I'm Only Here for the Beard (The Dixie Wardens Rejects MC #4)(34)

I bit my lip.

This woman, who'd been at my side and taking care of me for an entire week now, just didn't know how to shut up. She'd told everyone about my 'stupidity' as she called it.

"That who sent you those flowers?" Mr. Thorton glanced at the bouquet in my lap.

I looked down at the flowers, which wasn't far since the flowers were so big, and shook my head. "Yeah," I sighed. "They're from him."

"A man doesn't care, he wouldn't go to the trouble," he pointed out. "Looks to me that he cares."

The elevator doors opened, and I gripped my vase tightly as I saw the man I'd been doing my best to forget this last week standing there, waiting for the elevator doors to open.

He took one look at me, and he shuddered.

"About time," he rumbled. "Didn't think you'd ever get down here."

With that parting comment, he turned on his heels and started walking, not saying another word.

"He's hot," Abigail said. "You should really think about apologizing."

I narrowed my eyes at her, and she smiled.

"Just a thought."

I didn't want to hear her thoughts. In fact, all I wanted to do was admire the backside of Sean as he walked in front of us.

The moment he got to the truck, he opened the passenger side and waited for me to arrive.

Which didn't take long because Nurse Abby, the big busy-body butter-inner, had started pushing me faster and faster until she was practically power walking in the direction of Sean and his big ol' truck.

A truck that I was fairly certain I couldn't climb into at this point.

He must've realized this as I was rolled toward him, because the moment I was close enough, he started toward me.

"Do you walk?" I suddenly asked the man next to me, rolling only inches from my chair.

Abigail stopped in front of Sean, him only inches away from my knees, and put the brakes on the wheelchair.

I waved Sean off when he went to scoop me up.

"I want to."

He stepped back, letting his eyes trail over my face to gauge my determination.

Something must've registered on my face, however, because he stepped back once more, and turned his eyes to the man at my side.

I stood up, belly smarting as I did, and drew in a couple of deep breaths.

"Hello," Sean said, offering the old man his hand. "Thank you for keeping my girl company. She conveniently forgot to tell me that she was being let out today."

The old man smiled, and it transformed his face.

"Nice to meet you. Brady Thorton," Mr. Thorton answered, turning his attention to me. "I can walk … Why?"

I looked at the wheelchair.

He stood up, shakily might I add, and shuffled away from it a few steps.

My heart pounded in my throat.

Any time I saw someone, I automatically assessed them.

Mr. Thorton was old, but first and foremost, he was a fall risk. He had on shoes that looked like they were too big for his feet, and he had a bandage on his head.

"I mean, do you walk on any trails, like at a park or something," I amended, clearly seeing that he was proving a point to me. "I was told that I needed to walk to keep my, um, bowels moving. I just had a colostomy reversal, and they want me to exercise, not strenuously though, to help my, errrm, you know, move along."

The old man grinned. "I walk at the trail at Center and First every day." He stopped, then added. "It was what I was doing today when I fell and hit my head. Some guy's dog was off the leash and tripped me. I was on the floor before I even knew what happened."



       
         
       
        

I frowned. "There's a leash law in this city, right?"

That question was directed at Sean, and he nodded.

"There is," he confirmed. "Did you get the name of the dog owner?"

The old man shook his head. "I did not. I was too busy trying to staunch the blood flow."

My lips quirked.

"I'll meet you there tomorrow," I informed him.

He looked at me like I was crazy, like he didn't believe a word that was coming out of my mouth.

"We'll see."

With that, the old man walked away, and I was left with a man that had his arm around me, all the while Abigail watched with rapt fascination.

"Have a good day, lovely," Abigail said cheerfully. "Call me if you have any questions, or just want to talk."

On that note, she left me alone with Sean.

A man who I could tell was majorly pissed off that I hadn't called and told him I was being discharged. Or that I had been going into the hospital in the first place.

"How did you know that I was out?" I asked as I watched the old man shuffle to a waiting cab.