Learning to Love Again Read Online Free

to give you a dose of your pain killer right before you leave.  That should allow you to sleep through most of your drive.  You said it was about two hours, right?”
    “Yes.  Mitch wanted to fly, but with the way my luck has been running, I was afraid we’d wind up with a delayed flight or stuck on a runway or something.  I figured two hours, give-or-take, in a car, was better than the unknown delays that can happen with flying.”
    “Makes sense.  I was supposed to fly from here to Omaha once for a conference.  My connection was in Houston, but there were a bunch of summer storms, so I got redirected to Denver and got stuck there for close to six hours.  I think I missed the first half of my conference, too.”  He made a few notations on her clipboard and then set it down on the bedside table.  “So, your cousin and friend, Jack, have been pretty scarce the last couple of weeks.  Is everything okay?”
    “Yes.”  She looked up at her doctor, confused by the question.  “Why do you ask?”
    “I just want to make sure you still have the support you need, both physically and emotionally,” he explained.
    She nodded, pausing before answering.  “We’re family, we’re going to have fights and not speak to each other at times.  But Jack, Mitch, and I—and Carly for that matter—would fight the fires of hell for each other.  Jack and I have been best friends since my aunt and uncle took him in and became his guardians, back when we were all still toddlers.  I’m closer to him than to anyone, even Carly.”  She shrugged her shoulders, “They’ll be there for me.”
    “Good.  Because you’re going to need the support.  Lean on them,” he advised, offering her his hand.  “Come back and see me sometime.  I like to see my success stories,” he told her with a grin.
    “I’ll make sure I do that.”  Nicole smiled back as Carly and Mitch entered the room.  The nurses all came in to tell her good bye and wish her luck while Mitch made a quick trip down to the car with all of her stuff.  Carly had packed up most of it and taken it back to the ranch earlier in the week so Nicole would have as much room as she’d need to stretch out in the back of the SUV.
    Her nurse came in with the promised dose of narcotics and the discharge paperwork before they headed outside.  Mitch had dropped one of the seats down so that Nicole could also recline, and they padded the seat with as many pillows as they could and still get a seat belt around her.
    “I feel like the Michelin man,” she commented as they got the seat belt buckled and Mitch was satisfied that it would be safe for the drive home.
    “You’re the one who wouldn’t fly.” he reminded her.
    “You’re the one who packed up my apartment,” she shot back.
    “Don’t start.”  Carly rolled her eyes and climbed into the front passenger seat.  Nicole stuck her tongue out at her cousin and Mitch grinned at her, closing the rear door before sliding behind the wheel of the SUV and starting the engine.  Within minutes, the narcotics they’d given her had kicked in and she was sound asleep.  She didn’t wake up until Mitch slowed the car to make the turn onto the mile-long driveway up to the main house.
    “How are you feeling?” he asked when he glanced in the rear-view mirror and noticed her eyes were open.
    “Groggy,” she pushed her hair out of her eyes and looked around; she started to shift to a more comfortable position but felt her muscles stiffen.  “So, what’s the plan for my recovery?  The doctors in Austin said you had everything set up for me.”
    “The physical therapist is going to meet us at the ranch today to do an assessment and see how you’re doing.  She’ll make sure the walker and the crutches are adjusted for you like they’re supposed to be.  And the orthopedic surgeon at the hospital here in Waketon is going to oversee everything, so you won’t have to make any trips to Austin anytime soon,” he