Doctor Holy Hotness (50 Shades of Grey's Anatomy Book 4) Page 9

  “Right away, Dr. Price,” she said, making the call and mobilizing the rest of her team. Rosie was a pro. I knew I could rely on her.

  I turned to Gabby. “Where is he? Can you please take me to him?”

  She nodded and led me to our Critical Care Unit.

  And there he was, the most beautiful man I’d ever met, the one who only wanted to love me, all bruised and broken.

  I walked over to his hospital bed and reached for his hand.

  Gabrielle unhooked his chart from the end of his bed and started reading aloud. “He’s been unconscious since the EMTs arrived at the scene. He’s sustained a concussion, a fractured skull, a broken clavicle, two broken ribs, and a dislocated shoulder. His blood alcohol was point zero two percent, which is well below the legal limit. Witnesses on the scene reported he made a hard right turn, avoiding the rest of oncoming traffic, and proceeded to crash into the guard railing.”

  “Thanks for calling me,” I told her, grabbing a chair and pulling it next to his bedside. “I’m going to stay here for a while.”

  She put the chart back on its hook and rubbed my back. “Of course. Would you like me to arrange for a cot in here?”

  I nodded. “Yeah, I need to arrange to take some vacation time, so I can be here for him.”

  “I’ll get you some things from home too,” she said. “I’ll be back in a little while. You going to be able to keep it together until I come back?”

  While still staring at Alex, I nodded.

  She left the room. I could hear her instructing the staff that I’d be there around the clock and not to give me hassle. It also sounded as if they were already arranging for several department heads to come in to start determining Alex’s treatment plan.

  It got quiet after that. I took his hand in mine, holding it tight. His face was swollen and bruised, distorted, angry purples against his olive skin. He had a decent five o’clock shadow going. They had cut away his clothes and put him in a drab green hospital gown. I hated seeing him like this. Alex was always larger than life in my memories and had only become more mythic, if that were possible, since he came to Colorado.

  Him in that hospital bed, connected to machines, was wrong, like somehow against the laws of nature. I couldn’t wrap my head around it, even though the evidence was right in front of me.

  “Alex, I don’t know if you can hear me. It’s Jenny…it’s your Jenny.”

  Of course, he didn’t say anything. He didn’t flinch or blink. But he was breathing. At least I had that.

  “If you were going for the dramatic, mission accomplished, by the way.”

  I was trying to joke, but my voice fell flat in the air between us.

  “What if I hadn’t been fighting the pull of you this whole time? Would you be laying here right now?”

  I knew I was talking more to myself than to him. But maybe he could hear me.

  “Why didn’t I take a chance on us…what’s the point of bringing people back from the brink of death if I’m living a life without anything in it? Maybe you would’ve broken my heart. I don’t know. Maybe I would’ve broken yours. Oh wait, I already did that, didn’t I? Damn it, I really am a moron.”

  Suddenly, the monitors started beeping. Actually, they were going crazy. I read the numbers and his levels.

  “Shit,” I said, hitting the emergency signal.

  “Code Blue! Code Blue! Dr. Petrinov is in cardiac arrest!” I yelled.

  A whole team swarmed in, pushing me out of the way.

  “He’s got to have internal bleeding. Prep the OR now!” one of the physicians called out to the team. In a flash, they carted him away.

  All I could do was stand there and wonder if I was ever going to see him again.

  Chapter Fourteen

  ALEX

  I wasn’t sure if I was awake or dreaming. I could hear Jenny’s voice, melodious with longing, but my brain couldn’t process the words. She was holding my hand, so soft, with the occasional squeeze.

  How long would she stay with me? Was she coming back or saying goodbye? And where the fuck was I, anyway? I tried looking around, but everything was foggy and my body was frozen, like I had stayed too long in a barrel full of cement.

  “You made the right decision,” I heard a voice behind me say.

  I turned around, and there was this couple standing there. The woman looked like an older version of Jenny, and the man bore some resemblance to her as well.

  “Who are you?” Where am I? What happened?

  He didn’t answer my question. “We didn’t do right by her.”

  “It’s true,” the woman said, glancing at the man before peering at me. “Almost every way you can imagine hurting someone, that’s what we did.”

  “We were broken,” he went on.

  I didn’t know much about Jenny’s past, but somehow, I knew what they were saying was important for her future. “And now?”

  She gave a sad smile. “We’ve surrendered to Him, without deserving one lick of redemption. That’s why we’re here. If you make it back, we hope you tell her what we’ve said.”

  “She deserves everything,” he said, “especially someone who’ll fight for her.”

  Now I was angry. “I have been fighting for her, but I can’t make her love me.”

  “Son, she loves you already, and you know that.”

  “Boy, the only thing you need to do is hold on.”

  Then, everything went dark and I was back in the fog.

  Chapter Fifteen

  JENNY

  “Honey, I know you’re doing the whole bedside-vigil thing, but you need to take a break.”

  It had been two weeks since the accident, and Gabrielle was right—I had made Alex’s bedside my makeshift home. I had a twin bed brought in, along with a small drawerful of clothes. His room had a bathroom with a shower, so I had everything I needed.

  Now all I had to do was wait for him to wake up. After he had his surgery, they put him into a medically induced coma, at least until the swelling around his brain subsided. That didn’t stop me from staying by his side twenty-four seven.

  “You’re wasting your breath,” I told her as I smoothed down the blanket over him. I had just helped Rosie change his sheets and the dressings for his incisions. “Besides, you know he has no one else.”

  I had learned a lot about Alexander Ivan Petrinov these last couple of weeks. Like me, he had also lost his parents right before his tenth birthday.

  “That aunt of his isn’t coming?” she asked.

  I gave her a look. “She barely remembers her own name, much less Alex’s. She sent him off to boarding school here when he was a kid, and that was it.”

  Just thinking about how alone he had been hurt my heart. I reached for his hand.

  “I’m worried about you,” she said, smoothing down my hair with her hand. There was a mirror in the bathroom here, but I hadn’t really seen myself. I knew I looked like shit, but it didn’t matter. I was showering and had clean clothes. That’s all I needed right now.

  “When are you due to come back?” she asked.

  I turned my head to face her. “I still have a huge chunk of vacation time left. See? There are benefits to spending so many years without a life.”

  It was then I noticed she was wearing her favorite gingham sundress.

  “You look pretty. Going somewhere special?”

  She shrugged. “No big thing. Just church, then brunch.”

  Hmm, something was up. Gabby was, well, a gabber. She told me details, whether I wanted them or not. Well, usually.

  “Tell me,” I insisted. “Let me live vicariously through your happiness.”

  She threaded her hair behind her ear while chewing on her bottom lip. “Um, well, I’m meeting Darius’s mom and grandma today.”

  My face lit up. “That’s amazing, honey! He doesn’t waste time.”

  “It’s not like that,” she said in a hurry. “It’s just that I started going to his church, so it’s easier to have us
all go together.”

  I frowned. “Don’t do that,” I told her. “Don’t try to dull your happiness because I’m in a bad spot. You have to know I’m happy for you.”

  “Damn it, you’re going to make me cry—and you know I never cry!”

  My friend was glowing. She was happy. Really happy.

  “I-I love him, Jen-Jen,” she said, wiping tears away with the back of her hand. “Now look at me…I’m going to have to redo my eye makeup.”

  I got up and gave her a big bear hug. “That’s the way it’s supposed to be, you big dope.” I broke away, but still held her by the shoulders. “You just better remember to tell me all about it later, ’kay?”

  She nodded. “Now please tell me you have some makeup wipes in this bathroom, so I can clean up?”

  “Not like I’ve needed them, but yeah, everything’s in there. Help yourself.”

  She went in and fixed herself up. Alex and I only had two dates, but I remember feeling just as elated as my friend. Because there’s nothing like the throes of a new love.

  Alex had been my one and only. If somehow he didn’t pull through, I knew with everything I was there’d never be anyone else for me.

  She came out of the bathroom. “How do I look?”

  I beamed. “Radiant. In love… Have a great time, okay?”

  “I’ll come by later to check on you.”

  I brushed that off. “Don’t worry about me. I’m fine,” I lied. And I guess I was finally good at it, because she seemed relieved as she left.

  After that, I did what I’d done every day for the last fifteen days: I held his hand, laid my cheek against his forearm, and whispered, “Come back to me.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  ALEX

  It took me a while, but I finally opened my eyes. Everything was blurry, and I had to blink several times before I was able to focus. My mouth was bone dry, and it hurt to swallow. In fact, everything hurt, like I had been run over by a bus.

  Or a truck.

  Just like that, I remembered everything.

  I had been hit, almost head-on. I swerved to avoid a direct hit from the oncoming headlights. I smashed into the guardrail, which made the airbag deploy. I could still smell the noxious fumes from the bag exploding, feel the sting of the chemical burns.

  Then nothing but darkness. Maybe I had been unconscious for a few hours. Maybe I had been out of it for months. I had no concept of time.

  I heard a beeping sound, rhythmic and steady.

  That’s when I realized: I was in the hospital.

  And there was a small, soft hand in mine. I let my gaze drift over, seeing a mess of dark blond hair in a bun, resting right on my lower abdomen.

  It was Jenny, sitting in a chair next to my bed, with her head down. Behind her, there was another hospital bed, looking more like a makeshift office than somewhere to sleep. She had file folders and charts, along with notebooks and pens and a tape recorder. Next to the bed was a nightstand, with an adjustable lamp head. There was a stack of books, but I couldn’t read the titles. Her cell phone rested on top. One of the drawers was ajar, and I could see folded clothes inside.

  It looked like she had moved into my room. How long was I gone?

  I had a lot of questions, but I was tired in a way I never thought possible—and she was sound asleep, like an angel.

  My angel.

  Another voice spoke. “She’s been here around the clock, barely leaving your side.”

  It was one of the nurses. I didn’t know her name.

  “Welcome back, by the way.” She started taking my vitals, writing them down on my chart.

  I tried to talk, but the most unnatural sound came out. “How long?” I asked.

  She gave a slight nod. “Almost three weeks. To be fair, we cheated, because we put you in a medically induced coma for most of that time. Needed to protect that brain of yours.”

  Even with our talking, Jenny didn’t stir. She was out.

  “She’s been through a lot,” she said, arms folded across her chest. “We all begged her to go home and rest. A hospital’s no place to get good sleep, but she wouldn’t hear of it.”

  “Who are you?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper.

  “Rosie, your nurse. I’m also a friend of Jen’s. Did you hear me before?”

  “Yes. And I know,” I said. “I love her. Always have. Always will.”

  Her shoulders relaxed, and she even smiled.

  Then I felt Jenny’s hand move.

  I looked down and there, looking up at me, were the most beautiful golden hazel eyes I’ve ever seen.

  “Am I dreaming?” she asked. “Are you really awake?”

  She’d been through her own war. I could tell.

  “Not dreaming. I’m here.”

  Her eyes darkened. “I almost lost you,” she whispered. “You would have been gone, and I wouldn’t have known the sweetness of being yours.”

  Her words hit me deep. I had waited a long time. And I knew, right then, it was already worth it.

  “Care to rectify that now?” I said.

  Her lip quirked. “As long as you promise to never scare me like this ever again.”

  “I’ll see what I can do,” I said, then winked, but even that hurt like a mother.

  She started laughing, her head down, shoulders bopping, until those laughs turned into tears. I placed my hand on her head, stroking her soft hair.

  Rosie smiled. “I’ll give you some privacy and get you some water.”

  I thanked her with a nod.

  Meanwhile, my girl was trying to get herself together, wiping her tears.

  She squeezed my hand. “I’m okay,” she said while grabbing a tissue from the hospital nightstand and blowing her nose. Loud.

  I chuckled. “Don’t make me laugh. I don’t have a place on my body that doesn’t hurt.”

  Then Rosie walked back in with a cup, a water pitcher, and a straw. She handed them to Jenny, who poured me some water and stuck a straw in the cup so I could drink without making a mess. That cool water going down my throat was like heaven.

  She placed the cup down and sat on the edge of the bed, her hand on my thigh.

  My brow arched. “I may be a bit broken, but you should know, you touching me is going to make other parts of me come back from the dead.”

  Rosie cleared her throat. “Just buzz me if you need anything else. And that button over here?” she said, pointing to a small device on a cord by my other hand. “That’s your morphine drip. Hit that when the pain starts. Don’t be a hero and wait too long. You need to stay on top of the pain.”

  “Yes ma’am,” I said.

  Once she left, Jenny started rubbing her hand up and down my thigh.

  I coughed. “Are you trying to kill me, woman?”

  Her expression grew serious. “You’re lucky to be alive.”

  I took in what she said.

  “You know, right after the accident, the staff and I tried to find your family, to let them know what had happened to you.”

  I didn’t say anything.

  “Alex, why didn’t you ever tell me about your past?” she asked, her lips pressing against the hand I had around hers. “You’re an orphan, just like me.”

  “I know.”

  “Who has taken care of you?”

  “No one really,” I said. “Not ’til now.”

  “Alex…”

  Something passed between us.

  She sat up, then leaned over and gave the sweetest kiss of my life, her lips full and soft. Just like her.

  “Alex, can you ever forgive me for everything I did to us?”

  I searched her gaze, noting the dark purple crescents under her eyes.

  “Whatever it took to get you here, I’m okay with it,” I said, still studying her. Something came to mind I wished hadn’t.

  “Just promise me…no, never mind,” I started to say.

  “What?”

  I blew out an exasperated breath. I didn’t want to say it,
but I needed to.

  “Just tell me you’re not here right now because you feel obligated to be. Or because you feel sorry for me. I don’t…I don’t think I could live with that.”

  Her eyes got wide before she shook her head, holding back a laugh. “Wow, it’s a good thing you’re handsome, because sometimes you’re really not too smart.”

  The corner of my mouth quirked up. “Oh really?”

  “I’m in love with you, you big dumb Russian bear.”

  “You have to mean it. You can’t say something like that and then take it away from me.”

  “Oh, I mean it. Just don’t get yourself smashed up again.”

  It hurt to laugh, but I couldn’t help it. “I’ll work on that.”

  I took her in, my beautiful Jenny. All mine. Finally.

  “Feel like marrying me when I get out of here?” I asked.

  Her breath hitched in her throat before her smile beamed, lighting us up with a thousand suns and stars. “Nothing more I’d rather do. As long as we don’t wait too long.”

  I searched her eyes. “I’ll marry you today, right from this bed.”

  “Nope, I want a real wedding. Nothing big or fancy, just as long as I get to wear a ridiculously pretty dress in a synagogue.”

  “Whatever you want,” I told her, already picturing her as a bride.

  My bride.

  “We’ll do it however you want,” I went on. “We can even do one of those ice sculptures where you have chilled shots of Russian vodka.”

  “Um…sure. But I won’t be having any.”

  My forehead furrowed. “Do you not like vodka?”

  “I do. It’s not that. It’s something else.”

  “What, then?”

  She searched my eyes before blurting out, “I’m pregnant.”

  I couldn’t fully process. “Wait…how?”

  That earned an incredulous look. “How? Really?”

  “I mean…we used condoms.”

  She chuckled. “Not every time. Remember in that office at the bar?”

  That’s right. She rode me hard, right on top of that desk. It was magnificent, watching her take control like that. And she was correct—we had been in such a frenzy, we fucked bare.