Page 56 of A Burning Rage
Half an hour later, Luke says a tear-filled goodbye to Shane when Sam tells him it’s time to go home. Luke kisses Shane’s cheek before he leaves. “Bye, Daddy.” He tries so hard not to cry. “Please come home soon. We miss you.”
There’s not a dry eye in the room when Sam and Luke walk out the door.
The rest of the day is a whirlwind of activity. Shane is moved out of the ICU and into a regular patient room. He’s officially out of danger and slowly on the mend.
Later that morning, a physical therapist comes to the new room to begin Shane’s physical conditioning. The therapist, a young Hispanic man named Oscar, actually gets Shane up on his feet to stand for a few minutes before suggesting he try to take a few steps.
With Oscar supporting him, Shane takes about five steps away from the bed before he’s grimacing in pain.
“That’s a good start,” Oscar says. “Now let’s see if you can walk back to bed.”
* * *
Shane manages to keep the broth down. For lunch, he gets a bowl of chicken noodle soup, with hardly any chicken or noodles in it, and a cup of strawberry gelatin. They do let him have a cup of decaf coffee, though, which he considers a good consolation.
For dinner, he’s given more broth, mashed potatoes, peas, and applesauce.
Shane frowns. “They’re feeding me like I’m five years old. I’d kill for a steak right now.” He pushes green peas around on his plate. “Or a burger cooked on the grill.”
I lean in to kiss his forehead. “Be patient, my love. You’ve still got a way to go before you’re back to normal.”
“Speaking of getting back to normal, Dr. Markowski recommended I go to a rehab center to regain my strength, but I don’t want to. I want to go home, Beth. I want—I need—to be with my family. I can have therapy at home. Are you okay with that?”
“Yes, of course.” I smile just thinking about it. “There’s absolutely nothing I want more than for you to come home.”
When I pull away, he catches my hand. “Hey, I just remembered something else. Have you started your period?” When I shake my head, he frowns. “Have you tested?”
I nod, trying not to smile. I suppose it’s safe to tell him now that he’s well on his way to recovery.
“And?” he asks as he squeezes my hand, suddenly impatient. “Come on, sweetheart. Don’t keep me hanging!”
Chapter 21 – Shane
She doesn’t even need to say the words because I can tell by the smile on her face. She’s pregnant.
“I’m pregnant,” she says, confirming what I’ve suspected for a few weeks now. Her eyes light up, and her lips curve into a beaming smile. “We’re having another baby.”
This is exactly the good news we need after the hell we’ve been through. I want to pull her into my arms. I want to wrap myself around her body. But I can’t do any of those things. Instead, I reach for her hand. “How do you feel?”
“About the same as usual, I guess. Some morning sickness. Not much of an appetite. You know, the usual.”
I press my hand to her lower belly. Our baby’s in here. “Do you know how far along you are?”
“I’m guessing about seven weeks, maybe eight. I’ll make an appointment soon to see Dr. Shaw. She’ll take measurements and give us a due date.”
My chest tightens. Andrew Morton is no longer a threat to my wife, and we’re going to welcome a new baby. I couldn’t ask for more. “Come here, sweetheart.”
She moves closer, and I lean in to kiss her, my lips gliding over her soft ones. Before the kiss gets too involved, there’s a knock on the door.
Beth jumps up and goes to open it. “It’s Tyler!” she says as she lets her brother in.
After hugging his sister, Tyler walks into the room dressed in his undertaker’s suit.
“Still pissed, I see,” I say, referring to his austere black suit.
He shrugs. “You could say that. I spent a while at the police station giving a statement.” He approaches me from the other side of the bed. “It’s good to see you on the mend.”
“I’m glad you’re here. I want to thank you for what you did. Beth told me what happened, and that you ended Andrew. I’ll never be able to repay you for what you did for us. You saved Beth when I couldn’t.”
