Page 53 of Broken
As he was passing the nurses’ station for the fourth or fifth time, one of the attendants told him his sister was asking for him.
Sally was pale, her eyes glassy. Though she was propped up in bed, she’d slid down. Her crooked smile gave him hope.
“How you doin’?” he asked.
“Sleepy, pretty drugged up. Where’s Ethan?”
He sat in the chair, held her hand. “He’s totally fine. My mom and dad—now being called Nana and Papa—are having a sleepover with him in my living room. He doesn’t know what happened to you, so he’s not worried.”
She sighed. “Thank you so much. The doctor said my injury is going to heal, but it’s going to take a while, so I’ve gotta go easy. I don’t know if I can start work—”
“No worries. I’m going to make sure you’ve got food, your rent gets paid, and Ethan can continue with daycare. You won’t be able to lift him, so I can hire someone to help you around the house.”
She choked back a sob. “You don’t have to do that. Really. I’ve got money.”
“I’m sorry you got shot, Sally.”
Her brows knitted together. “It wasn’t your fault. Things happen, right? Are Addison and Hawk okay? Did police catch the person?”
“Addison got shot, but she’ll be okay,” Prescott replied. “No one was caught.”
A physician entered the room. “How are you feeling?”
“Meh,” Sally replied. “My head hurts.”
“That’s the concussion.” She slid her gaze to Prescott. “Are you family?”
“Her brother.”
“We’re keeping Sally overnight. The surgery went well, but I’m concerned because she hit her head pretty good. I want to make sure there’s no swelling.”
“Understood,” he replied.
“Do you live alone, Sally?” asked the doctor.
“My young son is with me.”
“Is there someone who can help you—”
“Sally and her son will stay with me until she recovers,” Prescott blurted.
In a matter of seconds, he’d gone from hiring someone to help her, to opening up his home to her. He worked from home a lot, everything on his computer was deemed top-secret. Didn’t matter. She was family. That’s what his parents had taught him. They looked out for one another.
The doctor nodded. “Sounds like a plan. You should get some rest.”
“I thought concussion patients needed to stay awake,” Prescott interjected.
“That’s outdated,” explained the doc. “Sally can sleep, but the nurses will wake her every few hours and check her vitals.” She offered Sally a warm smile. “Do you have any questions for me?”
Sally didn’t, so the doctor wished her a speedy recovery and left.
“I’m sorry to be such a burden,” Sally said.
“You just need to get better,” Prescott said. “I’ll make sure Ethan is okay. For now, get some rest.” He kissed her forehead and left.
He would hire someone to help Sally during the day and he’d do his best in the evenings to assist with Ethan. He knew absolutely nothing about kids, but how difficult could it be?
He exited her room to find Z waiting in the hallway.
