Page 30 of Colby (Tucker’s Pride #5)

“What the hell does that mean?” She shrugged and said her Pop-Pop had been waiting for him for over three hours now.

“And I told you I was asked to help out with someone else. Or would you have rather he’d gotten away from the police and gone on a rampage around the hospital killing whomever he came in contact with? That would include your Pop-Pop, too.”

“I didn’t know that.” He said that she should never assume anything about him when it came to his job. “I’m sorry, and you’re right. I shouldn’t have thought that you were out fucking around while my Pop-Pop was suffering. Though it looks like someone gave him something for pain. Did you do that?”

He didn’t answer her but did talk to her grandfather.

Pop-Pop was still groggy, but he was able to answer the questions that the doctor put to him.

As he laid there, she could tell then that he was getting treatment.

The doctor was also kind and calm with him, nothing like he’d been with her.

Not that she didn’t deserve it, she’d been nasty with him, but she was worried, and he should have taken that into consideration.

“You have a concussion, Mr. Toby. And you’ve bruised your ankle.

I want you to stay here for a couple of days to make sure that you can get the medication you need.

Also, we’ll be able to keep a good eye on those cuts you have on your head while we’re at it.

” Pop-Pop told him that he’d be fine when he got home, as his granddaughter was there now.

“I’d rather you stay with us for those two days just to keep an eye on you.

I’d hate to have sent you home, and you have to come back because of some kind of infection or something worse. ”

“What do you think, Molly? You didn’t come to see me while I was in the hospital, now did you?

Would you do this old man a favor and come see me while I’m in here?

” She said, of course, she would; he was the reason she was home in the first place.

“All right then, doc. I’ll stay here, and I promise not to make too much of a fuss because I’m missing time with my girl here.

She’s all I’ve got myself in the whole world since my missus has passed on. ”

“Pop-Pop, you have a son and two grandsons. What if they were to show up and want to see you? What would you do?” He said he’d tell them to go home. “Well, I would, too, I guess. They don’t have a great deal to do with you. But they are a part of your family.”

“True.” They put him in a room with a bigger bed. Pop-Pop wasn’t a big man, but he did like to spread out when he was in pain. She got a good look at his ankle while they were moving him and couldn’t believe that he hadn’t broken it.

It was bruised from the side of his foot all the way up to his knee.

There were scratches, too, on it that looked to her like he could have used a few stitches.

The top of his foot looked the worst with a bruise that went from his ankle to his toes and had bruised them up as well.

Poor man, her heart hurt for him. The doctor came in just as the transporters had him settled in the bed.

“You can have something to eat if you want, Mr. Toby. I’m not going to change your diet, but keep you on the one that I suggested several months ago.

Are you still trying to cut out your salt?

I’ve noticed that your legs aren’t swollen like they usually are.

” She wanted to tell the doctor that he’d follow the plan if she had anything to do with it, but her grandfather said he was following it the best he could.

“That’s all we can hope for right now. You rest up, and in a couple of days, we’ll have a look at your head again.

I don’t see anything coming of it, but you took a nasty fall, and I would like for you to be around for a few more years if you do all right. ”

When he asked for something for his headache, she could see where he might need something more.

And when the doctor suggested that he take the heavier drugs while he could—so he could rest better—Molly wanted to tell them she’d take care of him if it came to that.

She had something in her purse that helped with her headaches, and she would have offered it to him had he just asked.

But then she realized that might not be such a good thing, not with him being in the hospital for his injuries.

The medication that they gave him knocked him out, and she was sort of glad for it. She didn’t want to see him in any pain.

The nurses said he would more than likely sleep through the night, and she was going to stay with him.

One of them brought her a pillow and blanket and showed her how to make the chair into a long bed.

Moving it as close to his bed as she could and still touch his hand, she tried her best to sleep while he did.

Every time he moved, she would wake up. Even if he only moved his hands from hers, she would stand up and watch over him until he settled again.

The nurses were really nice throughout the night, and she would talk to them when they came in to wake him up to get his blood pressure.

Molly was happy that it stayed down where it was while he was sleeping.

Never knowing what she was going to be up to while home, she always had an extra pair of panties in her bag.

When she was told she could use Pop-Pop’s shower, she leapt at the chance to do so.

The water was perfect, and she felt so much better than she did when she woke up.

Just being able to wash her face and hair made her feel like a new person.

Sitting in the room brushing her hair, glad that she was at least that prepared to be cleaned up, she watched her grandfather as he flirted with the nurses.

He’d been that way even before her grannie had died, and she knew that it was as harmless as anything else he did.

“Doctor Tucker said to make sure you had something to eat. I can bring another breakfast in if you tell them what you want.” She was shown how to order herself something to eat and was happy when she got it.

“There is a soda machine right outside the nurses’ station, and you can get things from there as well.

Just let us know if you need anything else. ”

Pop-Pop was sore this morning, the doctor said he might be.

Given something for the pain had him dozing some, but he was alert when she spoke to him.

She was never so happy to have the nurses tell her that he was doing so much better than they thought that he would, what with the fall and his age factoring in.

Molly was thrilled that he had not broken anything like a hip or his ankle when he’d fallen.

She would remember that fall for the rest of her life.