“I do, too. I’ll ask Beth to pack me a suitcase. She can drop it off at Aunt Shay’s house. I know she’ll want to see her after she’s released from the hospital.”
The thought of having to see Sasha so soon after seeing Viper and her together was more than she could deal with right now. With the way she was feeling, she was likely to rip out her hair.
Winter wondered if Viper would find the skank attractive with a bald head.
“Afraid I’ll pack the wrong clothes?” His dark eyes studied her with a glint of humor.
“No, I’m afraid you’ll pack them all.”
7
Winter slept on a chair beside her aunt’s bedside, waking intermittently whenever she heard Aunt Shay call out her name.
“I’m here. I told you I’m staying. Go back to sleep.” Dragging the uncomfortable chair closer to the bed, she sat quietly until her aunt fell back to sleep. Then Winter fell asleep with her head resting on the bedrail.
Waking when the morning sun began filtering through the blinds, Winter straightened her aching back.
A nurse came into the room, throwing a sympathetic glance her way. “We gave her the potassium last night, so she will be much better today. If her blood work comes back normal, she can go home.”
Winter yawned. “She was restless last night. She couldn’t remember I was with her.” Lovingly, she brushed her aunt’s gray hair away from her face.
“When they get low on potassium, they can have hallucinations and heart palpitations. That’s why they thought Mrs. Langley was having a heart attack,” the nurse explained, as she checked her aunt’s vital signs. “Let her rest. The doctor will be in to see her before she’s released.”
“Thank you.”
The nurse left them alone. It was another hour before her aunt woke up, seeming more alert than the night before.
Winter stepped out into the hall to find coffee when an aid came in and offered to help Aunt Shay shower. The hallways were a bustle of activity as new patients were admitted and breakfast trays were passed out.
Winter went to the cafeteria, finding a small table, where she drank her coffee, giving the aid enough time to shower and dress her aunt.
“Mind if I join you?”
Winter looked up, startled at the male voice.
“Of course not.” She smiled in greeting at Dr. Price as he took a chair across from her.
“You look like you didn’t get much sleep last night.” He speared his fork into a mound of eggs. His tray was filled with a delicious-looking breakfast that had her stomach churning at the sight, her face going pale.
Giving her an anxious look, he handed her a piece of toast. “Eat that. You look like you’re about to pass out.”
“I’m fine.” She shook her head, but took the piece of toast when he refused to put it back on his plate. Nibbling on it, she began feeling better. “Thank you. My aunt isn’t the only one not eating well.”
The doctor studied her as he ate. “Have you been sick?”
“No. I’m healthy as a horse.”
“Could you be pregnant?” His curious gaze caught her surprised one.
Winter’s lips tightened unhappily as she raised the coffee cup to her lips. “No. I’m afraid there’s no chance of that.”
Dr. Price swallowed a bite, then said, “Don’t sound so shocked. I see more patients surprised by their pregnancy than those who planned them.”
“You have your own practice?”
“Yes, or I did before I moved to Treepoint. I’m an obstetrician. I took over my grandfather’s shift this weekend, because he wanted to go to the gambling boat in Ohio for his birthday.”
Winter smiled. “Your grandfather is a good doctor. He saved my life a few years ago.”
Dr. Price paused from eating, giving her his full attention. “That sounds interesting. What happened?”
“A deranged deputy decided I shouldn’t be breathing anymore. He nearly beat me to death.” Winter didn’t like to talk about the darkest moments of her life. Her body had healed despite the multiple injuries she had endured. That was all that mattered.
“You seem healthy now. I wish some of my patients looked as healthy as you do.”
“Tell my husband that.” As soon as the words came out of her mouth, she changed the conservation, asking how he liked Treepoint. Despite how hard she had worked to regain her health after the beating, Viper was vigilant over anything that concerned her welfare, to the point he believed if she fell down a step it would put her back in a wheelchair. She repeatedly told him she had grown stronger, but she saw him watching her with an eagle eye every time she went down the stairs. If he wasn’t there, then it was another member who watched out for her. She loved him, and she had grown to love the Last Riders, but their constant diligence was becoming suffocating.