Page 46 of Grumpy

It was Grumpy who had balked when Kelly had requested the two of them take the double queen room instead of the king. As much as Kelly wanted to sleep next to Grumpy, to be that intimate with him, she still had so much to learn about his care and needs that she hadn’t wanted to risk sharing a bed with him.

At least not for their first night together.

He was already sore, already pushing his limits. And she’d been single a long time. Even when she wasn’t single, most nights she went to bed alone. Kelly tended to move a lot, and she didn’t want to risk harming him because she wasn’t used to having someone beside her. She also knew that Grumpy would risk that harm to be able to sleep beside her, so Kelly had to be the one to put down the limit.

It wouldn’t be forever. She wanted more than anything to make love with Grumpy—but not at the risk of his health. Sex was never so important that it would ever be worth risking that, and anyone who argued otherwise had their priorities askew or they were in a completely different situation than she was. Neither of them were at death’s door, and they would have their someday. Hell, she’d rather have no day than sex that could land Grumpy back in the hospital.

Lifting her head, she looked across the small space between the beds. Grumpy was still sound asleep. She’d heard him grunt and shift throughout the night, but he never asked for help, and she knew he was trying to stay quiet so he didn’t wake her. But short of putting on the lamp between them, she wouldn’t have been able to see what the issue was. He wasn’t in agony, nor had he been bleeding. She let him have his dignity and pride, especially after what he’d conceded to in the car and what they went through to get him ready for bed.

As quiet as a mouse, Kelly slipped from between the sheets, grabbed her robe from the foot of the bed, and exited the room. She propped the door open so she could still hear him, and hoped it was enough that she didn’t disturb him.

It was going to take time for them to find their rhythm. Kelly had only ever had to put compression socks on her mom before, so the wraps and the sheer quantity of his garments was a shock to her. She no longer judged Tessa’s long text messages and honestly could have used a little further detail on some things.

Of all his care, it was his eye that he’d been the most uncomfortable having her assistance with. Kelly had gladly let him have his privacy there. She would have helped him if he needed it, if he’d asked, but thankfully, it was one he could do on his own. Eyeballs were just one thing she couldn’t do. She even struggled to do her own eye drops when it was required.

Kelly had been surprised by the intimacy, the closeness, she felt with Grumpy while getting him ready for bed. It hadn’t been as disconcerting as she thought it would be. The times she’d had to help her mom in the bathroom, she’d done it. It needed to be done and she’d tried to give her mom as much privacy and dignity as possible. Now that her mom was on a new medication and was doing better, Kelly didn’t need to be in the bathroom with her. Only nearby. Just in case.

But with Grumpy, it had been light touches, intense looks, and playful kisses. A part of Kelly had never understood the concept of the Nightingale syndrome, or whatever it was called when doctors or nurses fall in love with their patients. She figured it was like Stockholm, or whatever the syndrome was when you fell in love with your stalker.

That seemed so closed minded now, because she got it. She understood how spouses and partners could hold onto that intimacy and love when one had to take on more of a caretaker role. Her thoughts went to Steel and Jenna, and hoped they were doing okay.

After using the bathroom, Kelly spotted a bag and disposable travel cups on the kitchenette counter that hadn’t been there when they went to bed the night before. Her eyes flicked to the closed door between Jackson’s room and theirs. Though they’d separated from the prospect after he’d dropped their luggage off, he’d requested the connecting doors be left unlocked so he had easy access to the room at night if they needed something. Kelly hadn’t argued, though she still wasn’t sure how she felt about him entering without their knowledge.

Approaching the counter, she saw a note on the back of a receipt.

Sorry for just coming in but I wanted to drop off breakfast before my run. I’m only going 10 miles so call if you need anything. J.

Kelly scoffed at the word ‘only’. She recalled the times she’d overheard Grumpy and his club brothers talk about running like that. Part of her figured it was bolstering, but she also had no doubt that they were capable of it. Didn’t the military literally make them run until they dropped—or was that something they only did on TV? She knew several of the club brothers ran marathons, too.

Two coffee cups were placed in a quad cardboard holder with cream and sugar packets in the other two spots. A white paper bag accompanied the drinks, smelling of toast, butter, and eggs. Peeking inside, Kelly spotted a wrapped package and a large to-go tray. Not wanting any more heat to escape, she folded the top back over the bag and looked at the receipt.

Jackson had gotten Grumpy grits, scrambled eggs with cheese and bacon bits, and Greek parfait with pureed peaches. There was also an order for four egg sandwiches, two with bacon and two with Canadian bacon. Since Kelly only saw one wrapped sandwich inside, which meant Jackson had to have eaten three of them himself.

Damn, but the guy could eat. Then again, he was running ten miles and Kelly got winded just going up a flight of stairs. He’d earned three sandwiches.

Taking her coffee but saving her breakfast for when Grumpy was up, Kelly pulled her phone from her robe pocket and settled herself on the couch.

“Hello?”

“Tessa, it’s Kelly. Sorry for the early morning call, but I was hoping to talk to you for a minute.”

“It’s no problem, sweetie. I’m actually about to leave the hospital after pulling a night shift, so this is perfect timing. We can chat while I drive. What’s up?”

“Oh!” Kelly took a sip of coffee. “Are you sure? Do you need to call Bear or anything?”

“Please. That man is already on his tablet watching my tracker,” Tessa scoffed. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he also had someone watching the parking lot to ensure I made it to my car safely while also letting me believe I’m capable of walking to my car on my own.”

“There’s a fine line between overbearing and protective,” Kelly mused. “Would you believe me if I told you I feel like Grumpy’s been doing the same with me for years without my knowledge?”

Tessa snorted, and there was a beep like she was unlocking her car. “Honey, that’s like confessing you learned Batman’s identity. His feelings for you were never questioned among the club. What we wondered was why a domineering, take-no-shit man like Grumpy didn’t do anything about those feelings.” Softer, she added, “Though now that we know about his ex and his past, I can kind of understand it.”

“Same. Not that I like it, but I get it.”

There was a small popping sound over the line. “Sorry, was connecting to my car’s Bluetooth. Now, what did you want to talk to me about?”

“Well, to be honest, I wanted to talk about sex.”

“Aw, honey,” Tessa cooed playfully. “Did Bubbe Ruth not teach you about the birds and the bees? Don’t worry, Dr. Tessa is on the case! Now, when a boy likes a girl⁠—”