Page 8 of I’m Fine Save Me (The Spiral Duet #1)

Chapter five

Tegan

A Few Days Later

T he day out with my mom and sisters was a breath of fresh air that I truly didn’t know I had needed.

Mama knew as soon as I got out of my car at the salon.

I didn’t even have to give her the news before she was hugging me tight, and I could feel the tears hitting my shoulder. Mother’s intuition is no joke.

Of course, the woman composed herself before Kat and Dani pulled up to park.

It has always amazed me how my mother could pull herself together so quickly to give nothing away.

She’d done it so much while I was growing up, but it wasn’t until my parents finally divorced that I noticed how regular of an occurrence it was.

This was a happy thing to hold back though, and she was doing it so she didn’t steal the joy of telling them myself.

Of course both Dani and Kat were excited to hear the news that they’d be aunts.

During our entire pedicure the three of them were throwing around baby name ideas.

“You know your Nana is going to suggest Penelope if it’s a girl.

” It’s a story we’ve all heard numerous times from our grandparents.

Nana tried to convince Mama to name each of us Penelope the second she found out she’d birthed a girl.

The mock expression of offense always made me giggle any time Nana told the story.

When my mom tells it though, it’s just adorable to see her rolling her eyes about her mother the way Kat, Dani, and I roll ours when we’re talking about her driving us crazy.

I guess that’s just a mother daughter relationship requirement.

We spent hours together, having a nice lunch after our pedicures, and now we’ve gone our separate ways.

My way is to go back home and spend the rest of my Saturday binge watching Scandal on Netflix before Cooper comes home from his day with his dad.

When I called him on my way home, he answered, sounding tired.

I’m guessing he started his day almost as early as I did.

We didn’t talk long and after he said “I’ll be home later tonight.

Wear something sexy for me? I love you.” I hung up the phone smiling.

It’s when I pull up into my parking spot of the complex that my stomach sinks with dread. Theo is leaning against my husband’s car in his parking spot, and Cooper is nowhere to be seen. With my brow furrowed, I climb out of my car and grab my purse. “Where’s Coop?”

Theo holds out his hand. “He told me to get your keys from you.” His voice is steady.

That has to be some kind of trick he learned in the Army.

He sounds so calm, but I feel like a bomb is about to go off as I grip my keys tighter in one hand while my other searches my purse for my phone.

“Tegan, he’s okay. Just give me your keys and I’ll take you to him. ”

“Where is he that you have to take me anywhere, Theo?” I know I sound crazy. I don’t really care. Pulling out my phone, I don’t take my eyes off Theo as I dial Cooper.

He answers on the first ring. “Hey, babe. Did you make it home okay?”

“Where the fuck are you?” My voice is surprisingly level, but the look on Theo’s face when he realizes Cooper answered tells me there’s something serious happening right now.

“Is Theo there?” Cooper asks in that same tired voice, and my heart races faster.

What the fuck is happening?

“Cooper…”

“Baby, I’m okay. Is Theo there?” He repeats.

“Yes, now what the fuck is going on? Where are you?” If I have to blame hormones later for being crazy when this was nothing, I absolutely will and I’ll apologize to the little nugget later in life.

“Give Theo your keys, Beautiful. You will try to get here as fast as possible and I don’t want you to get hurt in an accident because you were rushing.” Cooper says in my ear, but Theo is speaking right after because I haven’t stopped staring at his panicked expression.

“There was an accident with the gun, but he’s okay, Tegs.

” And I’m pretty sure my heart stops for a few seconds before both of their words register.

Without another thought, I hand Theo my keys and walk around to the passenger side.

I’m gripping my phone so hard, I’m sure it’ll crack.

Maybe mothers don’t develop that superhuman strength until the baby is born. The phone is safe for now.

“I’m in the passenger seat and he’s driving me to the hospital now,” I tell Cooper who sighs heavily.

“He told you… fuck. Baby, I’m okay. I swear I’m okay.” I can feel the tears burning my eyes while I try to keep my breathing steady. Clearly I fail because he says, “Come on, gorgeous, please don’t cry. I promise you. I’m okay. It’s just my hand. Nothing major.”

I keep him on the phone and I don’t ask questions.

If he has a bullet wound of any kind in the ER, then chances are he’s on some heavy painkillers.

Anything I ask him now, I’ll probably have to ask his doctor anyway.

Luckily, our apartment is only ten minutes away from the local Emergency Room.

Theo pulls up to the door and drops me off before going to park my car.

“I’m here. I’m here.” I hang up my phone and speak with the nurse at the desk.

“My husband came in, Cooper Michaels? Hand injury?”

The nurse is a kind looking, older woman who nods. “Your husband is a character. He’s been making jokes and trying to keep everyone in high spirits. I’m guessing that’s your father in law in there with him, and he’s driving him a little crazy.”

Fucking hell. If Gavin is here then my headache is about to get a whole lot worse.

I’m still fighting panicked tears as the nurse escorts me to Cooper’s Triage treatment room.

I have to stop at the door when I see my husband lying there with what looks like three pillows piled up on his lap.

His hand is propped and elevated with loose gauze covering the back of his hand while the palm rests on a bloodied pile of even more gauze.

The sight of blood has never bothered me, but the sight of Cooper hurt?

That makes my stomach twist and the tears that have been burning the backs of my eyes finally fall.

“Hey, Tegan. He’s okay. I told him the barrel isn’t usually supposed to be pointed at the hand that should be holding it steady.” Gavin jokes as he comes to hug me. I barely return it with a gentle pat to his shoulder. “Well, now that you’re here, I guess I’ll head home. Take care of him, will ya?”

Thankfully, he leaves without making more jokes or trying to stay and talk. I haven’t even asked yet how long they’ve been here, but Cooper headed out to meet his dad at the same time I was leaving to meet my mother and sisters for our day out.

Theo waves from the door and hands me my keys with the paid parking receipt with the space number printed on it.

“I’m going to head home too. I drove them here in my truck.

You good?” he asks and I nod, putting my keys into my purse.

I still feel a heightened sense of panic, but I can see that Cooper is at least alive.

“Yea, I’m fine.” I tell him, and that’s all it takes for Theo to simply wave at his best friend and leave the hospital.

“Baby…” Cooper starts but I lift a hand to stop him. I’m not ready to hear him tell me it’s not that bad. He’s alive and his best friend and father don’t seem concerned enough to hang around now that I’m here.

I step out into the hall and find the charge nurse.

Once she verifies that I’m on all of Cooper’s forms as his wife, she explains that the bullet went through his hand at point blank range.

I can feel my throat threatening to close around the lump of emotion forming there.

She continues to describe the way Gavin, Cooper, and Theo all explained the incident.

The slide jammed and when Cooper tried to pull it free, the hammer fell as the slide clicked loose.

Cooper’s hand was following the momentum from his grip and the bullet hit just inside his palm then came out through his last metacarpal.

The nurse goes on to tell me that he will need at least one surgery to try and pin the bone together, but they won’t close the wounds until he can get an Ortho consult the following Monday.

I feel my stomach churn, but I can’t be sure if it’s stress or morning sickness at this point. This could have been so much worse.

With everything explained to me, I walk back into Cooper’s room and stand on his left side to get a look at his hand. It’s a gnarly mess of an exit wound on the back of his hand while the palm looks like someone stabbed a burning hot fire poker through it.

“The nurse said you’ve had a healthy dose of Morphine and they’re filling a prescription for you before we leave.”

“Baby, I told Theo I wanted you to stay home. I didn’t want you to have to take care of this.” Cooper says though he looks like it’s taking all his strength to stay awake. I brush some of the dirty blonde hair away from his forehead and lean down to kiss his brow. “I’m okay, babe.” He says again.

“I can see that,” I tell him quietly, but I know he can hear the sarcasm dripping from every word. “I always look okay with my hand looking like barbeque on one side and shredded flesh confetti on the other. It’s a great look for you.”

Cooper rolls his eyes. At least he feels well enough for that.

“One minute I was just trying to get the slide unjammed, the next I heard the gun go off. I didn’t even feel it until I lifted up my hand and saw blood.

Then it just felt like my entire arm was on fire.

I knew you were going to be so pissed and I just wanted to handle it all.

Then you wouldn’t have to worry about it. ”