After we got Ari back into bed, she slid over and patted the bed for me to get in. I started to climb on until I felt a hand on my shoulder pulling me back.
“I don’t think so, Jeff Johnson. If you want your own bed to lie down in, I can probably arrange that for you since I’m starting to lose my patience. ”
“Wow, where did you go to nursing school? School of hard knocks?”
“Do you want to stay in here or in the waiting room?” the nurse asked with a straight face.
Jesus, this nurse was in a mood. Smiling at her, I put my hands up in defeat as I walked over to the small-ass sofa to sit down.
“That’s better. Now, Ms. Peterson, is there anything else I can get you besides some pain medicine?”
Ari smiled and shook her head. The nurse gave Ari her medicine, and she swallowed the pill. I watched the nurse help adjust Ari, and then she glanced up at me giving me a dirty look.
“Good night…” I looked at her name tag. “Nurse Maggie Jones. Hey, Jay-Z has a song you might like. It’s called “Hard Knock…. ”
“Jeff! Let’s allow Ms. Jones to get back to work now. I’m sure she doesn’t care about any songs. ” Ari then turned to the nurse. “Thank you so much for your help. I promise, cross my heart. ” Ari said, her index finger crossing over her heart, “that I will not get out of bed. She flashed that beautiful smile of hers at Maggie.
Maggie smiled at Ari and then turned and walked over to me. Why does this woman make me feel like I’m about to be sent to the principal’s office?
“I’ve got my eye on you. She needs her rest, and she isn’t going to get it with you making her get on the floor and sit on your lap. ”
“Wait a minute, I didn’t. ”
“Shhh! I will make you sit in the waiting room all night if you don’t allow her some rest. Do I make myself clear, Mr. Jeff Johnson?”
I looked up at her. “Did you just shush me?”
Ari let out a small laugh before she moaned. Jumping up, I was at her side so fast that Maggie didn’t know what had happened.
“Ari, are you okay?” I stroked the side of her face as I leaned down to kiss her.
“Maggie, please, Jeff is fine. What I’d really like is for us to be left in private, please. ”
After another look that surly should have dropped me dead on the spot, Maggie warned me that she would be back in two hours to take Ari’s vitals and I better not be in Ari’s bed.
After she’d left the room, I walked around the bed and crawled in next to Ari.
***
We talked for the next hour about so many things: our future, the horses, more kids. Ari cried a few times, and I tried my best to hold back the tears.
Right before she drifted off into sleep, I whispered in her ear, “I love you, Ari, so much. ”
“Just promise me that everything is gonna be okay, Jeff. Please just tell me that it’s all going to be okay. ”
“I promise, baby. Everything is going to be better than okay. ”
I held Ari in my arms while she slept. I wanted nothing more than to protect her from ever hurting like this again. Tears rolled down my face as I thought about how I was the one who had hurt her, causing her pain yet again. I made a promise to myself right then that I would never hurt her again. I’d die before I’d ever cause her any more pain.
Sleep slowly started to take over my body until a part of me panicked about Maggie walking in.
I finally gave in and closed my eyes.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
ARI
I could feel the pain before anything else. Slowly opening my eyes, the first thing I saw was the morning sun shining in through window. Then, I looked up to see Maggie standing above me.