Page 47

“What’s that?” I asked, sitting up. Sinner and Hunter watched in fascination as Maggie strode over and grabbed my shirt, lifting it up and shoving the needle into my belly. I gasped in pain, sure the woman was purposely trying to cause me harm. “What the hell was that?”
She pressed her fingers to my throat and stared down at her watch. “I don’t know how many times I have to tell you to take your medication. I swear to God, it’s like taking care of a toddler. Did you at least bring your inhaler today?”
“Inhaler?” Sinner snorted.
I glared at him, but turned back to Maggie, trying to figure out what the fuck she was talking about. “Why would I need an inhaler?” I asked.
Again, she huffed, dropping her hand. “Well, if you want to die of an asthma attack, by all means, go play with your friends and pass out.”
She turned to leave, but I grabbed her wrist, hauling her back to me. “Wait a minute. I don’t have asthma or diabetes!”
“I think I would know since I’m the one that saved your life when you almost died after running a quarter of a mile.”
Hunter stifled a laugh behind his hand. “Pussy.”
I glared at him, turning back to my wife in confusion. “There has to be a mistake. Maybe I was misdiagnosed or…”
She pressed her hand to my cheek and sighed. “I know this is hard for you to deal with, and finding out about your heart condition last month has really done a number on you, but you need to face this.”
“Heart condition,” I said to myself. I didn’t feel like I was sick or had a heart condition. In fact, I felt just like I always did. I shoved off the table and stood, yanking my shirt back in place. “I don’t have a heart condition or diabetes or?—”
I was waving my arms around wildly when I noticed I was suddenly missing two fingers. I stopped and stared at my hand, my eyes wide as I took in the missing digits. My eyes slid over to Hunter and Sinner, who just now noticed also. I swallowed hard and slowly looked up at Maggie.
“Hey,” she whispered. “It’s okay. It hits me sometimes too. I wasn’t there when you needed me. And you were so brave. Honestly, I’m surprised you lasted as long as you did.”
“Huh?”
“The boat accident.”
Frowning, I looked at her in confusion. “No, it was a hostage situation.”
“I think that’s your brain telling you what you want to hear. It was a boat accident. Your wedding ring got caught on the side of the boat as we were docking, and the boat slammed into the dock, ripping your finger off.”
I stared down at my missing fingers, trying to figure out how that happened. “How did I lose the other finger?”
“Well, we had to cut it off to save the rest of your hand. The way you were stuck…” She patted me on the shoulder awkwardly. “Maybe you shouldn’t think about this right now. You’re having a rough day.” Stepping back, she turned to Raegan. “We really need to get back to work. Is he good?”
“Yeah, he’s fine.”
“Alright, sweetie. I have to get back to work. Are you going to be alright?”
I nodded numbly and continued to stare at my missing fingers.
“Why don’t you go home and rest. And remember, no eating any sugar. I have a busy day and no time to deal with taking you to the hospital.”
She turned and left the room, leaving me with Hunter and Sinner. “What a loving wife,” I muttered.
“Dude, you’re such a pussy in this life. A boat took out your hand? What the hell?” Hunter laughed.
“Not to mention that he’s an asthmatic diabetic with a heart condition,” Sinner added.
“Hey, if I’m different, then so are you guys.”
“Yeah, but so far, we’re not looking like the pussies here.”
“There you are,” Knight grinned as he came running through the door. “So, I went to the store to get you some of those sugar-free candies you like so much. I thought it would cheer you up.”
“Sugar-free?”