Precedent: Book Three: Covenant of Trust Series Read Online Free Page A

said.
    “ Hey, yourself.” He reached his hand out to hers. “How do you feel?”
    “ I haven’t tried to sit up yet, and I have the mother of all headaches.”
    Chuck stood up slowly. “Well, I have an everything-else-but-my-head-ache, so we’ve got it all covered.” He leaned over and kissed her. “You scared me last night.”
    “ Did you send the kids home?”
    He nodded. “Rita and Gavin were going to stay with them.”
    “ Were they okay?”
    “ They both told me to tell you not to worry about them.”
    “ It’s just unreal.” She stared across the room. “It’s like . . . it’s like smacking yourself with a hammer, you know?” She looked back at Chuck. “For those first few seconds, it doesn’t hurt, because you’re too stunned, but you know it’s going to hurt . . . a lot . . . and soon.”
    Chuck nodded and said, “I wish I could shield you from that.”
    “ I don’t know if you should. If Brad wasn’t such a wonderful, special young man, if I didn’t love him so much . . .” Her voice trailed off, and Chuck sat on the edge of the hospital bed, taking her in his arms. She fought the tears long enough to whisper, “If I didn’t love him, it wouldn’t hurt so much.”
    As her words faded, everything melted into black sorrow. Chuck rocked her gently and cried with her.
    After several minutes, she pushed away from him. “They won’t let me out of here if I’m hysterical,” she choked out.
    Chuck handed her a box of tissues from the small cabinet that served as her nightstand. “You’re not hysterical. You’ve never been hysterical.”
    She heard her door click open so she passed her tissues off to Chuck and sat up straight. A young doctor rounded the curtain, carrying her file. “Mrs. Molinsky? How are you this morning?”
    “ How do I have to answer that to go home?”
    “ That was good enough,” he answered with a hint of a smile. He opened the folder and laid it on the end of the bed.
    “ Do you need me to leave?” Chuck asked.
    “ You’re fine, Mr. Molinsky.” He began to examine Bobbi, listening to her heart and checking her pupils. “Did you sleep?”
    “ Yes.”
    “ Any hangover from the meds?”
    “ My head is pounding.”
    “ You can take what you want for that when you get home. You wear glasses?”
    “ Occasionally.”
    “ How long have you been married?”
    “ Thirty-eight years.”
    “ Were you twelve when you got married?”
    “ Twenty-one, thanks. Is this a quiz?”
    “ Just making sure you’re all the way back with us.” The doctor wrote in Bobbi’s folder, then closed it and tucked it under his arm. “First of all, I am so sorry about your son. I was here last night when they brought him in.”
    “ Thank you,” Bobbi said quietly. “You saw Brad?”
    “ I was the one who said to take him straight to surgery. That’s all I did.”
    “ Can I ask you a question? Did he . . .” She cleared her throat, trying desperately to find her voice. “Did Brad . . . Was there any chance he could . . . ?”
    The doctor’s eyes dropped away from hers. “You always hope for a miracle.”
    A miracle . . . I’ve used up my miracles.
    Breaking the uncomfortable silence, the doctor spoke again. “Now, you can go home as soon as they process everything. If you hadn’t been here when you fainted, it probably wouldn’t have been such a big deal.”
    “ I’m glad you made sure,” Chuck said.
    “ You folks don’t need two tragedies.” The doctor pulled the folder out and flipped it open again. “Oh, there was one thing. Have you been sick recently?”
    “ No, why?”
    “ Your white count was a little high. Not like ‘bells and whistles’ high, but elevated. Emotional stress can sometimes cause that, but you may want to follow up with your regular doctor.” He reached out and shook Bobbi’s hand and spoke with soft sincerity. “Mrs. Molinsky, take care of yourself, especially in these next few days.” He shook hands with Chuck, then