Chapter 14
Chapter 14
She put the remote down and tried to sit up to pour herself water.
Three months since the yacht.
Three months ago she had gone into the ocean and stayed unconscious for a while.
Nathaniel Thorne had had her moved to a hospital in Ashford Harbor, set aside enough to cover everything, arranged the team, and then cut ties completely.
She'd only come out of sedation recently. Her injuries had been too much. They were keeping her on bed rest. Her brother was in rehab. Her mother was being monitored. None of them had left St. Agnes yet.
She pushed the blanket aside as she heard footsteps in the hallway.
A familiar pair of gentle eyes. Tall. Quiet.
"Dr. Calloway."
Everett Calloway walked in, simple shirt under a white coat. His dark eyes held her steady.
She looked away first.
"You're not supposed to be moving around. Use the call button."
He sat her back against the pillows and set a thermos of water and a bowl of rice porridge on the tray. He started her check-up, step by step.
His palm was warm against her forehead. Her lashes flickered.
"Still a low fever. Take the medicine now, another dose in a few hours."
"How do you feel? Besides the headache and the fever — anything else? Your numbers are holding. If they keep trending the right way, we'll talk about discharge in a little while."
Everett had been her attending the entire time.
He was also Julian's friend.
When they'd come in — moderate concussion, internal injuries, burns, fractures, anemia, hypothermia from the water — he'd worked three days straight and coded her three times before she stabilized. He was the reason she was alive.
He had done everything since. At first she couldn't move on her own. He'd fed her. He'd sat with her while she slept. He had walked her through rehab when she could start.
Everything.
She'd tried to protest. He'd kept it professional: I'm your doctor. Let me do my job. He made it possible to accept without feeling indebted.
His attention and his skill were why she was healing as fast as she was.
"I'm good. Nothing else."
"Thanks for all of this. When I'm out, let me take you to dinner. Really. I owe you."
He smiled, quiet.
"Deal."
"I'll wait."