it meant Paulina was still his wife.
Dr. McDonald ran a few more quick tests. After each, Logan held his breath hoping that he’d find something to reverse the effects of the stabbing. He never did, but every day supposedly brought them closer to figuring out the problem and finding a solution.
He heard Lina’s phone go off and it brought him out of his reverie. He heard the rustle of her hunting in her purse. She mumbled something to herself about being disorganized and he held back a smile. The ringing became louder and then she answered it.
“Hello? Oh, hey Dan.” Logan sat forward on the bed. Dan? Who was Dan? He reminded himself to unclench his fist.
“Yes, I received the email. Thanks for forwarding it to me.” He relaxed. Must be work. “Oh, he’s doing better. Much better. They’re releasing him tonight if all his vitals stay up.”
If he had a quarter for every time she told someone he was ‘much better’, he could afford that new Harley Sportster he had had his eye on. He couldn’t be mad at her for saying it. She was trying to inspire hope in him, to get things back to normal.
But he knew they would never be normal. She could pretend, but he couldn’t see. That meant he was virtually worthless, to her and to the rest of the city. He had taken a back seat in his motorcycle club, the Black Death, and was seriously considering resigning. He couldn’t do his job properly and didn’t want the club to suffer.
Lina stood and propped herself on the side of the hospital bed. She saw he was deep in thought and wondered what he was thinking about. Her eyes roamed over his familiar face. There was the new scar above his eyebrow, but she thought that it just made him more handsome than he already was. He was thinner and paler than she would’ve liked. The doctor didn’t seem too worried about that.
She ran her fingers down his arm and felt it jerk in response. He sighed and she knew it more than just from lack of sleep. It had been emotionally exhausting. First her kidnapping, then his injury. The only time they’d spent together had been in the hospital.
At least that will change after tonight, she thought to herself. She hoped it would do him some good, being around familiar things, hearing familiar voices. She knew it was wearing on him, as it was on her.
“How ya feeling?” she asked, linking her hand in his.
“I’m alright. Same as usual. Ready to leave. Are you sure we shouldn’t get one of those little stay-at-home nurses?” It was a frequent argument that they had. She wanted to care for her own husband. They had enough money for both of them to take leaves and still have plenty left over.
“You wish. I bet you figure it’s going to come with a skimpy outfit and high heels?” she teased, running her fingertip along his.
He cracked a weak smile. “Well, if that offer is on the table…”
She laughed. “Not a chance, Black.”
She watched him scrunch his forehead and knew that after a moment’s reprieve, the pain was back. He worked at not clenching his fist around her hand and she knew it was bad. After it was over, she started to rub his arm.
“Pain is back, huh? I’ll call Dr. McDonald.” They both knew it wouldn’t do any good. He was already on the highest dosage the hospital would allow. Even if they could, Logan wouldn’t take it. The last thing he needed after all of this was to get addicted to pain pills or something equally stupid.
He was released that night into her care. They walked her through the familiar steps of caring for his wound, and caring for him. He stayed silent through the entire process. She saw the muscle in his cheek ticking, and knew that while this was tiring for her, it was beyond exhausting for him. And he was not a man accustomed to being taken care of, that was for
The Big Rich: The Rise, Fall of the Greatest Texas Oil Fortunes