Seducing Simon(68)

“I hurt,” she croaked.

He gave her a sympathetic look. “Your OB left orders as to what you could have. I defer to him on matters of pregnancy. I’ll make sure you’re given something before you leave the ER.”

“Thank you,” she managed. The effort of speaking was overwhelming, and she closed her eyes, exhausted.

The nurse’s ministrations barely registered, though she winced when her arm was set. She was given an injection of pain medication, and soon she floated in a sea of painlessness.

She vaguely held a sensation of moving, the blurry walls of the hallways passing by her. She saw Simon’s head bob in front of her view then fade away as her eyes grew heavy.

She opened her eyes, and at first, she had no idea where she was. It wasn’t as bright as the emergency room had been, the dark soothing to her aching head. As her vision cleared, she could see she was in a private room.

As she scanned the room, her eyes came to rest on the chair next to her bed where Simon slouched, asleep, his head lolled to the side. She drank in the sight of him. His dark hair fell forward over his forehead.

Dark shadows left imprints under his eyes. He looked as bad as she felt, but he’d never looked more desirable to her.

She tested her arm, waiting for the flash of pain when she lifted it up to inspect the cast. To her relief, all she felt was mild discomfort.

She reached up with her unencumbered hand and felt the bandages on her head. The doctor had explained to her she’d suffered a large laceration to her scalp that required multiple stitches, but thankfully it hadn’t resulted in a serious head injury.

She allowed her hand to fall back to her chest then she slid it down over her belly. She rubbed in a circle, sending a mental apology to her unborn baby. When her belly shifted and fluttered under her fingers, she gasped, tears flooding to her eyes.

Simon came awake immediately, lurching to his feet and coming to her side. “What is it? What’s wrong?” he demanded.

“N-nothing,” she stammered, relieved she wasn’t as hoarse now. “I was worried about the baby and she just moved.” Tears slipped down her cheeks unchecked.

His reached his hand out and smoothed it over her belly. His touch comforted her in a way no medication could. Warmth burned through her where his hand soothed. “So he or she is okay,” he said, relief evident in his voice.

“The doctor says so,” she said lamely.

A knock sounded at the door, and Simon raised his head, an irritated expression on his face.

A.J. walked in ahead of Matt and Stephanie, his face lighting up when he saw Toni. “You’re awake.”

She swallowed. “You act surprised.”

He bent down and kissed her cheek. “Hell yeah. You slept all day and all night.”

She frowned. “You mean it’s tomorrow?”

He laughed. “Yeah, you’ve been asleep over eighteen hours.”

“She needed the rest,” Simon said grumpily. “What are you guys doing here? I told you I’d call when she woke up.”

“I see you did just that,” Matt said with a raised eyebrow. He leaned over and kissed Toni on top of the head. Stephanie stood anxiously beside him, her worried gaze on Toni.

“How are you doing, Toni?” she asked.

“I didn’t call because she only just woke up,” Simon replied.

“I’m okay,” Toni said in answer to Stephanie’s question. She tried a convincing smile, but it made her head ache so she dropped the effort.

“We were worried about you,” Matt said, staring intently at her. “You shouldn’t have been out on the roads.”

Heat crept into her cheeks.

“Shut the hell up, Matt,” Simon growled. “She doesn’t need a lecture right now. We all know whose fault it was she was out there.” Toni froze, his words cutting deeply into her. He couldn’t have said any clearer that he blamed her for the accident. She bit her lip, wishing she could sink back into oblivion. It didn’t hurt so badly when she was asleep.

“Why don’t the two of you go take a hike?” A.J. said evenly. “I want to talk to Toni, and the two of you are only upsetting her.” Stephanie frowned. “A very good idea,” she said fiercely. She hooked her arm through Simon’s and all but dragged him and Matt toward the door.

A.J. shot her an apologetic look and pulled Simon’s chair up to the bed. He sat down and picked up her hand. “Nice cast,” he said, eyeing her other arm.

She smiled shakily, tried to speak, but burst into tears instead.

“Aww hell, Toni. Don’t cry. You know I’m worthless when it comes to tears.” He smudged at the damp trails with his thumb. “Are you okay?

Do I need to call the nurse? If you keep crying, the two lug nuts are going to come charging back in here, and I’ll be forced to punch their headlights out.”

She tried to smile but only succeeded in crying harder. A.J. sat quietly, waiting for her to stop. He didn’t fuss over here, which was refreshing. But then he’d always given her the most breathing room. He stroked her hand until her sobs subsided.

“Better?” he asked.

She nodded. “Thanks,” she choked out.

“Do you need anything?” he asked.

“Not unless you can take me back a few months and let me do things all over again,” she said painfully.