Chapter 35

Jensen

Waiting for Bailey to come out of surgery was torture. I paced like an expectant father, nearly jumping out of my skin every time a doctor or nurse came by the waiting area. Ivan, Manny, and Lucia waited with me, which was nice, but it was a much shorter procedure than I’d anticipated. It only took ninety minutes, and then Dr. Manning was there telling us everything had gone perfectly, and that Bailey would be out of recovery within the hour.

She was dozing now, back in her room, and she looked so vulnerable lying there. I hated that she was going through this, but it was going to be okay. Dr. Ritter had come straight to the hospital after Dr. Manning reached out to him on our behalf, and he’d agreed with everything Dr. Manning had said. The surgery was necessary, but also it would improve Bailey’s current quality of life by a lot.

We just had to get her through this part.

The healing and physical therapy and short-term pain.

I’d already talked to my mom and she was flying out tomorrow to help out while I went to practice and stuff. There was a road trip this weekend but I’d already told Coach Fenton I wouldn’t be going.

Fuck that and fuck him.

Bailey was more important than the team right now, and if they wanted to trade me because I missed a four-day trip to Arizona and Vegas at the end of a season, when we were in last place, that was fine. I didn’t think they would, though. Even if they were pissed internally, to the outside world they tried to project a family-friendly organization. No one else’s home had been impacted by the earthquake, but Bailey’s was a total loss. I hadn’t told her that yet, she had enough going on, but a crew had come out to inspect it and turn off the gas and such, and the man I’d spoken to said he didn’t think the main structure was salvageable.

I’d hoped to avoid talking about it until she was better, but she was expecting to go home tomorrow, and I had to tell her home was going to be my house. Unless she wanted to go to a short-term rehab facility, but my gut told me she wouldn’t.

“Jensen?” Her voice was soft but got my attention.

“Hey, beautiful.” I leaned over to brush my lips across her forehead. “How are you feeling?”

“Pretty good.” Her eyes blinked open and she looked around. “Is it over?”

“Yup. You’re all done, and they’re going to have you eat something and then try to get you up.”

“Okay.”

Dr. Manning had gone over the procedure with us, explaining how they liked patients to be up and moving as soon as possible. She would have a walker and there would be nurses to make sure she didn’t fall, but walking on the new hip wasn’t optional. Personally, I thought it was a great idea. She would know immediately that she could walk, most likely without pain, and it would help build her confidence.

“So, listen, I was thinking it would be easier if we went to my place when you get out of here. Your house isn’t in any condition for you to go back right now.”

She met my gaze curiously, her eyes slowly narrowing. “How bad is it, Jensen? Don’t sugarcoat it. My hip is broken, not my brain.”

I smiled. “It’s bad. It may be a total loss.”

Her eyes widened. “Are you sure?”

“No. I’ve been kind of busy here with you, but I went over there last night to get some of your things and there was a crew from the gas company there. They didn’t think it was safe.”

“Were you able to get any of my stuff?”

I nodded. “I don’t know if I got the right stuff, but I got panties and sweats and some random things I could get to. There isn’t a lot, Bailey.”

“Shit. People could be robbing me!” She looked around. “Do you have my phone?”

I grimaced. “I’m sorry, babe. I didn’t see it. I got your laptop from the kitchen but it’s probably not charged.”

“Knock knock.” A guy I didn’t recognize stuck his head in the door. “May I come in? I’m Elliott Rageis.”

“Rage!” Bailey’s face lit up and I felt a moment of discomfiture, wondering who the hell this giant of a man was. He wasn’t quite as tall as me, but he was bigger. A lot bigger. And who the hell was named Rage?

“I was off yesterday and didn’t realize your house had been impacted by the quake, but I figured it out when I got in this morning.”

“It’s been a rough twenty-four hours,” she said, reaching out a hand to him. “But thank you for checking on me.”

“Of course.” He squeezed her hand but then extended his hand to me. “Elliott Rageis. My friends call me Rage.”

“Nice to meet you. Jensen Bang.”

“I’m a big hockey fan,” he said. “Originally from Minneapolis.”

“St. Paul.” I nodded. “Nice to meet you.”

“Rage is one of the guys who works at my security company,” Bailey said. “He usually does overnight shifts, so there have been a few times I’ve called him in the middle of the night. I’m that annoying customer.”

“You’re not annoying,” Rage said, chuckling.

“So you’re the one who told her it was safe to date me,” I said, finally putting the pieces together.

“Well, I told her you weren’t some crazy hacker stalking her online. Beyond that, I don’t give dating advice.”

Bailey chuckled. “Thank you for coming, but I’m fine.”

“Since I couldn’t reach you by phone and your house appears to be damaged, I did some digging and found you here.” He pulled a phone out of his pocket. “I also picked this up for you. I found your phone at the house and it was trashed, so I got you another one and it’s all set up with your number and contacts.”

Her mouth opened. “Oh, Rage, thank you.”

“Part of what we do. Mr. Carruthers said he has your signature on file for things like this, so we took care of it, and I offered to bring it in person.”

I liked this guy.

Smart, professional, efficient.

However, he was a decent-looking guy, with blue eyes and a great smile.

And I wanted to punch him every time Bailey smiled back at him.

“Thank you so much,” she said.

“Well, I’m glad you’re okay, so I’ve got to get back to work. My direct number is programmed in there now. If you need anything don’t hesitate to reach out.”

“I’ve got her,” I said, reaching for her hand. “But thank you. I’m glad someone besides me has her back.”

He nodded and then slipped out as quickly as he’d come.

Bailey turned to me, her lips quirking up. “You’re jealous.”

I scowled. “Am not.”

“Are too.”

She bit her lip and then burst out laughing.

“Now that’s a sound I like to hear.” Dr. Manning came in, smiling at us. “How are you feeling, Bailey?”

“Better than I thought I would. But I’m guessing that’s still some of the anesthesia?”

“Not the anesthesia so much as the painkillers I put into your hip.” He went into a somewhat complicated explanation about a cocktail of drugs injected directly into the hip that would dissipate over the next week or so. There was a special band on her wrist that had information about it for any medical professionals she came in contact with because the drugs in her system were so potent, they couldn’t be mixed with certain others.

“This allows you a relatively pain-free adjustment,” he continued. “So you can walk and start your physical therapy with minimal discomfort. And by the time they wear off, you’ll be past the worst of it.”

“Oh. Wow. That’s amazing.” Bailey looked grateful.

“There will still be a little pain, but nothing like what you’ve endured the last couple of years. I can’t do anything about the pain of the incision site, but we’ll make sure that’s minimal as well. I want you to focus on mobility and getting stronger. I was also able to use the new hip hardware to lengthen your leg about an inch, give or take. We’ll have to see how it works out when you’re on your feet and the hip is healed.”

“Oh.” Bailey’s eyes filled with tears again. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”

“Of course.” He patted her shoulder. “I’ll check back with you later today before I go home. You’ll be up and walking after lunch, but other than that, I want you to rest. You don’t have any dietary restrictions, so take advantage of the down time with nothing else to think about.”

“I’m actually excited to get up,” she said once he was gone. “Get a feel for the new hip.”

“Don’t rush it. He said after lunch. They probably want you to eat so you don’t get lightheaded.”

“Yeah.”

We looked at each other and I decided to just tell her everything that was on my mind.

We’d been through a lot the last few days, but I didn’t want to wait. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, she needed security. Not money or a place to live—she had plenty of the former and finding temporary housing wouldn’t be hard for her. This was about emotional security, knowing someone was there for her and would always be there for her.

“So, listen.” I leaned closer, watching her face carefully. “I know there are things we have to talk about, but I want you to move in with me. If you’d rather sell both of our houses and buy something new, we can do that, but until you’re healed and back on an even keel, I just want to make your life easier.”

She started to respond but I held up a hand. “Let me finish? Please.”

She nodded.

“I love you. I want you with me. I want to take care of you. Like I started to tell you before, my mom is coming to help out for a couple of weeks. Just until you’re steady on your feet and feeling comfortable. I’m not going on the road trip this weekend, but as long as you’re feeling okay, I’ll be back with the team starting Monday.”

“Oh, Jensen. You don’t have to skip the trip…”

“I want to. I love hockey, but I love you more. And if they don’t understand that you just had major surgery after the earthquake, then maybe this isn’t the organization I need to be in.” I paused. “But that might mean moving. So I need to know if you’d go with me. If that happens. Because with the new owner taking over, I honestly have no idea what’s going to happen.”

She smiled and lifted her head enough to kiss me. “I love you. If you have to move, then we’re moving. I’ve never been happier than with you. So wherever we have to go, we’ll go.”

“And your movie career?”

“They have planes. I can fly back and forth if things pick up with that, but right now, all I care about is getting better and being with you.”

“I love you.”

“You’d better. Otherwise, Empress is going to take that Crusaders’ Sword and kick your ass.”

I laughed. “Phantom Knight is looking forward to it.”

We grinned at each other, and everything was right in my world.