Twelve

TWELVE

Josie

When I woke up again, I was shocked.

Numerous things had left me in a state of surprise, the first of those being that I could open both eyes for the first time since before Kurt had made it otherwise. It seemed the swelling around my eye had gone down enough to allow me to open and close both eyes again.

As amazing as that was, it wasn't the thing that left me feeling so stunned.

Nope.

My eyes had drifted to the side of the bed, where I expected to see Huck. Unfortunately, he was nowhere to be found.

In any other scenario, I might have gotten myself worked up, but in this case, I couldn't. Because even if Huck wasn't there, I wasn't sitting alone in the room.

And just as I was about to say something, the other person in the room spoke. "He's going to be so mad at me," the woman muttered.

"Mrs. Davidson," I gasped.

A warm smile spread across the face of the woman I hadn't seen in ages. Her eyes were immediately wet with tears. "Hello, Josie. It's so good to see you awake."

"What are you… what are you doing here?" I asked, wondering how long she'd been here while I slept.

"Well, I do work here at this hospital," she answered. "But if you're asking why I'm here in your room and not working, it's because my shift hasn't yet started, and I made a promise to my son."

"I don't understand. You said he was going to be mad at you."

She gave me a nod, her eyes glancing at the door briefly before returning to me. "I made him leave."

My heart felt like it had been ripped from my chest. "What?"

I couldn't quite read the look on her face before she shared, "My son is stubborn. He's always been that way for as long as I can remember. And sometimes, I've needed to put my foot down with him."

I didn't peg Mrs. Davidson as a liar, but Huck seemed to be anything but stubborn. I just couldn't imagine his mom needing to address him with a firm hand. Even if that had been the case when he was a kid, I couldn't understand what she'd done to him now, and why he wasn't here.

"Is Huck okay?" I asked, feeling concerned.

"He's perfectly fine. But I told him he needed to go home and at least take a shower," she explained.

In an instant, the tension I'd been feeling had vanished. Relief swept through me. "Are you telling me he gave you a difficult time?"

Mrs. Davidson tipped her head to the side and assessed me. "Josie, dear, he flat out refused to go."

My brows drew together. "Oh. Well, where is he, then?"

Letting out a laugh, she answered, "He refused to go, but I still made him do it. It wasn't easy, but I eventually managed it. I had to explain that he'd be of no help to you if he didn't do the bare minimum to take care of himself. So, Huck ultimately honored my request, but he would only do it under one condition. He made me promise I would stay here with you until he returned. Of course, he assured me he wouldn't be gone long and that he intended to be back here before you even woke up. That was his goal, because he didn't want you to wake and think he'd left you."

Huck had gone above and beyond for me ever since we reconnected in the diner roughly a week ago. With the exception of the time he'd left to go deal with Kurt—when I'd been sedated anyway—he hadn't left my side. And I was certain that once I left here with him, he was going to continue to go above and beyond for me.

So, if Huck believed I was going to be upset with him because he left to give himself some time alone to grab a shower and maybe eat a decent meal, he was wrong. Sure, I wanted him here with me, but I wasn't going to be unreasonable in my expectations, either. I had no doubt he'd be back as quickly as he could manage.

"I don't think it'd ever be possible to assume the worst of anything when it comes to Huck," I explained. "He's always been such a great guy."

"That makes me happy to hear, and I'm sure he'll be relieved to know it, too. Now, all of that said, how are you feeling this morning?"

Until she asked, I hadn't considered it much. I'd woken up and been so taken aback that I didn't give myself the chance to evaluate my injuries. I attempted to take a deep breath and winced. "Well, the ribs are definitely still very sore," I told her. "But I am able to open both eyes now, so that's a step in the right direction. I can only defer to the doctor when it comes to the concussion, but I'm not feeling anywhere near as tired as I had when I first arrived."

"That's good news. It sounds like you're healing nicely. How about your shoulder? Any problems there?" she pressed.

I shook my head, wondering if Huck had given her the full rundown of my injuries or she just knew because she worked here. Either way, I didn't mind that she knew. "No. But if I'm honest about it, it's not as though I've been doing anything too strenuous to be sure. Check back with me once I've managed to take a shower or wash some dishes."

The smile was back on her face. "I think it's a good sign that you can have a sense of humor in all of this."

"Yeah, well, you weren't here last night," I muttered. "It was awful."

Her brows pulled together. "What happened?"

Maybe that was my answer. If Huck hadn't shared with his mom what happened last night, it was unlikely he told her about my specific injuries. I'd always liked Mrs. Davidson, so it didn't bother me to share the truth with her, even if it was unpleasant. I took a deep swallow. "I had a nightmare."

"Oh, Josie. I'm so sorry. No wonder Huck was giving me such a difficult time when I got here this morning."

After giving her a nod in return, I said, "It's okay. I suspect that'll improve over time. Or, at least, I hope it does. I'm just grateful Huck was here."

"I can only assume he helped you through it," she guessed.

"Yes, he did," I confirmed. "Honestly, he's been wonderful with me, Mrs. Davidson. You should be proud of him. I don't know if I'll ever be able to thank him for what he's done for me."

Her eyes roamed over my face, something softening in her features. A smile settled on her expression before she asserted, "I am very proud of my son. Even after losing his father at such a young age, he turned out to be a wonderful man."

"He had you," I reasoned. "I'm sure he misses his father tremendously. It couldn't have been easy for him to lose him. But coming from someone who didn't have anyone, I can promise you that him having you more than made up for what he lost."

"That's very sweet of you to say, Josie, but I think the more important thing to focus on here is that you seem to believe you owe Huck a debt of gratitude."

"Because I do," I insisted.

Shaking her head, she said, "Don't misunderstand me. I don't think there's anything wrong with feeling thankful and wanting to tell someone you appreciate what they've done for you. I'm sure my son already knows how you feel. I just want you to understand that this isn't something that should ever make someone, especially you, feel like you need to do anything. Huck is the one who's grateful. Trust me."

Once again, I didn't want to accuse Huck's mom of being a liar, but I couldn't comprehend why she thought her son was the one who was grateful. "I'm not sure I understand. Why would he be grateful?"

It was at that moment when Mrs. Davidson grew quiet. She seemed to be wrestling with something, but I couldn't work out whether it was her being worried she'd said more than she thought she should have because Huck would have been upset about it, or if she was unsure whether she wanted to elaborate on her statement for fear it could upset me.

The seconds ticked by without a word, and I was convinced she wasn't going to give me an answer. But just as I was about to tell her she didn't have to respond, she shared, "I've never seen him so distraught as I did when he was in the waiting room anticipating the news he'd get about you. Not even when his father died was he that troubled."

"What?"

Surely, I must have heard her wrong. She couldn't have said what I thought she just said.

"If I didn't already know it back when he first met you in high school, what I witnessed a few days ago would have made it crystal clear," she said. "There's something about you that my son absolutely adores, Josie. It's been that way since he was a teenager. And the thought that something worse than what he already knew had happened to you nearly destroyed him. That's why he's grateful now."

My heart.

My poor heart couldn't handle this.

Now I understood why she'd been hesitant to respond initially. She knew I wasn't going to be able to handle hearing this without breaking down into tears, which was precisely what happened the moment she shared all of that.

As the tears leaked from my eyes, Huck's mom moved close and wrapped her arms around me in a comforting embrace.

"I'm sorry," I murmured after I'd managed to pull myself together. "I just… I wasn't expecting you to say all of that."

"It's okay. I figured it could go one of two ways if I shared that, and it seems I wasn't wrong," she returned. "I'm the one who should be apologizing for upsetting you. This isn't what you need to be dealing with right now."

With a slight shake of my head, I insisted, "No. No, I'm glad you did. It means everything to me. And I think you should know that Huck is just as important to me. He's been a dream come true, if I'm honest."

Maybe I should have been sharing words like that with Huck directly, but the last thing I wanted was for his mom to think the adoration was one-sided.

Her expression warmed, her features softening. "It makes me so happy to know he can be that to you."

"Yeah, me too."

"So, I do have one more question," she declared.

"Sure. What's going on?"

Her lips twitched slightly. "What do I have to do to get you to call me by my first name?"

Though I didn't know how much she'd be able to see with the bruising I was certain was still present on my face, I didn't doubt my cheeks were flushed. "I'm just trying to be respectful."

"I can understand that, especially when you were still a kid. But I'd like to think we're past that stage now. I mean, after I learned you were here, I was with you. They'd never allow Huck back while they were getting you checked out, especially considering the circumstances, but he begged me to find out what was happening. I would have done it anyway, even without his pleading. And I think you should know that I couldn't leave you until I knew you were going to be okay," she shared. "I think it's time you start calling me Bonnie."

I didn't know what it was like to have a mom, but I always thought Huck's mom could set the standard for what it was to be a parent. I hadn't had many encounters or interactions with her, but the few that I'd had always left an impression on me, this one being no different.

Of course, I got all emotional again, and the tears poured down my face. "I've always wanted to thank you," I confessed.

"Me? For what?"

"I've always been grateful to you for what you did for me when I was in high school," I explained.

"Josie, I didn't do anything. It was all Huck."

Nodding, I said, "I know. I know he was the one who pushed for everything good that came my way, but if you hadn't been supportive of him doing that, it wouldn't have happened. I mean, I'm well aware he wasn't packing his own lunch or making those breakfast sandwiches while he was in high school. Even if he asked, you were the one who did it. You made it possible for your son to look after me the way he did. I'll never forget that for the rest of my life."

Her shoulders fell as a sympathetic look washed over her face. Then she wrapped her arms around me and held me as more tears leaked from my eyes.

Somewhere in the midst of it, Huck returned. And when he did, it was safe to say he was disappointed with himself. "What happened? Are you okay? Why are you crying?"

Huck's mom loosened her hold on me, allowing me to pull my face back and seek out Huck. He was striding toward me on the opposite side of the bed.

Completely ignoring his mom, he reached for my hand and asked, "Does something hurt you?"

I shook my head. "No."

"What's going on?"

"Your mom and I were just catching up," I said.

Huck's eyes narrowed on me for a moment before they shifted to his mom. She stood up from the bed, held her hands up in surrender, and declared, "I think I need to get going. My shift is about to start." She rounded the bed, moved toward her son, and gave him a hug, followed by a kiss on the cheek. "You look refreshed. Do you feel better now?"

He sighed. "Yes, Mom."

She grinned at him, and my heart melted. I loved their relationship.

When she looked back at me, she said, "I'll stop in to see you before I leave today. It was so nice to finally have the chance to catch up with you, Josie. We'll have to do it again once you're out of here and feeling up to it."

Smiling at her, I replied, "I'd love that… Bonnie."

Her laughter filled the room. My eyes shifted to Huck, who was no longer scowling like he wanted to hurt someone for making me cry. He seemed amused, and I liked the way that looked on him a whole lot more.

After gathering up her things, Bonnie moved to the door and said, "I'll see the both of you later."

We said goodbye to her, and a moment later, it was just the two of us.

When I returned my attention to Huck, I said, "You went home and got to take a shower."

"I didn't want to leave you, but my mom wasn't hearing it," he returned. "And I thought after you being awake for so long last night that you'd need the extra rest. I foolishly believed I could run home and be back before you woke up. I'm sorry I wasn't."

I smiled at him, my hand giving his a squeeze. "It's okay. I enjoyed getting some time to talk to your mom."

"Are you sure nothing bad happened? I certainly didn't think I'd wind up walking in and see you in tears."

"I promise I'm okay. Things were just a bit emotional for us, but there was nothing bad. They were all good tears," I insisted.

He nodded his understanding. "Well, I won't have to worry about coming back to see that again, because I'm here to stay until I can take you home with me. Has the doctor come to see you yet?"

"No, but I hope he still plans to let me leave tomorrow. I want to get out of here."

"I'll be here with you until that happens, but I can't say I disagree. I think we'll both be happier at my place."

His place.

I couldn't wait to see his place.

"While we wait, will you tell me about it? Where do you live?"

Huck smiled at me, sat down, and didn't hesitate to tell me about his home. Suffice it to say, when he finished, I was even more excited to get out of the hospital.