Page 216 of The Surprise Play

There’s nothing I can do but nod and give him a sad smile.

His expression crumples all over again, and I pull him close, kissing the side of his head and softly stroking his hair.

He slowly starts to relax, the pain relief obviously kicking in. I think it might be making him sleepy, too, because his head gets heavy. I rest it back against the pillow as his eyes slip shut and he drifts off to sleep.

I hold his hand and watch him for as long as I can keep my eyes open, then finally shut down and end up falling asleep with my butt in the chair and my head on the mattress.

CHAPTER 66

ELIZABETH

Okay, so my back is pretty annoyed with me right now.

Waking up with an ache in my spine, I wipe the drool from my mouth, do a slow, painful stretch, then turn to find Wily giving me a sleepy smile. It’s edged with pain, and I stand up, kissing his lips before pulling back to check on him.

“How bad?”

“I’m gonna be okay, Satch.”

I’m not sure I believe him. I’ve never seen him so pale, and his eyes are glassy again.

He rests his hands on my arms, and we share a silent conversation until the curtain swishes back and the nurse comes in to help Wily use the bathroom and freshen up.

I wander down the hall to find the public restroom and relieve myself.

Catching my reflection in the mirror, I grimace at my raccoon eyes and attempt to tidy up my ponytail before heading back to Wily’s room.

He’s just sitting back down, wincing in pain as the nurse lifts his leg, then checks the compression bandage.

“There’s a bit of swelling, but they should still be able to operate.” The nurse smiles at him. “Morning shift is just going through the debrief, and then it’ll be your turn. As soon as the changeover has gone through, a new nurse will be back to prep you. Should be about an hour, okay?” She pats his shoulder, then glances at me. “You two take care.”

“Thank you for all you’ve done.” I smile at her. “And for letting me stay.”

She winks, grinning at me before walking out of the room.

I take a seat in the chair and thread my fingers back through Wily’s.

He’s staring at his knee, his troubled expression doing my heart in.

“Coyote,” I whisper to get his attention, and he looks at me with a sad smile.

“You should get going,” he croaks. “I don’t want you to be late to class, and I’m guessing you want to grab yourself a coffee and some breakfast first, so…”

“I’m not going today.” I leave no room for argument, but he doesn’t even try to convince me otherwise. Yeah, he’s really feeling vulnerable.

For such a tall, strong, positive man, it’s hard to see.

But I’m also honored that he wants me here with him.

I’ve never felt so needed in my life.

The minutes tick by, and we fill them with bursts of conversation. I’m getting hungry, and not having my usual caffeine kick is starting to give me a headache, but if Wily’s not allowed anything, then I can last too.

I’ll eat while he’s in surgery.

A nurse, a doctor, and an anesthetist filter in one after the other, filling out forms, scribbling notes, asking questions, reassuring us with friendly smiles and calm voices. There’s been one more delay, adding an extra hour to Wily’s wait, and I feel so bad for him, but he remains stoic.

In fact, his lips barely twitch, and then they dip into an outright frown when his parents and a girl with long blonde curls walks in.