,” Jo said, placing her hand on Nathan’s arm with a nudge toward the door.

He shook her off. “She’s my daughter, too.”

The monitor started to ping.

The nurse placed both hands on her hips. “Out!”

“I have rights.” Nathan lowered his tone and glared at the nurse.

“And we have rules. One visitor at a time. Out!”

Melanie felt Hope squeeze her hand as Nathan looked at everyone but his daughter before storming out of the room.

“We’ll be right outside.” Wyatt kissed the top of Melanie’s head and smiled at Hope.

The nurse closed the door after they left and pulled the curtain around the bed. She pressed a few things on the monitor and checked Hope’s IV. “How are you feeling, honey?”

“Who are you?” Hope’s tears were already drying up.

“I’m Clarisse, one of the nurses. You’re at the hospital.”

Hope looked down at her arm. “I broke my arm.”

“Yes, you did. Do you remember falling?”

Hope shook her head.

“It’s okay.”

Clarisse turned her attention to Melanie. “We should try and keep her calm. The bed in ICU will be ready in about an hour, until then I’m going to keep visitors away.”

Melanie looked at the monitor. “What happened?”

“Her pulse shot up. Then I heard the yelling. She’s had enough stress.”

“I’m tired,” Hope said, closing her eyes.

“You sleep, sweetie. I’m right here.”

Melanie nodded toward the door and slipped away from the bed with the nurse. In hushed tones, she explained the situation.

“Hope doesn’t know her father. He’s just reentered the picture and seems determined to cause chaos.”

Clarisse frowned. “I’ll notify risk management and the nursing director. Maybe they can talk with him and let him see how his impact isn’t helping the situation right now.”

“Thank you.”

Clarisse left the room, and when Melanie turned back, Hope was already asleep.





Jo started into Nathan the minute the three of them were clear of the lobby doors.

“How stupid can you be? Hope has a head injury, you asshat. The last thing she needs is her sperm donor coming in to screw things up more inside her head.”

“Fuck you, JoAnne. She’s my kid. I have rights.”

“You have squat. You gave up your rights when you walked away.”

Wyatt didn’t want to yell at the man, he simply wanted to punch him. Maybe bruise up his left fist to go with his right.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I know exactly what I’m talking about. And if you try a stunt like that again, I’ll slap handcuffs on you so fast your cocky grin will slide right into hell where you belong.”

Nathan took a step way too close to Jo for Wyatt’s comfort.

“Just try it. False arrest, false imprisonment.”

“Obstructing justice, threatening a peace officer, interfering with police proceedings.”

“All right, enough.” How the hell did Wyatt become the calm one? “Much as I’d love to kick your ass right now for what you pulled in there, the last thing Melanie needs is this.”

Nathan put both hands in the air and waved Wyatt toward him. “Let’s go, Redneck. You just throw the first punch.”

Wyatt clenched his fists, his jaw tight. It would be so nice to see blood on Nathan’s three-piece suit. He heard his father’s voice inside his head . . . “Don’t throw the first punch, son; throw the last.”