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“Because you think they are going to tell you that you can go home today, don’t you?” Taylor asked him incredulously.
“No,” Derrick said trying to make a face that said that was a crazy thought but Taylor didn’t buy it. “But if they did—”
“Don’t get your hopes up, Derrick,” Taylor warned him.
“I won’t.”
But he did. And when the doctor rounded on him in the morning and said that his vitals were stable but they still needed to monitor his lab work and his surgical site, Derrick was pissed.
Whenever someone asked how he was he would grunt back with “I’ll be better when I go home.” Or if they said, “Can I do anything for you?” he would automatically respond with “Can you get me out of here?”
He was a bigger jerk than he had been the day before, something Taylor had honestly not thought was possible. And Taylor was unable to grit her teeth and let it roll off like she had the day before. Instead, she lost it.
“Derrick Fletcher, that is enough,” she said chastising him, feeling totally exasperated.
“What?” he asked, oblivious to his own behavior.
“You are being a spoiled freaking brat and I have had just about enough!” she yelled, suddenly feeling more like a mom than a wife.
Derrick rolled his eyes.
“Don’t you roll your eyes at me! Do you understand how scared I was you were going to die and now that you are alive and well all you can do is complain!”
“I just—”
“Want to go home,” Taylor finished exasperated. “I get it. Weallget it. But you don’t get to act like a child and have a temper tantrum because you aren’t getting your way. These folks all worked very hard to keep you alive and now they are all working very hard to try and not kill you. And frankly I think it's because they like me because I really don’t think they can stand you.”
Derrick looked insulted. “I don’t think that’s true.”
“They were drawing straws over who had to be your nurse tonight.”
“No, they weren’t,” Derrick huffed and scowled, then looked out the window. He slowly slid his gaze back to her. “Were they really?”
Taylor made her way around the bed and sat next to him, took his hand in hers, and looked at his face as he scowled out the window. “I was so scared,” she whispered to him and watched as his face turned to her and concern spread over it. “I was so scared that you were going to die, and that you would never come back to me. I was so scared I would never get to tell you how much I loved you and how stupid I was for not telling you sooner.”
“Tay,” Derrick said wiping the tears off her face, his own eyes looking shiny. “I would never leave you. I love you so much. It would take way more than a bullet to take me away from the one person I want to be with the most.”
Taylor nodded and tucked her chin. “I know, that’s actually what kept me going. The only reason that I didn’t completely crumble.”
“I’m sorry, Tay. I hate that you were so worried.”
“I was worried, but I knew you were getting the best care,” Taylor said.
“I agree,” Derrick said, “as much of a dick as I have been, they have been really good to me. On top of everything.”
“And do you know how much I would worry if you came home too soon and something happened and I couldn’t help you like they could here?”
Realization spread over Derrick’s face. “You totally set me up for that.”
“Yes,” Taylor said. “Yes, I did.”
“You are truly a great businesswoman. You know that.”
“I do, actually!” Taylor told him.
He heaved out a disgusted breath. “Fine, I will stop complaining under one condition.”
“Okay, name it,” Taylor agreed, eager for Derrick to stop being a huge grump.