“No, I—”
“It’s been so long since I was in the dating game. I’m sure I’m saying and doing everything that is a major turn-off.”
Emma gazed at his drop dead gorgeous face and wondered how he could ever turn any woman off. “I would love to have you come and check on me.”
His eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Really?”
She nodded. “I’m sure after a few days stuck inside, I’d love the company as well as the medical expertise.”
A pleased smile cut across Pesh’s face. “I would like that very much.”
“Me too.”
The pager on Pesh’s belt went off. “Guess that means I better head out.” He rose up from the chair. “So I look forward to seeing you sometime this week.”
“But how will you—”
Pesh held his hand up. “Mr. Fitzgerald has already taken care of that.”
Emma rolled her eyes but smiled in spite of herself. “Why am I not surprised?”
He laughed. He once again took her hand in his and then brought it to his lips. “You better promise to take very good care of yourself.”
Finding it hard to breathe, she could only murmur, “I will.”
He then turned and went to the door. Just before he slipped out of it, he gave her one last wave. Once she heard the door click shut, her head fell back against the pillows. Shaking her head, she couldn’t believe the insanity of the day’s events. If anyone had told her the day before a gorgeous man would be asking to go on a date with her, she would have told them they were out of their mind. The same could be said for everything that had transpired at dinner with Aidan from his admission about Amy to his desire for her forgiveness.
Exhausted from the day’s events, she closed her eyes and tried to block out all of her out-of-control thoughts and fears.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Around three in the morning, Emma’s full bladder woke her up. As she swung her legs out of the bed, she froze. Warmth spread through her chest at the sight of Aidan fast asleep in the chair. Sometime during the night he had come back so she wouldn’t have to stay by herself. Her heartbeat accelerated at how much he truly cared for her. Any thoughts of Pesh vanished from her mind as she sat on the bedside staring at Aidan.
His neck hung forward at a precarious angle, and she knew he would have a terrible crick in it. She stood up on her wobbly legs and leaned over him. “Aidan,” she murmured, bringing her hand to his cheek.
“Hmm?”
“Wake-up.”
His eyes snapped open, and he sprung up so fast he almost lunged into her. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
She smiled. “I’m fine. I just needed to go to the bathroom, and you were about to break your neck sleeping that way.”
Wincing, he rolled his shoulders. “You should get a nurse to do a bed pan and stay off your feet.”
She snorted. “I’m not that helpless, thank you very much.”
Amusement twinkled in his eyes. “Want me to carry you?”
“Absolutely not! The last thing I need is my soon-to-be caregiver to get a hernia from trying to lift me.”
“Em, you would not give me a hernia,” he replied.
“Whatever,” she murmured before padding into the bathroom. After she finished and washed her hands, she came out to find Aidan already asleep again and snoring slightly.
Shaking her head, she slipped back into bed. She felt like she had barely closed her eyes when she felt someone’s breath warming her cheek. “Em, wake-up sweetheart.”
Fluttering her eye-lids, she saw Aidan hovering over her. “What time is it?”
“Six. I wanted to let you know I was going upstairs to be with Pop before his surgery.”
“Okay. Tell him I love him, and I’m praying for him.”
“I will.” He hesitated a moment before leaning over to kiss the crown of her head. “I hate to leave you.”
“No, you need to be with your dad.”
“I’ll be back just as soon as I can.”
Emma nodded. When he turned for the door, she said, “Aidan, wait.”
He whirled around with his eyebrows cocked, waiting for her response. “I just wanted to say thank you for staying with me last night. It really means a lot that you didn’t leave me alone.”
He smiled. “Although you don’t need to say thanks, you’re more than welcome.”
When he closed the door behind him, Emma laid her head back against the pillows. In no time she was asleep again until the morning breakfast trays came rumbling around on their carts. Along with the morning meal came another nurse to check her vital signs. Emma was forcing down some of the hospital’s rubbery bacon and overcooked eggs when her hospital room door swung open. “Morning sunshine!” Casey said, sweeping inside.